Lagaan

Lagaan

Once Upon a Time in India
Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced by Aamir Khan
Jhamu Sughand
Written by Ashutosh Gowariker
Kumar Dave
Sanjay Dayma
K. P. Saxena (dialogue)
Narrated by Amitabh Bachchan[1]
Starring Aamir Khan
Gracy Singh
Rachel Shelley
Paul Blackthorne
Music by A. R. Rahman
Cinematography Anil Mehta
Editing by Ballu Saluja
Distributed by Aamir Khan Productions
Sony Pictures Classics
Columbia Tristar
Release date(s) June 15, 2001 (2001-06-15)[2]
Running time 224 minutes
Country India
Language Hindi
English
Bhojpuri
Awadhi
Budget Indian Rupee symbol.svg 250 million[3]
Gross revenue Indian Rupee symbol.svg 389 million[4]

Lagaan (Hindi: लगान; Urdu: لگان; translation: Land Tax), also known as Lagaan: Once upon a time in India, is a 2001 Hindi feature film. The film, based on an original story by Ashutosh Gowariker, was also directed by him. It was produced by Aamir Khan, who plays the lead role, and stars Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne in supporting roles.

The movie is set in the Victorian period of the British Raj and revolves around the peasants from a barren village who are oppressed by high taxes imposed by the British. When the peasants attempt to persuade the officers to reduce the taxes, the officers put forth a proposition to the peasants. One senior officer offers to cancel their taxes for three years if their village team beats him at cricket. After accepting his 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 received critical acclaim and awards at various international film festivals, as well as many Indian film awards. It also became the third Hindi-language film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film after Mother India and Salaam Bombay!. It was one of the biggest hits of 2001 while its DVD sales were the highest ever for a Bollywood movie up to 2007.[5]

Contents

Plot

Lagaan takes place in the town of Champaner, Central India (now in Gujarat in the west of the Republic of India) during the height of the British Empire in India in 1893. Captain Andrew Russell (Paul Blackthorne), the commanding officer of the Champaner cantonment, has imposed high taxes ("lagaan") on people from the local villages which they will be unable to pay due to a prolonged drought. Led by Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), they beg Raja Puran Singh (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) to help them. He tells them that much to his regret, he is also bound by British law.

It is after their visit to the Raja that the people of the village first witness a cricket match. Bhuvan mocks the game and gets into a fight with one of the British officers. Taking an instant dislike to Bhuvan, Russell offers to cancel the taxes of the whole province for three years if the villagers can beat his men in a game of cricket. If the villagers lose, however, they will have to pay three times the amount of their normal taxes. Bhuvan accepts this wager on the behalf of all villages without their consent. When the other villagers find out about the bet, they are furious with Bhuvan. He argues that it is important for everyone to fight against British rule.

Bhuvan thus begins to prepare the villagers for the match. He is aided in his efforts by Russell's sister Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley) who feels that her brother has mistreated the people in the villages. As she teaches them the rules of the game, she falls in love with Bhuvan, much to the anguish of Gauri (Gracy Singh) who is also in love with him. After Bhuvan reassures Gauri of his feelings for her, the woodcutter Lakha (Yashpal Sharma) becomes enraged as he is also in love with Gauri. In an attempt to discredit Bhuvan, Lakha offers himself as a spy for Russell and joins the villager's team in order to destroy it. Still short one player, Bhuvan also invites an untouchable, Kachra (Aditya Lakhia), who can bowl a leg spin. The villagers, conditioned by longterm prejudice against untouchables, refuse to play if Kachra joins the team. Bhuvan chastises the villagers, leading them to accept Kachra.

The second half of the film focuses on the match itself. On the first day, Russell wins the toss and elects to bat, giving the British officers a strong start. Bhuvan brings Kachra into the match only to find that Kachra has lost his ability to spin the ball. In addition, as part of his agreement with Russell, Lakha deliberately drops many catches. During the evening, however, Elizabeth sees Lakha meeting with her brother. She races to the village and informs Bhuvan of Lakha's deception. Rather than allow the villagers to kill him, Bhuvan offers Lakha the chance to redeem himself. The next day the British score almost 300 runs, losing only three wickets by the lunch break. As part of his promise to Bhuvan, Lakha takes a diving one-handed catch which sparks the British batting collapse. Kachra is brought back to bowl and takes a hat trick.

