Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
Directed by	Ashutosh Gowariker
Written by	Screenplay: Kumar Dave Sanjay Dayma Ashutosh Gowariker Original Story: Ashutosh Gowariker Dialog: K. P. Saxena
Produced by	Aamir Khan Reena Kapoor Jhamu Sughand
Starring	Aamir Khan Gracy Singh Rachel Shelley
Cinematography	Anil Mehta
Edited by	Ballu Saluja
Music by	A. R. Rahman
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics Aamir Khan Productions Columbia Tristar
Release dates	June 15, 2001 India, UK and U.S. release
Running time	224 min
Country	India
Languages	Hindi English Bhojpuri
Budget	Rs. 250 million

Lagaan (Bhojpuri/Hindi: लगान; Urdu: لگان; translation: Land tax), also known as Lagaan: Once upon a time in India, is an award-winning Bollywood musical made in India. It became the third Hindi language film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (after Mother India in 1957 and Salaam Bombay! in 1989). The film, which is based on an original story by Ashutosh Gowarikar, was also directed by him. It starred Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh in the lead roles while Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne and A. K. Hangal play other prominent roles.

The movie, which is set in the Victorian India, revolves around the peasants from a barren village who are oppressed by high taxes by the ruling British Empire. When the peasants attempt to persuade the officers for reducing the taxes, the officers put forth a proposition to the peasants. One senior officer offers them to cancel their taxes for three years if their village team beats them at cricket. After accepting this proposition, the villagers face the arduous task of learning the game and playing for a result that will change their village's destiny.

The film gathered critical acclaim and awards at several international film festivals, apart from winning many Bollywood awards. The film, which had its theatrical release on June 15, 2001, also released twice as the highest selling DVD in India of its time.

Plot

Lagaan is set in late 19th century India. Captain Andrew Russell (Paul Blackthorne), the commanding officer of a British cantonment, oppresses the people of Champaner with high taxes (lagaan). The local ruler, Rajah Pooran Singh, asks that taxes be lowered, to ease the suffering of the drought-stricken villagers. Captain Russell humiliates the rajah by asking him to eat meat if he wishes the taxes to be lowered. The rajah says that he must keep the rules of his religion and his caste; he cannot eat meat. Captain Russell then doubles the taxes.

The peasants, who are already suffering from a prolonged drought, are devastated by this news. The monsoon is late; they will be unable to pay regular taxes, much less double taxes. They beg the rajah to help them, but he says he cannot persuade the British to mercy.

The villagers, returning from their fruitless audience with the rajah, stop to watch the British officers playing cricket. Captain Russell notices them and sees the young, impetuous Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), who has previously angered him. The captain offers Bhuvan a wager: He will cancel the taxes of the whole province for three years if a village team can beat his men at cricket. If they lose, they will owe triple tax. To the horror of the other villagers, Bhuvan accepts this wager on their behalf. Later, he explains that as they can pay neither double nor triple taxes, they should grab the chance for a tax remission.

Nonetheless, the villagers of Champaner, and of all the neighboring villages, are furious with Bhuvan. No one has ever played cricket. How can complete novices beat the British?

The British Government, on learning of Captain Russell’s wager, admonishes him for his arrogant and irresponsible behaviour. His superiors tell him that if he loses the match, he will have to reimburse all the taxes from his own pocket and moreover suffer a transfer to Central Africa.

Led by the courageous Bhuvan and helped by Russell’s good-hearted sister Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley), a few villagers begin to learn cricket. As time progresses, more and more villagers are convinced to join Bhuvan's team. Bhuvan accepts them on merit alone, disregarding all considerations of religion and caste. This is controversial, but eventually accepted by the villagers. The team works hard and it seems that they might have a chance to win.

As they spend time together, Elizabeth falls in love with Bhuvan, who is himself attached to a charming local girl, Gauri(Gracy Singh). Though Bhuvan feels nothing but respect for Elizabeth and Elizabeth never expresses her feelings, Gauri sees how matters stand and is anxious until Bhuvan declares his love. This infuriates the woodcutter Lakha, who had hoped to win Gauri himself.

