Lagaan : Once Upon a Time in India (2001-movie) : Bollywood Hindi Film

Lagaan : Once Upon a Time in India Movie Details :

Lagaan released internationally as Lagaan : Once Upon a Time in India, is a 2001 Indian Bollywood epic musical sports film written and directer is Ashutosh Gowariker, and producer is Aamir Khan. Khan stars along with debutant Gracy Singh, with British actors Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne in supporting roles. Made on a then-unprecedented budget of ₹430 million (equivalent to 1.4 billion or US$19 million in 2019), the movie was the maiden project from Aamir Khan Productions and was shot in villages near Bhuj.

The film is set in the Victorian period of India’s colonial British Raj. The story revolves around a small village whose inhabitants, burdened by high taxes, find themselves in an extraordinary situation as an arrogant officer challenges them to a game of cricket as a wager to avoid the taxes. The narrative spins around this situation as the villagers face the arduous task of learning the alien game and playing for a result that will change their village’s destiny.

The film is set in the early 1890s, during the late Victorian period of India’s colonial British Raj. The story revolves around a small village in Central India, whose inhabitants, burdened by high taxes, and several years of drought, find themselves in an extraordinary 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 arduous task of learning a game that is alien 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 widespread critical acclaim and awards at international film festivals, as well as many Indian film awards. It became the third Indian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film after Mother India (1957) and Salaam Bombay! (1988).

• Directer : Ashutosh Gowariker
• Producer : Aamir Khan,Mansoor Khan
• Writter : K. P. Saxena,Ashutosh Gowariker
• Screenplay : Ashutosh Gowariker,Abbas Tyrewala,Sanjay Daima
• Story : Ashutosh Gowariker
• Starring : Aamir Khan,Gracy Singh,Rachel Shelley,Paul Blackthorne
• Narrated : Amitabh Bachchan
• Music : A. R. Rahman
• Cinematography : Anil Mehta
• Edited : Ballu Saluja
• Casting : Uma Da Cunha,Danielle Roffe
• Production Design : Nitin Chandrakant Desai
• Costume Design : Bhanu Athaiya
• Makeup Department : Nicole Demers,Geeta Gujjar,Joginder G. Gupta,Nitin Indulkar,Shobha Kamat,S. Maliq
• Special Effects : Vishal Anand,Sherry Bharda,Amit Chomal,Vinit Dutt Mannan
• Visual Effects : Giles Livesey,Satish Ratakonda,Vishal Anand,Shakti Banerjee,Angel Das
• Action Directer : Salam Ansari,Ejaz Gulab,Javed Karim,Abbas Ali Moghul,Salam
• Productioncompany : Aamir Khan Productions
• Distributed : Sony Pictures Networks,Zee Network
• Genres : Adventure,Drama,Musical,Sport
• Release date : 15 June 2001
• Running time : 224 minutes
• Country : India
• Language : Hindi,English,Awadhi

Lagaan Film Watch Online :

Lagaan Movie Star Cast :

• Aamir Khan … Bhuvan
• Gracy Singh … Gauri
• Rachel Shelley … Elizabeth Russell
• Paul Blackthorne … Captain Andrew Russell
• Suhasini Mulay … Yashodamai
• Kulbhushan Kharbanda … Rajah Puran Singh
• Raghuvir Yadav … Bhura (as Raghuveer Yadav)
• Rajendra Gupta … Mukhiya
• Rajesh Vivek … Guran
• Shri Vallabh Vyas … Ishwar (as Sri Vallabh Vyas)
• Javed Khan … Ram Singh
• Raj Zutshi … Ismail
• Akhilendra Mishra … Arjan
• Daya Shankar Pandey … Goli
• Yashpal Sharma … Lakha
• Amin Hajee … Bagha
• Pradeep Singh Rawat… Deva Singh Sodhi
• Aditya Lakhia … Kachra
• A.K. Hangal … Shambukaka
• John Rowe … Col. Boyer
• David Gant … Maj. Warren
• Jeremy Child … Maj. Cotton
• Ben Nealon … Lt. Smith
• Anupam Shyam … Namdeo
• Raja Awasthi … Ramprasad
• Pramatesh Mehta … Harikaka
• Bhim Vakani … Kazi
• Amin Gazi … Tipu
• Anu Ansari … Jigni
• Parveen Bano … Kesarya
• Chris England … Yardley
• Howard Lee … Burton
• Simon Holmes … Brooks
• Ray Eves … Willis
• Jon House … North
• Neil Patrick … Harrisson
• Jamie Whitby Coles … Wesson
• Barry Hart … Benson
• Alex Shirtcliff … Flynn
• Amitabh Bachchan … Narrator