The villagers soon start their innings. Bhuvan & Deva (a sikh, who has played cricket earlier when he was a British sepoy) give their team a solid start. Deva misses out on his half-century when a straight -drive from Bhuvan ricochets off the bowler's hand onto the stumps at the non-striker's end, while Deva was backing up too far. When Lakha comes on to bat, he is hit by a bouncer on his head, and he falls on to his stumps. Other batsmen get out trying to score boundary off each delivery. Ismail (Raj Zutshi), a good batsman, retires hurt as he is hit on his leg. The villagers' team ends the day with 5 batsmen out of action with less than half of the required runs on board.

On the final day, Bhuvan passes his century, while most of the later wickets fall. Ismail returns to bat with the help of a runner & reduces the required runs to a gettable total. The game comes down to the last over with Kachra on strike. He knocks the ball a short distance and manages a single. The umpire signals no ball leading Bhuvan to swing extremely hard at the next ball. Captain Russell backpedals and catches the ball, leading him to believe the British team has won. However, Russell has caught the ball beyond the boundary which gives the win to Bhuvan's team. At that moment, the drought ends as a rainstorm erupts.

Bhuvan's defeat of the British team leads to the disbanding of the humiliated cantonment. In addition, Russell is forced to pay the taxes for the whole province and is transferred to Central Africa. After realizing that Bhuvan loves Gauri, Elizabeth returns to London. Heartbroken, she remains unmarried for the rest of her life. Bhuvan marries Gauri.

Cast

Production

Origins

Director Ashutosh Gowariker has stated that it was almost impossible to make Lagaan. He first put forth the idea to Shahrukh Khan who was not able to do the film and recommended Aamir Khan. Gowariker then went to Aamir, who agreed to participate after hearing the detailed 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'd produce the film.[20] Aamir corroborated this by saying that the faith he had in Ashutosh, the story and script of the film,[21] and the opportunity of starting his own production company inspired him to produce Lagaan.[22] 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."[9]

Jhamu Sughand co-produced the film because he liked the emotional and patriotic story.[23]

Location, language and costumes

Ashutosh Gowarikar panning the camera for a good angle in the barren landscape of Champaner.

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 the 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.[11]

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.[21] 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, 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.[7] The 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 boongas (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.[11] At the end, all the female members of the crew and cast were presented with pieces of Kutchi embroidery made by the women of Bhuj.[7]

The 2001 Gujarat earthquake devastated this region and displaced many locals. The crew, including the English, contributed monetarily to their cause by donating Rs. 2.5 million, with further contributions during the year.[24]

Avadhi, which is a dialect of Hindi, is primarily from a region in Uttar Pradesh. This was chosen to give the feel of the language spoken during that era. However, the language was diluted so that modern viewers could understand it.[9] The dialogues, which were a combination of three different dialects (Avadhi, Bhojpuri and Brajbhasha) were penned by Hindi writer K. P. Saxena.[7]

Bhanu Athaiya, an Oscar winner for Gandhi, was the costume designer for the film. With a large number of extras used in the film, it was difficult for her to make enough costumes. She spent a lot of time researching to lend authenticity to the characters of the film.[7]

To get the distinct tanned look of the respective characters, the cast were asked to lie in the sun.[19]

Filming

Pre-planning for a year, including ten months for production issues and two months for his character, was tiring for Aamir. As a first-time producer, he 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.[22] Most of the 19th century tools and equipment 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. They then traveled to different parts of the country to collect the musical instruments used in that day and era.[22]

During the shooting, Ashutosh suffered from a slipped disc and had to rest for 15 days. During this period, he had his bed next to the monitor and continued with his work.[25]

The filming schedule spanned across the winter and summer commencing early January and finishing in mid-June. This was physically challenging to many with the temperatures ranging from 0 - 50 degrees Celsius.[14][18] The actors had to drink frequently and sit in the shade.[13][15] The schedule was strict. The day began at 6 a.m., 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 took them 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?"[15] While on the sets, the actors were given call sheets with the day's timetable such as breakfast, hair styling, make-up, costumes, etc.[26]

Release

Before its worldwide release, Aamir Khan kept a promise to screen the film to the locals of Bhuj.[27] The film made it to the U. K. Top 10 after its commercial release.[28] The film, which was the first Indian film to have a nationwide release in China,[29] had its dubbed version released in Italy.[30] With favorable reviews from the French press, the movie premiered in Paris on 26 June 2002 and continued to have an unprecedented nine weeks of screening with over 45,000 people watching the movie.[31] It was also released in United States, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Africa and the Middle East with respective vernacular subtitles.[30][32] The film garnered a cumulative of $2.5 million at the international box-office[2][33] and Rs. 38 crores at the domestic box-office.[34]