Lakha decides to humble Bhuvan by forcing him to lose the match. Lakha joins the team, but secretly meets with Captain Russell, informing him of everything that is happening. The captain tries to prevent his sister from helping the villagers, but she defies him. On the first day of the match when the villagers are fielding, Lakha deliberately drops many catches. That night, Elizabeth sees Lakha travelling to the British camp to meet her brother and she informs Bhuvan. The villagers attempt to kill Lakha on the spot but Bhuvan reprieves him. Lakha takes a diving one-handed catch the next day which sparks the British batting collapse.

So matters stand when the three-day cricket match starts. An immense crowd of villagers gathers to watch the British and the local team face off at cricket. The last hour of the movie is a condensed rendition of the game, with many improbable changes in the match situation. Bhuvan strikes a six from the final ball to seal a one wicket victory for the Indians.

Cast

• Aamir Khan as Bhuvan. For the casting, Ashutosh first thought of having Shahrukh Khan and Abhishek Bachchan for the role of Bhuvan. While Khan suggested the name of Aamir for the role, Bachchan chose to enter cinema with J. P. Dutta's Refugee (2000). It was only after this, Aamir was approached with the idea. After Aamir agreed for the film, Ashutosh felt that both of them might not have played the role better than Aamir.^[1]
• Gracy Singh as Gauri. Many prominent actresses had offered to act in the film, but Aamir needed someone according to the script. After considering many such as Sonali Bendre, Nandita Das and Rani Mukherjee^[2], Ashutosh had selected Gracy Singh for the female lead because he was convinced that she was a good actress and dancer. Gracy, a newcomer, devoting all her time for the film was an added plus to the debutant producer.^[3]
• Rachel Shelley as Elizabeth Russell.
• Paul Blackthorne as Captain Andrew Russell. Since the script also demanded a British cast, Ashutosh and Aamir hired Danielle Roffe^[4] as one of the casting directors. After Danielle and Ashutosh screen-tested many, Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne were chosen for the prime roles. Overall, the film had cast 15 foreign actors.^[5]
• Suhasini Mulay as Yashodamai.
• Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Raja Puran Singh.
• Raghuvir Yadav as Bhura, the poultry farmer. Yadav was selected based on his performance in Earth (1998). He had undergone an appendicitis operation in between the filming schedule and returned to complete some of his scenes.^[6]
• Rajesh Vivek as Guran, the fortune teller. Vivek was spotted by Ashutosh in the film Junoon (1978). His like for cricket helped him in his role.^[7]
• Raj Zutshi as Ismail, the potter. Zutshi's friendship with Aamir and association in several films brought him the role of Ismail after the auditions.^[8]
• Pradeep Rawat as Deva, the Sikh from the neighboring village. Rawat's association with Aamir in Sarfarosh (1999) brought him the role of Deva, which was initially thought to be given to Mukesh Rishi. He claimed that it was the highest ever compensation he received in his career.^[9]
• Daya Shankar Pandey as Goli, the man with the largest piece of land. Pandey, who preferred the role of Kachra, was known to Aamir and Ashutosh through previous films (Pehla Nasha (1993), Baazi (1995) and Ghulam (1998)). After successfully auditioning for the role, Ashutosh and he used to discuss the required emotions and expressions. Pandey credited Ashutosh for all his acting in the film.^[10]
• Yashpal Sharma as Lakha, the woodcutter. Sharma was chosen by Ashutosh after his portrayal in Samar (1999). He said it was a good experience working with Aamir and Ashutosh during the film.^[11]
• Amin Hajee as Bagha, the mute. Hajee earlier worked in a film with Ashutosh. The friendly association soon brought Ashutosh to him with the script, which he liked, and thereafter he successfully auditioned for his role. His knowledge of mute people and some assistance from a music band helped him better prepare for his role. Ashutosh, who believed that Amin was like Sylvester Stallone, used to fondly refer to him as Stallone during the shots.^[12]
• Aditya Lakhia as Kachra, the untouchable. Lakhia's association with Ashutosh in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993) and Pehla Nasha (1993) that fetched him this role. He read the book Everyone Loves A Good Drought by P. Sainath to better understand and portray his character. To get the distinct tanned look of the respective characters, the cast were asked to lie down under the sun.^[13]
• A. K. Hangal as Shambukaka.
• Ben Nealon as Lt. Patrick Smith
• John Rowe as Major Boyle
• David Gant as Major Warren
• Jeremy Child as Major Cotton