Lagaan Movie Story :

This is the story about the resilience shown by the Indians when they were under the British Rule. They are already taxed to the bone by the British and their cronies, but when Jack Russell announces that he will double the Lagaan (tax) from all villagers, they decide to oppose it. Leading the villagers is a handsome young man named Bhuvan, who challenges them to a game of cricket, a game that is to be played by veteran British cricket players, versus villagers, including Bhuvan himself, who have never played this game before, and do not even know a bat from a piece of wood. As the challenge is accepted, the interest grows and attracts Indians from all over the region, as well as the British from all over the country – as everyone gathers to see the ‘fair play’ that the British will display against their counter-parts, who are aided by none other than the sister, Elizabeth, of Captain Rusell.

Lagaan Movie Production :

Lagaan was inspired by a B.R. Chopra’s Naya Daur (1957) starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala.

Director Ashutosh Gowariker has stated that it was almost impossible to make Lagaan. Gowariker went to Aamir, who agreed to participate after hearing the detailed script. Aamir had initially rejected the idea of a “sporty” film, but was “himself in tears” upon hearing the full dialogued script. Even after securing Khan, Ashutosh had trouble finding a producer. Producers who showed interest in the script wanted budget cuts as well as script modifications.

Eventually, Aamir agreed to Ashutosh’s suggestion that he would produce the film. Aamir corroborated this by saying that the faith he had in Ashutosh, the story and script of the film, and the opportunity of starting his own production company inspired him to produce Lagaan. He also said that by being a producer himself, he was able to give 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.”

Jhamu Sughand co-produced the film because he liked the emotional and patriotic story.

Lagaan Movie Pre-production :

One of the first members to join the production team was Nitin Chandrakant Desai, the art director, with whom Ashutosh set out for extensive location hunt throughout India, to find the setting for the fictional town of Champaner, in late 1998. After searching through Rajasthan, Nasik, UP, they zeroed in on an ancient village near Bhuj, located in Gujarat’s Kutch district, by May 1999, where the film was primarily shot.

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. Kutch faced the same problems at that time and hence the village of Kunariya, located a few miles away from Bhuj, was chosen. During the filming of Lagaan, it did not rain at all in the region. However, a week after the shoot finished, it rained heavily bringing relief to Bhuj, which had a lean monsoon the previous year.

The typical old Kutch hamlet was built by the local people four months before the arrival of the crew.The 2001 Gujarat earthquake devastated this region and displaced many locals. The crew, including the English, contributed to their cause by donating 250,000 (equivalent to 800,000 or US$11,000 in 2019), with further contributions during the year.

Avadhi, which is a dialect of Hindi, is primarily from a region in Uttar Pradesh. It was chosen to give the feel of the language spoken during that era. However, the language was diluted, and modern viewers can understand it.The dialogues, which were a combination of three dialects (Avadhi, Bhojpuri and Braj Bhasha) were penned by Hindi writer K. P. Saxena.

Bhanu Athaiya, who won an Oscar for her work in Gandhi (1982), was the costume designer for the film. With a large number of extras, it was difficult for her to make enough costumes. She spent a lot of time researching to lend authenticity to the characters.

Lagaan Movie Shooting :

The film took approximately a year to plan, which included ten months for production and one month for the development of Khan’s character, which the first-time producer found tiring. Khan obtained a crew of about 300 people for six months. Due to the lack of comfortable hotels in Bhuj, he hired a newly-constructed apartment and furnished it completely for the crew. Security was set up and a special housekeeping team was brought to take care of the crew’s needs.

Most of the 19th century tools and equipment depicted in the film 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. They then travelled to different parts of the country to collect the musical instruments used in that day and era.

During the shooting, Ashutosh suffered from a slipped disc and had to rest for 30 days. During this period, he had his bed next to the monitor and continued with his work.

The film shooting schedule spanned the winter and summer, commencing in early January and finishing in mid-June. This was physically challenging for many, with the temperatures ranging from 0 to 50 °C (32 to 122 °F). The actors had to drink frequently and sit in the shade. The schedule was strict. The day began at 6 am, changing into costumes and getting onto the actors’ bus, which took them to the sets in Kanuria.

The actors, including Aamir, all travelled on the same bus. If anyone missed it, it was up to them to reach the sets. One day, Aamir was late and missed the actors’ bus. 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?” While on the sets, the actors were given call sheets with the day’s timetable such as breakfast, hairstyling, make-up, costumes, etc.