In 2001, Lagaan had a world premiere at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend in Sun City, South Africa.[35] 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.[36] Lagaan was shown four times due to public demand as against the usual norm of showcasing films once at the festival.[30] It subsequently won the Prix du Public award at the festival.[37] 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.[30] Special screenings were held in Russia, where people were keen to watch the film after its Oscar nomination.[38]

Apart from these screenings, it was also screened at the Sundance Film Festival,[39] Cairo International Film Festival,[40] Stockholm International Film Festival,[41] Helsinki International Film Festival[42] and the Toronto Film Festival.[43]

Reception

The film received a number of positive reviews. As of 24 January 2010, Rotten Tomatoes has given it a 95% rating with 93 fresh and 12 rotten reviews. The average score is 7.9/10.[44] Derek Elley of Variety suggested that the film "could be the trigger for Bollywood's long-awaited crossover to non-ethnic markets".[45] Somni Sengupta of the New York Times, described it as "a carnivalesque genre packed with romance, swordplay and improbable song-and-dance routines"[46] Roger Ebert gave the film three and half out of four stars and said, "Lagaan is an enormously entertaining movie, like nothing we've ever seen before, and yet completely familiar… 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."[47] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described the film as, "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."[48] Kuljinder Singh of the BBC stated that, "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."[49] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times argued that the film is "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."[50] Sudish Kamath of The Hindu suggested 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."[51] The Times of India wrote, "Lagaan has all the attractions of big-sounding A. R. Rahman 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."[52]

Ashutosh Gowarikar (in white) posing with directors of the other nominated foreign films at the 74th Academy Awards.

Lagaan was also listed as number 14 on Channel Four's "50 Films to See Before you Die" and was the only Indian movie to be listed.[53]

Awards

Aamir Khan and Gowariker went to Los Angeles to generate publicity for the Academy Awards. Khan said, "We just started showing it to whoever we could, even the hotel staff."[54] About India's official entry to the 2002 Oscars, The Daily Telegraph wrote, "A Bollywood film that portrays the British in India as ruthless sadists and Mafia-style crooks has been chosen as Delhi's official entry to the Academy Awards."[55] It added that the film was expected to win the nomination.[55]

On 12 February 2002, Lagaan was nominated for the best foreign language film at the Academy Award nominations ceremony.[56] After the nomination, Khan reacted by saying, "To see the name of the film and actually hear it being nominated was very satisfying".[57] Post-nomination reactions poured in from several parts of the world. The USA Today wrote "Hooray for Bollywood, and India's Lagaan".[54] With Sony Pictures Classics distributing the film and Oscar-winning director Baz Luhrmann praising it, Lagaan had a chance to win.[54][58] The BBC commented that the nomination raised Bollywood hopes that Indian films would become more popular in the US.[59] In India, the nomination was celebrated with news reports about a win bringing in "a great boost for the Indian film industry"[60] and "a Bharat Ratna for Aamir Khan and the status of a 'national film' for Lagaan".[61]

When Lagaan lost the award to the Bosnian film No Man's Land,[62] there was widespread disappointment in India. Khan said, "Certainly we were disappointed. But the thing that really kept us in our spirits was that the entire country was behind us."[63] The Oscars were also criticised. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said that the "American film industry was insular and the foreign category awards were given just for the sake of it."[63] Gowarikar added that "Americans must learn to like our films".[64]

The film won a number of national and international awards including seven National Film Awards,[65] nine Filmfare awards,[66] and ten IIFA Awards.[67] Apart from these major awards, it also won awards at other national and international ceremonies.

Soundtrack

Lagaan: The Official Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack by A. R. Rahman
Released 6 April 2001[68]
Recorded Panchathan Record Inn
Genre World Music
Length 43:11
Label Sony Music
Producer A.R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman chronology
Love You Hamesha
(2001)		 Lagaan
(2001)		 Star
(2001)

The acclaimed soundtrack for the film was composed by A.R.Rahman with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. The 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."[50] A review of the tracks suggests that "the music is true to the time period (the British Raj)".[69] Another review said: "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."[70] The soundtrack was ranked #44 on Amazon.com's "The 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time".[71][72] It earned A. R. Rahman his third National Film Award for Best Music Direction and the track Mitwa earned Udit Narayan the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. It also won several other music awards.

