Lagaan in Time’s all-time 25 best sports movies list
thanks to cooldude…
LINK
Richard Corliss
From the thunderclap in the first torrential rainstorm — a cue for riotous dancing — to the climactic sunlight on the smiling faces of millions of viewers, this Bollywood epic is cause for joy of meteorological proportions. Surely the longest and most enthralling underdog-sports movie ever, Lagaan stars Aamir Khan (who also produced the film) as the leader of 19th century peasants from the western Indian town of Champaner, who strike a desperate deal with the representatives of the English Raj: if the locals defeat the lords of the British Empire in a cricket match, they get a break on their lagaan, or land tax. One guess as to whether the Champaners become champs.
The most recent of only three musical dramas in India’s glorious film history to be nominated for an Academy Award (after the 1957 Mother India and the 1988 Salaam Bombay!), and one of the few to achieve U.S. release outside of the Desi theater circuit, Lagaan has the capability to win over Bollywood newcomers — to turn snickers into smiles, indulgence to rapture. Writer-director Ashutosh Gowariker finds the spice in a masala mix of melodrama and character comedy, and keeps his cinematic rhythms humid and urgent for the full 3¾-hour running time. Even those who know none of cricket’s complicated rules will bounce in their seats to A.R. Rahman’s irrepressible tunes; here, one can immediately and fully accept the Bollywood trope of music and dance as an expression of life’s deepest, most soaring emotions. As sports film, social document or communal ecstasy, Lagaan is the all-time all-rounder.
September 27, 2011 at 2:48 PM
About time it happened, It was stolen from its Oscar (personal belief), The No Man’s Land was nothing special, wouldnt have been as upset if Amelie had walked away with the Oscar. But, No Man’s Land taking it away from Lagaan gives bitter memories. But, what surprises me is that fact that Aamir Khan being one of the first one to reach Hollywood in the true sense ( A la Anil Kapoor & Mallika etc) he did not jump on the Hollywood bandwagon and take advantage of it. Not surprsing that Anil is in some good Hollywood productions after he brushed shoulders with some biggies in Hollywood, How come Aamir never took that route and bagged some good roles? Any thoughts on that Satyam?
September 27, 2011 at 3:12 PM
don’t remember the other nominees that year but No Man’s land was pretty mediocre. I would have given it to Lagaan over this.
September 27, 2011 at 3:14 PM
just checked, the other films that year were Amelie (again nothing special), Elling (Norway), Son of the Bride (Argentina). Haven’t seen these last two but don’t believe it was a particularly strong field that year! Lagaan could have won.
September 27, 2011 at 3:20 PM
I have seen all other 4, The only strong contender that might have stood in the way of Lagaan was Amelie, If it was given to Amelie I wouldnt have been as bitter about it. But no mans Land as your rightly put it was just a mediocore affair. Other 2 I felt were better than No mans land. Oh well, Hollyood has it ways of handing out awards too. But like I asked earlier, how come aamir never cashed in o the glory of Lagaan. The likes of Malika Sherawat and Anil are taking every bite of the cake they can get their hands on. How come Aamir never did that.?
September 27, 2011 at 3:20 PM
amelie was pretty good( you should watch it with subtitles)
September 27, 2011 at 3:11 PM
Really simple kash….Aamir Khan was his peak (and still is) while Anil Kapoor had passed it a long time ago. How many leading roles do you think Anil Kapoor would get right now?
September 27, 2011 at 3:24 PM
I agree there Cooldude, Anil was just living in his past glory and latched on to something that he could have never dreamt of, BUT I am sure Aamir would’ve got something really substantial, Heck there were rumors of him getting a good Indie film (Dont know the names of the maker right now) but they had made some good HW films. Even recently it was heard that he may work with the Dir of Slumdog Danny, BOmbay Velvet or something, He certainly has some contacts in the HW circle after the Laggan episode at the oscar, he could have easily bagged something. But I guess he didnt want to start all over again over in Hollywood, and let go of what he had already achieved here. I know it maybe far fetchec but love to see Aamir in a full blown Hollywood movie, Its like one of his dialogues from Andaz Apna Apna “Main India Ke Liye Bana hi nahi”..lol
September 27, 2011 at 3:29 PM
don’t think Aamir had a future in Hollywood. Anil Kapoor at this stage of his career doesn’t mind showing up for a bit part in MI4 or an outing in 24 or what have you. No major star would sign on to that deal. Slumdog.. was really an exception. There is no market for Indian actors in Hollywood in any authentic sense.Things are changing, you see more Indian faces in cinema but we’re still a long ways off. Freida Pinto has a nice deal at the moment because she can just be the ‘cute girl’ in all these films (not necessarily ‘the Indian’ either) and in this department Hollywood is truly diverse (!).
September 27, 2011 at 3:36 PM
exactly who expected shekhar kapoor will make an elizabeth(on british sensibilities) and win oscar after he made mr india
September 27, 2011 at 3:37 PM
Fair enough, What bothers me(which it shouldn’t), When people like Malika Sherawat claim that they are making big hollywood movies etc, But the fact that they are not even in C greade HW films. Just annoying at times.
September 27, 2011 at 11:04 PM
aamir is an extremely smart guy….i agree with satyam that aamir would not have got any substantial roles in HW…unless he produced something…but he has often said that he wants to be in India making films he likes….and the lethargic pace at which he works is always a mystery to me…i mean after 3i, it is 2 years and his solo-release is not yet out! anyone else in his place (read akki
) would have done 3 films in a year following that and if u were shashi kapoor of yore – well u would have done 50 
But that’s the man for you! i remember reading that he wants to be the most-loved actor in India…and each step he is taking towards that dream of him…..commendable! assuming that in next 10 years he does 10 more films as a lead actor – he would position himself at dizzy heights…..and with a stellar success rate.