Developments

Pre-production

Director Ashutosh Gowariker once said that it was almost impossible to make Lagaan. When he first put forth the idea of the film to Aamir Khan, he not only refused to act in it but also dissuaded him from making it. Even after Aamir agreed to act after the narration of a detailed script, Ashutosh found the script lacking a producer. All those producers, who evinced interest in the script, wanted budget cuts as well as script modifications. Eventually, Aamir agreed to his suggestion of producing the film.^[14] Aamir corroborated this by saying that the faith he had in Ashutosh, the story and script of the film^[15], and the opportunity of starting his own production company^[16] had inspired him to produce Lagaan. He also said that by being a producer himself, he was able to allow greater creative freedom to Ashutosh. He cited an example: "If the director tells the producer that he wants 50 camels, the latter will probably say, Why not 25? Can't you manage with 25 camels? Whereas, if he is telling me the same thing ... I will not waste time asking him questions because I am also creatively aware why he needs them."^[3] Jhamu Sughand co-produced the film because he liked the emotional and patriotic story very much.^[17]

Location, language and costumes

The film was primarily shot in an ancient village near Bhuj, which is located in Gujarat's Kutch district. The script demanded a dry location; an agricultural village where it had not rained in several years. To depict the 1890s era, the crew also required a village which lacked electricity, communication and automobiles.^[15] Kutch faced the same problems at that time and hence the village of Kanuria, located a few miles away from Bhuj, was chosen. During the filming of Lagaan in this region, it did not rain at all during the entire shoot. However, a week after the shoot finished, it rained heavily bringing relief to Bhuj, which had a lean monsoon in the previous year.^[2] This typical old Kutch hamlet was built by the local people four months before the arrival of the crew. They erected 56 small houses, many of them being ghumbas (round-shaped huts), that were common in ancient Kutch. A village mukhiya (head), a blacksmith and other such people occupied these houses. A temple was specially built on a hill, with Lord Krishna as its deity.^[5] At the end, all the female members of the crew and cast were presented with beautiful pieces of Kutchi embroidery made by the friendly womenfolk of Bhuj.^[2] The 2001 Gujarat earthquake devastated this region and displaced many locals. The crew, including the Englishmen, contributed monetarily to their cause by donating Rs. 2.5 million with further contributions during the year.^[18]

Avadhi, which is a dialect of Hindi, is primarily from a region in Uttar Pradesh. This was chosen to give a the feel of the language spoken during that era. However, the language was diluted such that the common man could understand it.^[3] The dialogues, which were a combination of three different dialects: Avadhi, Bhojpuri and Brajbhasha were penned by noted Hindi writer, K. P. Saxena.^[2]

Bhanu Athaiya, an Oscar winner for Gandhi, was the costume designer for the film. With large number of extras used in the film, it was a challenge for the designer to make enough costumes. She spent a lot of time researching to lend authenticity to the characters of the film.^[2]

Production

After pre-planning for a year, that included ten months for production issues and two months for his character, Aamir was a tired man. For a first-time producer, he managed a crew of about 300 people for six months. With a good hotel lacking in Bhuj, they hired a newly constructed apartment and furnished it completely for the crew. Security was setup and a special housekeeping team was brought to take care of the crew's needs.^[16]

Most of the ancient tools and equipment that are depicted in the movie were lent to the crew by the local villagers. Initially, they did not want to part with their equipment, but after much coaxing, they gave in. However, they traveled to different parts of the country to collect the musical instruments used in that day and era.^[16]

During the shooting, Ashutosh suffered from a slipped disc and was to rest for 15 days. However during this period, he had his bed next to the monitor and passionately continued with his work.^[19]

