Sep 21, 2003 08:32 PM
2371 Views
(Updated Sep 22, 2003 06:51 PM)
Critically acclaimed...loved by a most of them and above all OSCAR nominated movie are the few words that describe LAGAAN.......
Earlier the movies would always have the hero and the heroine of the film always dancing around the trees or at the extreme in the rains.....this was the part of every movie...very few movies pull me to the theatre.....lagaan before its release had become a musical hit...and it was obivious that it would be a superhit .....but most of the people thought that it was an perodic drama with all those maharajas and british srcutinizers there...but nobody knew that a debutant failure director knows the nerves of the indians......CRICKET....
A cricket fanatic myself...i was drawn to theatre to see how it was in the periodic ancestral times...where they could hardly know what was a ''bat''....
the movie started with the great voice of amitabh bachan.....and the thetre was full of whistles ....a neighbour to my friend had seen it twice and yet I would see the craze in him and the same energy as we possesed......
ABOUT THE MOVIE::::::::::
'Lagaan' which literally mean Tax (in the form of grains) is a story of ordinary people set in a small village 'Champaner' in Central India during the British rule in 1893. The tale narrates the determination of the villagers to fight against injustice and opposition.
The story goes like this...There is no rain in the village since a year. The villagers who depend on rain for farming are unable to pay the lagaan to the ruler Captain Russel. On top of that they are asked to pay dugna lagaan (two taxes). Captain Russell gives an alternative to the villagers that if they defeat the British in a game of cricket, they will be exempted from tax for three consecutive years but if they loose they will have to pay three times more lagaan. It becomes a life or death situation for the villagers.
Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) a young farmer takes up the impossible task to save his village. He forms a team of 11 with his fellowmen. Elizabeth (Rachel Shelly) Captain Russell's sister who has a soft corner for Bhuvan gives her full support to the villagers cause despite her brother's opposition. Gauri(gracy singh), a village girl loves Bhuvan and has complete faith in him.
Then starts the battle between the determined indians and the british.....which I wont telll because for that you have to go and watch the movie.....a complete time pass.....believe me...
Aamir Khan as Bhuvan gives a convincing performance as always. Gracy Singh, has merged with the character of Gauri as a lively and charming village belle. British actors ; Paul Blackthorne (Russel) and Rachel Shelley (Elizabeth) both stage artists from Britain and other Indian actors have all put in their best.
'Lagaan' shot in and around the Kutch of Bhuj in Gujarat (where the disastrous earth quake took place recently) is Aamir Khan's first production. It is commendable that he has made extensive research, even filmed period pieces in the U.K to give a feel of authenticity to the film.
'Lagaan's' exquisite score by the brilliant A.R. Rahman blends traditional and modern instruments to create perfect atmosphere for the movie's myriad moods, more charm provided by Javed Akhtar's lyrics . The scenic locations; authentic sets and gorgeous regional costumes; the appealing, talented cast; the uplifting, socially-conscious plot; possibly the best ever cinematic rendering of a cricket-match---all this combined under Mr. Gowariker's able direction, make 'Lagaan' a dazzling treat. Time flies by, spellbinding visuals and story providing a chance to see a fascinating time, place and culture virtually unknown outside of India making this a movie that, despite its seemingly taxing length, offers up an unflagging entertainment delight deserving of equal success in or out of its home country.
Really this movie is worth for the nomination of oscars.........
watch it with family...
