Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

LAGAAN (4+ outta 5 stars) Years of subjugation and unfair taxation by the British Empire come to a head and the inhabitants of a small Indian farming community face off against their evil oppressors... in a cricket match??? This may seem like a ridiculous idea for a movie (and I won't even mention the fact that it's a musical) but this was the most exciting and wonderful movie I've seen in quite some time. Yes, it all comes down to a cricket match between the upper class British twits and the neophyte Indian farmers... and the movie is almost FOUR HOURS long... but, wow... what a movie this is! The slow building of trust and community among the usually-bickering villagers as they prepare for their ultimate battle is both fascinating and inspiring. It's like watching The Magnificent Seven or The Wild Bunch gathering together for a big showdown... only instead of shooting and killing... there's cricket! A cocky British Captain (Paul Blackthorne) makes a deal with the proud, young Bhuvan (Aamir Khan): he will give the entire region three years of no taxes if they can defeat the British cricket team... but if they lose they have to pay triple tax this year. Since there has been no rain all season and they can't even pay their regular taxes... this becomes a tense, do-or-die situation. Aamir Khan is terrific in the lead (he resembles a cross between Tony Curtis, Peter Sellers and Al Pacino). He is always believable, whether trying to inspire his fellow villagers or facing his English enemies in stony silence or wooing his the lovely Gauri (Gracy Singh) with song and dance. Great story! Great music! Don't miss this one!

Sony Entertainment's Lagaan is more an experience than a movie.

Indian actor Aamir Khan's home production is a cinematic experience which highlights Indian cinema to the hilt, while weaving a tale set in Champaner during the time of the British Empire's presence which deals with Lagaan (the tax of the land) and a village's upheaval against its oppressors.

The film revolves mainly around three characters namely Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), Gauri (debutante Gracey Singh) and Elizabeth (British actress Rachel Shelley), and deals with Bhuvan's spirited fight to defend what is his birthright, as he embroils the entire village into a magnitude of problems which inadvertently ends up being their only escape from the tyranny under which they reside. Gauri is the simple village girl who loyally stands behind the man she loves yet cannot profess her love to, while Elizabeth is the beautiful sister of the British Lieutenant and the complication who aids the village in their fight against injustice.

The first half sets the scene beautifully, explaining what Lagaan is, introducing the characters and gradually pulling the audience into this period and place, literally taking the viewer into Champaner through cinematography which highlights the locales and sets which establish the standard of living. It makes you feel for the characters, believe in the villagers and draws you into the celluloid created world, while the second presents to you their turmoil, dawns on you what is at stake and whisks you away in a tornado of emotions and rising spirits.

The opening scenes are more congruent to joining a conversation midway, as from the moment you are thrust into 1893's India, you gain footing and a sense of atmosphere, feeling at ease as the camera pans across its setting for the movie, drifting into the journey that will hold your attention for the duration of the film. Apart from familiarising the viewer with its characters, the first half also takes you back with its breathtakingly beautiful cinematography and fitting background score. The characters are established, the situation presented and relationships etched, with each scene rhythmically flowing from one to the other in a continuos motion.

The second half is less involved in justifying its characters and aims more towards culminating the scene which has been set in the first. By this time you are already a part of this world and your emotions have already been stirred, now they are put to the test as the events which will determine the entire crux of the film begin and get the viewer involved.

The romantic triangle between Bhuvan, Gauri and Elizabeth is expertly handled. The beauty of its predicament is that no one feels a loss by the end of the film, and director Ashutosh Gowariker beautifully justifies eternal love (but not necessarily requitted love) through drawing a comparison with the spiritual romance of the Hindu god Krishna and Radha. A delightfully delicately handled scene and situation gives birth to the foundation which will resolve the triangle in a manner leaving warmth in the viewer's heart.

Aamir Khan is a revelation. His acting is superb and be it the conviction and fire in his eyes, the way he draws breaths from the air of the abode he calls home or even gulps at the atrocities he witnesses, he has become Bhuvan completely. His portrayal is such that it puts you inside Bhuvan's psyche and enables the viewer to understand the character from his demeanour alone. His piercing eyes stare sharply like razor blades, cutting through the camera and leave a haunting impression on an unsuspecting audience, drawing them more and more deeper into his world.

Gracey Singh performs ably and is also an extremely graceful dancer, as particularly evident in the Radha Kaise Na Jale song. She acts with her eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, all of her and gives to the role of Gauri completely, giving a debut performance of high calibre.

Rachel Shelley makes her presence felt like an ethereal spirit. Apart from looking stunning she adds to whichever frame she is in with panache and style. Her crossover to Indian cinema, or indeed to this film, is delicately handled and a feat to be applauded. To light a face like Shelley's in the same frame as the villagers without making one or the other look considerably darker or awkwardly paler, is a difficult task in itself. But the cinematography, the lighting and make up is such that the characters come alive as physical presences which complement each other, as do Aamir Khan and Rachel Shelley. Her interactions with Bhuvan and the villagers are intricately handled and executed wonderfully, and her inclusion in the O Rey Chori song is poetry on screen. To make a Western character dance in Indian cinema without causing a giggle from the audience or without it appearing unnatural is also something which needs to be handled with careful thought and the result is such that this song picturisation alone will invoke discussion on how beautifully it has been shot.