Track # Song Singer(s) Length
1 Ghanan Ghanan Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik, Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, Chorus 6:11
2 Mitwa Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik, Srinivas 6:47
3 Radha Kaise Na Jale Asha Bhonsle, Udit Narayan, Vaishali, Chorus 5:34
4 O Rey Chhori Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Vasundhara Das 5:59
5 Chale Chalo A. R. Rahman, Srinivas 6:40
6 Waltz For A Romance (in 'A' Major) Instrumental 2:29
7 O Paalanhaare Lata Mangeshkar, Sadhana Sargam, Udit Narayan 5:19
8 Lagaan..... Once Upon A Time In India Anuradha Sriram 4:12

DVD

There were two releases for the DVD. The first, as a 2-DVD set, was released on 27 May 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.[73]

The second was released as anniversary edition three-disc DVD box after six 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, along with other collectibles.[74] After its release, it became the highest selling DVD in India beating Sholay (1975).[5]

Merchandise

In the anniversary DVD edition, a National Film Award-winning documentary, Chale Chalo - the lunacy of film making, 11 collector cards, a collectible Lagaan coin embossed with the character of Bhuvan, a 35 mm cinemascope filmstrip hand-cut from the movie's filmstrip were bundled with the film.[74]

A comic book, Lagaan: The Story, along with two coloring books, a mask book and a cricket board game were subsequently released to the commercial market. The comic book, available in English and Hindi, was targeted for children between the ages of six and 14. At the book's launch, Aamir Khan said that they were keen to turn the film into a comic strip during the pre-production phase itself.[75][76]

The cricket bat that Bhuvan used to score the winning runs in the film was auctioned for 6 million Pakistani rupees as a fund raiser for a cancer hospital in Lahore, Pakistan.[77]

Book on the making

In March 2002 a book titled The spirit of Lagaan - The extraordinary story of the creators of a classic was published. It covers the making of Lagaan, describing in detail the setbacks and obstacles in developing the film from a concept to the end product.[78]