The filming schedule was spread across the winter and summer seasons commencing early January and finishing in mid-June. This was physically challenging to many with the temperatures ranging from 0 - 50 degrees Celsius throughout the shoot.^[8][12] Throughout the shoot, the actors had to hydrate themselves and sit in the shade.^[7][9] The schedule was strict. The day began at 6 A.M., getting dressed up and getting into the actors' bus, which took them to the sets in Kanuria. All the actors, including Aamir, travelled on that bus. If anyone missed the bus, it was up to them to reach the sets. One day, Aamir was late and missed the actors' bus that took us to the sets. That day, his wife Reena, the executive producer, reprimanded him for being late. She told him he had to set an example for the rest of the crew. "If he started coming late, how could she tell the others to come on time?"^[9] While on the sets, the actors were given call sheets with the day's timetable such as breakfast, hair styling, make-up, costumes, etc.^[20]

Release and reception

Much before its worldwide release, Aamir Khan had screened the film for the locals of Bhuj, as promised.^[21]

Screenings at film festivals

In 2001, Lagaan had a world premiere at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend in Sun City, South Africa.^[22] The Locarno International Film Festival authorities published the rules of cricket before the film was screened to an crowd which was reported to be dancing to its soundtrack in the aisles.^[23] Lagaan was shown four times due to public demand as against the usual norm of showcasing films once at the festival.^[24] It subsequently won the Prix du Public award at the festival.^[25] After the film's publicity in Locarno, the director, Ashutosh Gowarikar said that distributors from Switzerland, Italy, France, Netherlands, North Africa, Finland and Germany were wanting to purchase the distribution rights.

It shared the Best Film prize at the Portland International Film Festival,^[26] won the Audience Award at the Leeds International Film Festival^[27] and the The Norwegian Film Institute's award at the Bergen International Film Festival.^[28] Apart from these screenings, it was also screened at the Sundance Film Festival^[29], Cairo International Film Festival^[30], Stockholm International Film Festival^[31], Helsinki International Film Festival^[32] and the Toronto Film Festival.^[33]

Commercial release

The film made it to the U. K. Top 10 after its commercial release.^[34] The film, which was the first Indian film to have a nationwide release in China,^[35], had its dubbed version released in Italy.^[24] It also released in United States, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Africa and the Middle East with respective vernacular subtitles.^{[24] [36]}

The film garnered a cumulative of $2.5 million at the international box-office^[37][38] and Rs. 38 crores at the domestic box-office.^[39]

Reviews

Derek Elley of Variety said that the film "could be the trigger for Bollywood's long-awaited crossover to non-ethnic markets". About the story, he says that it "never drags, thanks almost entirely to its warm, very human feel and -- in Bollywood terms -- believable characters." About cricket which was not native to United States, he said that "the device of having a local explain the game to the assembled Indian audience cleverly gets round the problem of elucidating the mysteries of cricket for territories where it isn't played."^[40] About the film, The New York Times said that it was "a carnivalesque genre packed with romance, swordplay and improbable song-and-dance routines"^[41] Roger Ebert wrote in his review of the film:

Lagaan is an enormously entertaining movie, like nothing we've ever seen before, and yet completely familiar. This film is like nothing they've seen before, with its startling landscapes, architecture and locations, its exuberant colors, its sudden and joyous musical numbers right in the middle of dramatic scenes, and its melodramatic acting (teeth gnash, tears well, lips tremble, bosoms heave, fists clench). At the same time, it's a memory of the films we all grew up on, with clearly defined villains and heroes, a romantic triangle, and even a comic character who saves the day. Lagaan is a well-crafted, hugely entertaining epic that has the spice of a foreign culture.^[42]

