Lagaan
Lagaan (transl. Agricultural tax), released internationally as Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language musical sports film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, and produced by and starring Aamir Khan, along with debutant Gracy Singh and British actors Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne in supporting roles.
| Lagaan | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ashutosh Gowariker |
| Produced by | Aamir Khan |
| Written by | K. P. Saxena (Hindi Dialogue) Ashutosh Gowariker (English Dialogue) |
| Screenplay by | Ashutosh Gowariker Sanjay Dayma |
| Story by | Ashutosh Gowariker |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Amitabh Bachchan |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Cinematography | Anil Mehta |
| Edited by | Ballu Saluja |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Networks Zee Network |
Release date |
|
Running time | 224 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi English |
| Budget |  25 crore[2] |
| Box office | est. 65.97 crore (see below) |
The film is set in 1893, during the late Victorian period of India's colonial British Raj. The story takes place in a small village in Central India, whose settlers, overloaded by high taxes, and several years of drought, find themselves in an bizarre situation as an arrogant British army officer challenges them to a game of cricket, as a wager to avoid paying the taxes they owe. The narrative spins around this situation as the villagers face the extremely difficult task of learning a game that is strange and new to them and playing for a result that will change their village's destiny.
Lagaan released on 15 June 2001, clashing with Gadar: Ek Prem Katha starring Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel. Lagaan received worldwide critical acclaim and awards at international film festivals, and many Indian film awards and it became a blockbuster. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Made on a very expensive of [2] (US$5.32 million),[3] the movie was a humongous project from Aamir Khan Productions and was filmed in villages near Bhuj.[4]
Cast
- Aamir Khan as Bhuvan Latha
- Gracy Singh as Gauri
- Rachel Shelley as Elizabeth Russell
- Paul Blackthorne as Captain Andrew Russell
- Suhasini Mulay as Yashoda Maa, Bhuvan's mother
- Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Raja Puran Singh
- Rajendra Gupta as Mukhiya Ji
- Raghubir Yadav as Bhura (fielder)
- Rajesh Vivek as Guran (seamer)
- Raj Zutshi as Ismail (batsman)
- Pradeep Rawat as Deva Singh Sodhi (all-rounder)
- Akhilendra Mishra as Arjan (batsman), the blacksmith.
- Daya Shankar Pandey as Goli (seamer), the man with the largest piece of land.
- Shrivallabh Vyas as Ishwar (wicket-keeper), the vaidya (doctor) in the village and Gauri's father.
- Yashpal Sharma as Lakha (batsman), the woodcutter.
- Amin Hajee as Bagha (batsman), the mute drummer.
- Aditya Lakhia as Kachra (spinner), the untouchable.
- Javed Khan as Ram Singh, Indian who works with British and helps Elizabeth in translating villagers language.
- A. K. Hangal as Shambu Kaka
- Amin Gazi as Tipu
- John Rowe as Colonel Boyer
- David Gant as Major Warren
- Thor Halland as Captain Roberts
- Jeremy Child as Major Cotton
References
- ↑ "Lagaan (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Aamir Khan causes traffic jam". The Tribune. 1 June 2001. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
- ↑ "Historical Exchange Rates Tool & Forex History Data (47 INR per USD)". OFX. 2001. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ↑ "15 Years of 'Lagaan': 20 Lesser Known Facts About the Film". CNN-News18. 15 June 2016.