Trivia

References

  1. ↑ (in Hindi) Lagaan. [Motion picture]. Aamir Khan Productions. 2001. Event occurs at 0-1 minutes. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Lagaan (2001): International Box-Office Results". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=lagaan.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  3. ↑ "Aamir Khan causes traffic jam". Tribune India. 2001-06-01. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010601/edit.htm#7. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  4. ↑ "Top Earners 2000-2009". BoxOffice India.com. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=127&catName=MjAwMC0yMDA5&PHPSESSID=93afd92c876d7c91ccf0389e78441bb8. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Lagaan beats Sholay in DVD sales". Financial Express. 2007-07-21. http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Lagaan-beats-Sholay-in-DVD-sales/206016/. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  6. ↑ Khubchandani, Lata (2001-08-27). "I approached Shah Rukh and Abhishek for Lagaan". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/aug/27ashu.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-28. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Verma, Sukanya (2001-06-01). "Lagaan: A ready reckoner". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jun/01lagaan.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-28. 
  8. ↑ http://portuguese.imdb.de/title/tt0169102/trivia
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "'Many top heroines had offered to work in this film'". Rediff.com. 2000-02-21. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2000/feb/21aamir1.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-28. 
  10. ↑ End credits - Lagaan: part 2. [DVD]. Aamir Khan Productions. 2001. Event occurs at 224 minutes. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Pandya, Haresh (2000-02-14). "Where time stands still...". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2000/feb/14lag.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-28. 
  12. ↑ "Bhura, the poultry farmer: The Ten Samurai". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jun/27lag9.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Guran, the fortune teller: The Ten Samurai". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jun/27lag7.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Ismail, the potter: The Ten Samurai". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jun/27lag10.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Deva, the Sikh from the neighboring village: The Ten Samurai". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jun/27lag5.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  16. ↑ "Goli, the man with the largest piece of land: The Ten Samurai". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jun/27lag4.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  17. ↑ "Lakha, the woodcutter: The Ten Samurai". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jun/27lag6.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Bagha, the mute: The Ten Samurai". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jun/27lag1.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Kachra, the untouchable: The Ten Samurai". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jun/27lag2.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  20. ↑ Nandy, Pritish (2001-07-17). "The Ashutosh Gowariker interview". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jul/17ash.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-28. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Pandya, Haresh (2000-02-21). "'A true actor can play any role'". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2000/feb/21aamir.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-28. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Mukherjee, Sanjeeb (July 2001). "Aamir Khan on 'Lagaan' - the surprise of the year!". Rediff.com. http://www.the-south-asian.com/July2001/Aamir%20Khan-Lagaan.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-28. 
  23. ↑ Kulkarni, Ronjita. "'I'm sure Lagaan will win the Oscar'". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2002/feb/13lg1.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  24. ↑ Das, Ronjita (2001-02-03). "'One contribution isn't enough'". Rediff. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/feb/03lagaan.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  25. ↑ Koppar, Arati. "Gracy Singh: Interview". Indiatimes.com. http://lagaan.indiatimes.com/interviews-gracy.html. Retrieved 2007-12-28. 
  26. ↑ "Arjan, the blacksmith: The Ten Samurai". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jun/27lag3.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  27. ↑ "Aamir Khan screens ‘Lagaan’ at Bhuj". The Tribune. 2001-06-13. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010613/edit.htm#6. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  28. ↑ "Leicester - Movies - Lagaan". BBC. 2001-07-26. http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/entertainment/movies/2001_07/27/lagaan_report.shtml. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  29. ↑ "“Lagaan” released in China". Press Trust of India. 2002-11-20. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20021121/world.htm#4. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 Jha, Subhash K (2001-08-13). "Lagaan wins top honours at Swiss film festival". Rediff. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/aug/13lag.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  31. ↑ Indo-Asian News Service (2002-08-17). "Lagaan a big hit in France". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/19340781.cms. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  32. ↑ "Aamir has NY in a jam". Rediff. 2001-05-30. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/may/30aamir.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  33. ↑ "‘Lagaan’ loses to ‘No Man’s Land’". UNI, PTI. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020326/main3.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  34. ↑ "Top Earners 2000-2009". Box Office India. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=127&catName=MjAwMC0yMDA5. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  35. ↑ "Showcase IIFA 2001 - Sun City". http://www.iifa.com/web07/showcase/2001.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  36. ↑ Da Cunha, Uma (2001-08-21). "LAGAAN scores a six!". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1995005502.cms. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  37. ↑ Lyons, Charles (2002-02-05). "SPC googly for 'Lagaan'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117860289.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  38. ↑ Times News Network (2002-05-02). "Russia calling, Bollywood answering!". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/8614223.cms. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  39. ↑ Ramnarayan, Gowri (2001-12-28). "Memorable flicks that made it big". The Hindu. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1602604.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  40. ↑ "Cairo Film Festival Programme". Al-Ahram Weekly. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2002/609/cu8.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  41. ↑ "History - Stockholm International Film Festival". Stockholm International Film Festival. http://www.stockholmfilmfestival.se/en/om_oss/history. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  42. ↑ "Helsinki International Film Festival". Helsinki International Film Festival. http://2002.hiff.fi/elokuvat/elokuva.html?elokuva_id=80. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  43. ↑ Tsering, Lisa (2002-05-31). "Spidey neighbourhood asks for Lagaan". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/11562265.cms. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  44. ↑ "Lagaan". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lagaan/. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  45. ↑ Elley, Derek (2001-07-19). "Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India Review". Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117798541.html?categoryid=31&cs=1. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  46. ↑ Sengupta, Somini (2002-03-31). "The World: Bollywood Dreams; A Movie Recalls India to Its Ideals". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E0DF173AF932A05750C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  47. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2002-06-07). "Reviews: Lagaan - Once upon a time in India". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20020607/REVIEWS/206070305/1023. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  48. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (2001-06-22). "Film Reviews: Lagaan". The Guardian. http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,510677,00.html. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  49. ↑ Singh, Kuljinder (2001-06-18). "Film Review: Lagaan (Tax) (2001)". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/06/18/lagaan_2001_review.shtml. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 Thomas, Kevin (2002-05-10). "Movie Review: 'Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India'". The Los Angeles Times: Calendar Live. http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-movie000033006may10,0,6839824.story. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  51. ↑ Kamath, Sudhish (2001-06-29). "Scoring sixers with every scene". The Hindu. http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/06/29/stories/0929022j.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  52. ↑ "Film-hungry fans lap up Gadar, Lagaan fare". The Times of India. 2001-06-28. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1796672357.cms. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  53. ↑ "Film buffs reveal 'must see' list". BBC News. 2006-07-23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5207756.stm. Retrieved 17 December 2008. 
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 Wloszczyna, Susan (2002-03-08). "Hooray for Bollywood, and India's 'Lagaan'". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/2002/2002-03-08-bollywood.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 Chris Hastings, Susan Bisset (2001-11-25). "Anti-British Indian film in chase for Oscar". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/11/25/wbolly25.xml. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  56. ↑ "'Rings' lords over Oscar with 13 nominations". CNN. 2002-02-12. http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/12/aa.oscar.nominations/index.html. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  57. ↑ Chandran, Rina (2002-03-03). "A `golden' push for Indian cinema". The Hindu Business Line. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2002/03/03/stories/2002030300461600.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  58. ↑ Mahajan, Nupur (2002-05-10). "It’s Lagaan for Luhrmann". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/9498427.cms. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  59. ↑ "Bollywood's hopes for Oscar dollars". BBC. 2002-02-13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1818660.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  60. ↑ Murari, Timeri N. (2002-02-15). "Lagaan lives on". The Hindu Business Line. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2002/02/15/stories/2002021501541100.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  61. ↑ Gangadhar, V. (2002-02-23). "Lagaan's ultimate test". Tribune India. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020223/windows/main1.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  62. ↑ "Bosnian war film gets Oscar". CNN. 2002-02-25. http://edition.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/25/aa.oscar.bosnia/index.html. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 "Indians mourn Oscar miss". BBC News. 2002-02-25. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/1892792.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
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  65. ↑ "South takes the lion's share; `Lagaan' wins 8 national awards". The Hindu. 2002-07-27. http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/07/27/stories/2002072702950100.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  66. ↑ "Lagaan walks away with eight Filmfare awards". Apunkachoice.com. 2002-02-17. http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20020217-0.html. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
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  68. ↑ Borah Tandon, Runima (2001-04-05). "'Depressed? Listen to Mitwah!'". http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/apr/05lagaan.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  69. ↑ Khanna, Anish. "Music Review: Lagaan". http://www.planetbollywood.com/Music/Lagaan/index.html. Retrieved 2008-01-14. 
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  78. ↑ Google Books Preview: "The spirit of Lagaan - The extraordinary story of the creators of a classic"; by Satyajit Bhatkal; Published by Popular Prakshan Pvt. Ltd.; ISBN 81-7991-003-2 (3749)
  79. ↑ "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema". Empire. http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=55. 