Andrew Russell's boisterous character is brought to life by Paul Blackthorne, as he slides perfectly under the skin of a character that should reflect British pride and be menacing and hostile. He performs well and bounces off the supporting cast with utmost ease. The entire ensemble of supporting cast are deserved of mention, and particularly Raghuveer Yadav, who dynamically brings the character of Bhura across effectively and convincingly with edge.

A R Rahman is the composer who has scored for many Indian and South Indian films, and this time too he does not betray his reputation of being a modern day Mozart. He literally teases then grabs you with his music, first resonating your veins, then breaths and finally allowing it to explode and burst through your body like an energy force, flowing in sync with your heartbeat. It's lilting melody, fresh sound and courageous allegros mesmerise and reflect the movie's emotions and spirit of hope. The songs are very well picturised and choreography is excellent, particularly Ghanan Ghanan, O Mitwa and O Rey Chori. The bhajan O Paalanhaare is bewitchingly lit and shot, injecting a spiritual vibe as candles' flickering flames hypnotise every viewer whose eyes dance to its command.

The film belongs to Aamir and Ashutosh Gowariker all the way. Direction is superb and results in what is a true mark on Indian cinema, held together by Aamir's awe-inspiring performance.

Lagaan is about hope, courage, fighting against injustice, the human spirit and about Indians. You enter the cinema to be entertained, and leave with a piece of cinematic history being firmly etched in your heart.

Fuad Omar.

This was my first full-fledged trip into Bollywood and I couldn't have asked for a better entry. While there were some inconsistencies in sound, overall I loved the picture. Some of the songs and dances were breathtaking and emotionally charged. In particular the number where Bhuvan and the young boy are sitting on a hill and they're shrugging their shoulders, soon getting the village into the act. The other number where Bhuvan and Gauri re-enact the love of Krishna and Radha in exquisite dancing. Also there were many moments of stunning, breathtaking images, including the women of the village seated in the temple praying for salvation. Absolutely stunning.

While I feel some judicious pruning could have trimmed the nearly 4 hour long version I watched (the DVD of which included an additional 17 minutes cut from this version) the picture did not seem nearly as long as it really was.

Aamir Khan is such an instantly likable presence and Gracy Singh is simply irresistible as Gauri.

Paul Blackthorne was a hilarious, old-school villain right out of a penny dreadful melodrama – and I mean this as a compliment.

Rachel Shelley's Elizabeth was a perfect blend of Victorian reserved beauty and free spirit and noble in her heartbreak.

So many other performances ran the gamut from old school "b" stereotypical characters to some original ideas.

The blending of melodrama (in its purest sense) true comedic moments (the hen keeper), self and enlightenment culminated in the scene where Bhuvan shocks the village by touching an untouchable; his stirring, heartfelt speech about brotherhood and putting away castes shaming the village into enlightenment.

Some of the criticism leveled at Lagaan is (I believe) unduly harsh. This is a charming movie and a perfect introduction into the joys of Bollywood.

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

Okay, I am not from India, not even close. I am from Scandinavia. Before Lagaan I had never watched any Hindi movies of any kind. I know about 3 words from the hindi language. And I don't like musicals much. I viewed the movie on a DVD of rather poor quality compared to the state of the art DVDs I am used to. And I was told the movie lasted close to 4(!) hours... I figured this would be a complete waste of time... BOY was I wrong! This movie is completely the opposite! It is just amazing! Mr. Gowariker has selected an incredible cast with Aamir Khan in the lead. He makes an stunning performance as the village rebel, Bhuvan. He tries to unite the village in a struggle for life against the greedy Britons. The Britons exploit the villages by collecting lagaan (tax). This means that most of the harvest surplus is gone and there is just enough left for food for the farmers themselves. It's a classic war between "David", the native villagers of India, and "Goliath", the powerful and greedy Britons. But what makes it really interesting is that this war is fought in a Cricket arena. This is a challenge from the Britons, who are well known with Cricket, against the village, where most people have never laid eyes upon a cricket bat. If the villagers win, there will be no lagaan at all, for three years! And if the Britons win, they will collect triple lagaan, which will mean the end of the village. The stakes could not be higher!!

I can't remember a movie being this thrilling and having so much life in it. And the music has a huge impact thanks to the great voices of Udit Narayan, Lata Mangeshkar etc. And the dancing is a chapter in itself! Few or none will leave this movie not remembering the song "Mitwa, sun Mitwa". It is a must see for everyone, inside and outside of India. And this movies has been totally righteously nominated for an Oscar too, and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes all the way to the top. It has my vote! It gets 10 out of 10 from me. Excellent!