Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
1 Oscar Nominations
Rent/Purchase
The year is 1893 and India is under British occupation. In a small village, the tyrannical Captain Russell has imposed an unprecedented land tax on its citizens. Outraged, Bhuvan, a rebellious farmer, rallies the villagers to publicly oppose the tax. Russell offers a novel way to settle the dispute: he challenges Bhuvan and his men to a game of cricket, a sport completely foreign to India. If Bhuvan and his men can defeat Russell's team, the tax will be repealed.
What critics thought
Lagaan arrived to near-universal enthusiasm from critics in both India and the West, who celebrated its ability to fold a crowd-pleasing cricket underdog story, sweeping romance, and colonial-era drama into something that felt simultaneously familiar and wholly new. The debate, such as it was, centered less on quality than on genre: some critics framed it as populist spectacle done brilliantly, while others insisted it transcended its Bollywood conventions to operate as genuine art cinema. Nearly everyone agreed the film worked on a visceral, emotional level.
“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 love-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.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“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.”
Kevin Thomas·Los Angeles Times
“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.”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
“a movie that knows its business -- pleasing a broad, popular audience -- and goes about it with savvy professionalism and genuine flair.”
Dave Kehr·The New York Times
“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.”
Sudish Kamath·The Hindu
Genres
Drama, Musical, Sport
Cast & Crew
DirectorAshutosh Gowariker
StarringAamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne, Suhasini Mulay
ComposerA.R. Rahman
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
1 Oscar Nominations
The year is 1893 and India is under British occupation. In a small village, the tyrannical Captain Russell has imposed an unprecedented land tax on its citizens. Outraged, Bhuvan, a rebellious farmer, rallies the villagers to publicly oppose the tax. Russell offers a novel way to settle the dispute: he challenges Bhuvan and his men to a game of cricket, a sport completely foreign to India. If Bhuvan and his men can defeat Russell's team, the tax will be repealed.
What critics thought
Lagaan arrived to near-universal enthusiasm from critics in both India and the West, who celebrated its ability to fold a crowd-pleasing cricket underdog story, sweeping romance, and colonial-era drama into something that felt simultaneously familiar and wholly new. The debate, such as it was, centered less on quality than on genre: some critics framed it as populist spectacle done brilliantly, while others insisted it transcended its Bollywood conventions to operate as genuine art cinema. Nearly everyone agreed the film worked on a visceral, emotional level.
“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 love-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.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“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.”
Kevin Thomas·Los Angeles Times
“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.”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
“a movie that knows its business -- pleasing a broad, popular audience -- and goes about it with savvy professionalism and genuine flair.”
Dave Kehr·The New York Times
“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.”
Sudish Kamath·The Hindu
Genres
Drama, Musical, Sport
Cast & Crew
DirectorAshutosh Gowariker
StarringAamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne, Suhasini Mulay
ComposerA.R. Rahman
Rent/Purchase