Further reading

External links

http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jun/21nandy.htm

Awards
Preceded by
Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai
कहो ना प्यार है		 Filmfare Award for Best Film
2001		 Succeeded by
Devdas
देवदास
Preceded by
Vanathai Pola		 National Film Award for Best Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
2002
Films of Ashutosh Gowariker
Director
Pehla Nasha (1993) • Baazi (1995) • Lagaan (2001) • Swades (2004) • Jodhaa Akbar (2008) • What's Your Raashee? (2009)
Producer
Swades (2004) • Jodhaa Akbar (2008) • What's Your Raashee? (2009) • Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010)
Filmfare Award for Best Movie
1954-1960
Do Bigha Zamin (1954) · Boot Polish (1955) · Jagriti (1956) · Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1957) · Mother India (1958) · Madhumati (1959) · Sujata (1960)
1961-1980
Mughal-e-Azam (1961) · Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai (1962) · Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1963) · Bandini (1964) · Dosti (1965) · Himalaya Ki God Mein (1966) · Guide (1967) · Upkar (1968) · Brahmachari (1969) · Aradhana (1970) · Khilona (1971) · Anand (1972) · Be-Imaan (1973) · Anuraag (1974) · Rajnigandha (1975) · Deewar (1976) · Mausam (1977) · Bhumika (1978) · Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1979) · Junoon (1980)
1981-2000
Khubsoorat (1981) · Kalyug (1982) · Shakti (1983) · Ardh Satya (1984) · Sparsh (1985) · Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1986) · no award (1987) · no award (1988) · Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1989) · Maine Pyar Kiya (1990) · Ghayal (1991) · Lamhe (1992) · Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1993) · Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1994) · Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...! (1995) · Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1996) · Raja Hindustani (1997) · Dil To Pagal Hai (1998) · Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1999) · Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (2000)
2001-present
Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2001) · Lagaan (2002) · Devdas (2003) · Koi... Mil Gaya (2004) · Veer-Zaara (2005) · Black (2006) · Rang De Basanti (2007) · Taare Zameen Par (2008) · Jodhaa Akbar (2009) · 3 Idiots (2010)
Bollywood (Hindi cinema)
Directors · Actors · Playback singers · Music Directors · Songs
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