20 Glorious Years Of Oscar-Worthy ‘Lagaan’

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3 years ago

The spectacular film, Lagaan completes 20 years. The film was theatrically released on 15 June, 2001. The amazing traits of the film consists of fantastic acting by the stellar cast, its great music and a subjective opinion of an Indian, because of the importance cricket holds in our lives and the nature of our freedom struggle. The film was worth an Oscar but it never took home gold. The movie certainly deserved everyone’s attention global wide.

The unique and brilliant element of the last ball of the innings is unforgettable in the film. The last 5 runs to win was nail-biting (1 ball. 5 runs). All we need is a six. When the ball is up in the air, so are our emotions. During this, A. R. Rahman’s resounding score is splendid. Our emotions go into hyperdrive during the scenes as the last 5 minutes has been an emotional rollercoaster. And finally, he bowls the Ball. Aamir’s charavcter, Bhuvan hits it and…..Symphony.

Lagaan has put Indian cinema on the global map and on the red carpet of the Academy Awards. Aamir Khan’s role teaches us a lot in the film. A true leader will have to make tough calls in the tough times and so did Mr Perfectionist’s character, Bhuvan. Bhuvan never gave up. The film went on to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category. It has made all kinds of lists, including one in 2010 for “The 100 Best Films of World Cinema”. Aamir still continues to tug our hearts and he aged gracefully over the years.

Gracy Singh called her experience working in Lagaan ‘once in a lifetime’ work. As a learning experience itself, the actress said that they have lived the life of those characters at every moment. “The backdrop of it may have been historical, set in a period, but the story is for the future generations. Children can learn so much about life watching it. In life, there are ups and downs and you have to remain strong throughout. I learnt that while filming for Lagaan,” Gracy Singh said. Currently, the actress is busy with the TV mythological show Santoshi Maa.

“Lagaan is the only film in my career that has been completed in a single schedule of six months and I miss everyone.” Says one of the best villains in Indian cinemas, Pradeep Rawat. However, the actor was seen teaching cricket for the team in the film. In real life, Rawat plays cricket well and it was not a big deal for him. During the shoot, he also vowed to not do things that are prohibited in a Sikh culture like smoking or drinking. He played the role of Deva Singh Sodhi and even Aamir once confessed that he wanted to play Deva in the film.

Considering himself lucky to be a part of the film, Yashpal Sharma recalls the struggle of shooting for Lagaan in the scorching heat of Bhuj, Gujarat for about six months at a stretch. The actor said the cast and crew used to play late-night card games after dinner. He played the character of Lakha and he was called the first match-fixer in India. He played the character who betrays his own team in the cricket match against the British but sets on the right path later.

Daya Shankar Pandey who played the fast bowler Goli in Lagaan said that he practiced dance with choreographer Ganesh Hegde for 5 days for the song “Dharti ka raja hai tu”. “But both of us banged our heads. I did try, but I noticed in the rehearsals that I was pathetic. I just couldn’t manage it. Then I went to Aamir and Ashutosh with folded hands and requested them not to make me dance. I knew 20 years down the line, people will make fun seeing me dance with Aamir. Just to save my respect, I slowly retracted.”

Raghubir Yadav’s role as Bura is a prominent role in this Ashutosh Gowariker directorial. He recalled his painful experience of undergoing surgery during the shoot. The actor suffered from stomach pain, caused by appendicitis. He had to undergo laparoscopy amid the shoot and soon resolve the issue. This is the reason why the actor was seen missing in the “Radha Kaise Na Jale” song. But, he managed to shoot some important match portions. “I kept lying down on the set and whenever my shot of taking a catch or something came, I slowly stood up, gave the shot and went back to my cot. I shot a major portion of the match this way,” the actor said.

Kudos to Ashutosh Gowarikar as shooting with thousands of local villagers can never be easy, and that too with such perfection. The director has so easily created the complete sense of the British India rule, their behavior with poor locales, so impactfully that it seems to be real, like a historic drama. Shooting in hot weather and deserts with a crew of thousands needs a lot of talent and patience from each and everyone associated with the film. It was no doubt Lagaan is one of the best films ever made on sports.

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