Lagaan Movie Release :

Before its worldwide release, Aamir Khan kept a promise to screen the film to the locals of Bhuj. Lagaan clashed with Gadar: Ek Prem Katha starring Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel at the box-office. The film made it to the UK Top 10 after its commercial release.

It was the first Indian film to have a nationwide release in China and had its dubbed version released in Italy.With favorable reviews from the French press, Lagaan premiered in Paris on 26 June 2002 and continued to have an unprecedented nine weeks of screening with over 45,000 people watching.It was released in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Africa and the Middle East with respective vernacular subtitles. The film took a cumulative of $2.5 million at the international box-office and 380 million (equivalent to 1.2 billion or US$17 million in 2019) at the domestic box-office.

In 2001, Lagaan had a world premiere at the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) weekend in Sun City, South Africa.The Locarno International Film Festival authorities published the rules of cricket before the film was screened to a crowd which reportedly danced to its soundtrack in the aisles. Lagaan was shown 4 times due to public demand as against the usual norm of showcasing films once at the festival.

It subsequently won the Prix du Public Award at the festival. After the film’s publicity in Locarno, the director, Ashutosh Gowariker said that distributors from Switzerland, Italy, France, Netherlands, North Africa, Finland and Germany were wanting to purchase the distribution rights. Special screenings were held in Russia, where people were keen to watch the film after its Oscar nomination.

Apart from these screenings, it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival,Cairo International Film Festival,Stockholm International Film Festival, Helsinki Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is available on Netflix.

Lagaan Movie Songs / Music :

The acclaimed soundtrack of the film Lagaan (also called Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India) was composer is A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. There are six songs and two instrumental pieces in this film. Rahman incorporated several music styles and genres to create the soundtrack.

Upon release, the soundtrack became highly popular, with all songs becoming huge hits. It also received high critical acclaim, with many reviewers stating it as a “Magnum Opus” by A. R. Rahman. It is described as one of Rahman’s finest and most successful works to date. The rich background score of the film also got great critical acclaim and is said to have contributed immensely to the film’s success.

It was the highest selling album in 2001. It was AR Rahman’s 2nd Big Hit after Dil Se in that time. Specially Inspirational song Mitwa and Classical Song Radha Kaise Na Jale by Udit and Asha were biggest hit in that time.

• “Ghanan Ghanan” – Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik, Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, Chorus
• “Mitwa” – Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik, Srinivas
• “Radha Kaise Na Jale” – Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan, Vaishali Samant, Chorus
• “O Rey Chhori” – Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Vasundhara Das
• “Chale Chalo” – A. R. Rahman, Srinivas, Chorus
• “Waltz for a Romance (in ‘A’ Major)” – (Instrumental)
• “O Paalanhaare” – Lata Mangeshkar, Sadhana Sargam, Udit Narayan & Chorus
• “Lagaan….. Once Upon a Time in India” – Anuradha Sriram, Chorus
• Strings arranged by R. Prasanna

“Radha Kaise Na Jale” Full Video Song :

• Song Name – Radha Kaise Na Jale
• Singer – Asha Bhosle & Udit Narayan
• Music Composer – A.R. Rahman
• Lyricist – Javed Akhtar
• Music Label – Sony Music Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd.

“Chale Chalo” Full Video Song :

• Song Name – Chale Chalo
• Singer – Srinivas, A.R. Rahman
• Music Composer – A.R. Rahman
• Lyricist – Javed Akhtar
• Music Label – Sony Music Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd.

Lagaan Movie Review :

This film review are Mostly Positive from Critics, IMDB Public Reviewing site give 6.9 Star Out Of 10 Star with Reviewers are 10,3,445.

The setting is historical… The year is 1893… The British Raj imposes heavy taxes on the poor villagers despite all the problems droughts have caused on their income…

An arrogant army captain—unknown to him that his sister has fallen in love with a sensitive idealistic—confident in his countrymen’s ability, offers the people relief if they can beat the fearsome British team at a game of cricket…

Despite its closeness to the conventions, “Lagaan” proved to be a break-out film… Besides the graceful and enchanting attractions of the song-and-dance sequences, it has a plot carefully fashioned to a special kind of audience—audience who likes sports movies…

They are minor characters compared to the captain’s pretty sister (Rachel Shelley), who not only upholds the British tradition of fair play but also loses her heart to the handsome Indian hero.

Critics Rating by Taran Adarsh, from Bollywood give 3 star out of 5 Star.

Lagaan Movie Box Office Collection :

INDIA

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