A review from The Guardian said that "Lagaan is a lavish epic, a gorgeous love story, and a rollicking adventure yarn. Larger than life and outrageously enjoyable, it's got a dash of spaghetti western, a hint of Kurosawa, with a bracing shot of Kipling."^[43] About the fil, The BBC said "Lagaan is anything but standard Bollywood fodder, and is the first must-see of the Indian summer. A movie that will have you laughing and crying, but leaving with a smile." The review also added that the "director Ashutosh Gowariker captures the beauty and simplicity of rural life in India at the turn of the century."^[44] Los Angeles Times wrote that the film was "an affectionate homage to a popular genre that raises it to the level of an art film with fully drawn characters, a serious underlying theme, and a sophisticated style and point of view." The review added by saying that "Lagaan masterfully integrates song and drama into a sophisticated but lengthy tale of injustice."^[45]

A medley of many such reviews on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 95%.^[46]

A review from The Hindu wrote that "the movie is not just a story. It is an experience. An experience of watching something that puts life into you, that puts a cheer on your face, however depressed you might be."^[47] The Times of India wrote that "Lagaan has all the attractions of big-sounding A. R. Rehman songs, excellent performances by Aamir Khan [..] and a successful debut for pretty Gracy Singh. In addition, there is the celebrated David vs Goliath cricket match, which has audiences screaming and clapping.^[48] An Indian entertainment portal in its review said that "the film has many brownie points. A R Rahman's music, Anil Mehta's cinematography (even though some obtrusions to the eyes exist in the many jerky pans), Bhanu Athaiya's costumes and Nakul Kamte's sound. About the performances, it said that "though as an artiste, Gracy could do well with less of her eager facial contortions and hone her admittedly good enunciation and emoting to perfection. Of the rest of the cast, Raghuveer Yadav as Bura, the poultry owner, and Yashpal Sharma as the village baddie, stand out." It, however, attributed the film with a poor script by saying "what is one to say about a film which exhausts its plot in the first two hours and 40 minutes, and devotes an hour to a cricket match?"^[49]

Awards

Apart from winning several awards at the film festivals, Lagaan won several Bollywood awards.

In 2002, it won Filmfare Awards for the music director, lyricist, male singer (Udit Narayan for Mitwa), female singer (Alka Yagnik for O Rey Chhori), story, lead actor, director and for the film.^[50] In the same year's IIFA Awards, it won the best music director, best female singer (Asha Bhosle for Radha Kaise Na Jale), best actor, best director and the best film awards in the ceremony held in Malaysia.^[51] It won the National Film Awards for art direction, costume design, audiography, lyrics, male singer (Udit Narayan for Mitwa), music director and the film for providing wholesome entertainment^[52] Apart from these major awards, it also won awards in the Star Screen Awards and Zee Cine Awards ceremonies.

Apart from being a nominee at the 74th Academy Awards, it was also a nominee for the Screen International Award at the 2002 European Film Awards.^[53] Besides these, it was also nominated for several Bollywood awards.

Soundtrack and DVD

Soundtrack

Los Angeles Times said that the "songs and dances are not mere interludes inserted in the action, bringing it to a halt--a Bollywood trademark--but are fully integrated into the plot and marked by expressive, dynamic singing and dancing that infuse a historical drama with energy and immediacy."^[45] A review of the tracks suggests that "the music is true to the time period (the British Raj)."^[55] Another review says that "A. R. Rahman is again at his prodigious best. His score for Aamir Khan’s period drama Lagaan is a delectable blend of Indian classical music, folk melodies and jazzy snazzy tunes."^[56]

DVD

There were two releases for the DVD. The first, as a 2-DVD set, was released on May 27, 2002 in limited regions. It contained subtitles in Arabic, English, Hebrew, Hindi, Turkish and several European languages. It is available in 16:9 Anamorphic widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, progressive 24 FPS, widescreen and NTSC format. It carried an additional fifteen minutes of deleted scenes, filmographies and trailers.^[57]

The second was released as anniversary edition 3-disc DVD box after 6 years of the theatrical release. This also included Chale Chalo which was a documentary on the making of Lagaan, a curtain raiser on the making of the soundtrack, deleted scenes, trailers, a collectible coin and cards and a portion of the actual 35mm cinemascope filmstrip of the film.^[58] After its release, it became the highest selling DVD in India beating Sholay (1975).^[59]

References

External links

• Lagaan on Rotten Tomatoes
• Review of "Lagaan" from the BBC

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