September 28, 2011 at 12:38 PM
I am thinking of acting in Hollywood films satyam.
September 28, 2011 at 12:42 PM
As a comedian or a tragedy king?
September 27, 2011 at 3:23 PM
irfan khan is playing villain in next spiderman movie and he has maintaned a pretty low profile so far( i guess this will be his biggest role in hollywood so far)
September 27, 2011 at 3:36 PM
Irfan is probably the most respected Indian actor on the “festival circuit” right now – an ambassador-artist for his country’s art-cinema in the way that Bardem is for Spanish cinema, though obviously on a smaller scale. He’s gotten terrific reviews for a number of projects from The Warrior to The Namesake to A Mighty Heart to his excellent role on HBO’s In Treatment. I’m not really looking forward to the Spiderman reboot but anything this guy does is worth watching. He’s just one of the best actors to watch right now.
And the truth is that of course he got far less mileage out of SDM than Anil Kapoor. Irfan had stuff going on well before Boyle’s film.
September 27, 2011 at 3:44 PM
I dont know GF, Just my HO, I think Irfan is way overrated of an actor, Fine he has done some good work. But feel like he has been repititive for quite sometime now. Felt the sameway about Nana as well, but he did kind of reinvent himself from Ab Tak Chappan and Taxi, We got to see a different shade in his performances if not the character. With irfan i feel he keeps going with the flow, not challenging himself enough. His dialogue delivery stays the same if he is Playing Maqbool or even in Thank You. Yes agreed he did a great job in Namesake, but then again, he could have done better I think. He has that range, But not using it lately. (I know bringing in Thank You was a bad example here)
September 27, 2011 at 4:16 PM
Disagree all around of course and I’ve written on this elsewhere so I won’t get into it in great detail but I just think Irfan separates himself from most actors in Hindi cinema whether mainstream or otherwise because he’s operating on a register that’s more subtle than most.
Ultimately though I’m not arguing for anyone to be convinced about Irfan. My only bottom-line is that he is definitely the most respected and visible Indian actor within the international arthouse scene.
September 27, 2011 at 4:29 PM
My only bottom-line is that he is definitely the most respected and visible Indian actor within the international arthouse scene.
I do agree with that, He his making Indian proud in that sense, no doubt about that. Also not saying I DONT like him, I do, Just disappointed with him lately. Thats all.
September 27, 2011 at 3:55 PM
I would probably rate Bajpai over Irfan in the acting department. Bajpai just never took off even as a character actor after Satya and Shool. There was an Aks in the middle somewhere but pretty much nothing before Rajneeti and now Aarakshan. Irfan obviously made it big (for an indian character actor) in HW.
September 27, 2011 at 3:59 PM
Agreed Cooldude, prefer Bajpai over Irfan anyday. One of Irfan’s first major role in Hindi Cinema was against Bajpai in Ghaath. It was a good showdown between them.
September 27, 2011 at 4:13 PM
Most people (at least as far as I can tell) I think prefer Bajpai over Irfan. I’m certainly not one of them, though, and I don’t take anything away from Bajpai but I’ve never found him to be anything more than a competent character actor with one stellar moment in Satya. I also tend to think that actors who experiment with looks and accents (like Bajpai) sometimes tend to get more credit than actors who rely more on a script and their natural ability to make a performance their own.
September 27, 2011 at 4:26 PM
“also tend to think that actors who experiment with looks and accents (like Bajpai) sometimes tend to get more credit than actors who rely more on a script and their natural ability to make a performance their own.”
So, In that sense Actors like Aamir and Bachchan who work on their looks and accents etc are getting credit only for these? and Actors like Srk are getting the short end of the stick? Hmmm.
September 27, 2011 at 4:46 PM
We’re veering off a bit (from character actors to stars!) but the day I say SRK gets the short end of the stick for his performances is the day I check into an asylum. Not saying that at all. Just saying that there is a certain type of performance that caters to what I think is an unfortunate view of what makes an actor strong and it’s usually the type of performance that comes with a lot of bells and whistles. I tend to ultimately prefer actors who are more natural (I place Bachchan here btw) and aren’t all “methody” (in a way that bogs things down) in their approach.
For the record, I am immensely supportive of Aamir as a force for the industry. As an actor…I think he’s adequate, sometimes very fine but not even close to all-time greats among Indian actors.
September 27, 2011 at 4:58 PM
agreed on all counts (LOL on the first line there!).. and watching Drive recently I thought (yet again!) that the Gosling kind of performance would never be appreciated too much in Indian cinema.
September 28, 2011 at 5:32 AM
I firmly fall into the group that would take Bajpai over Irrfan. I don’t think he’s merely ‘adequate’ either…in fact, I find him to be a completely natural presence on screen. He probably puts in a lot of effort to absorb the nuances of his character, but that’s not the reason why I like to watch him act. I prefer his performances as pure performances. He’s more theatrical, very alive and despite his preparation, comes across as quite instinctive as an actor. I would take Boman Irani over Irrfan for the same reason as well.
This is not to suggest that I think Irrfan is no good. I’ve quite liked his act in ‘The Namesake’ but Bajpai is a real powerhouse of talent…at least in my opinion. There’s a very fine line between being instinctive as an actor and hamming. I think Bajpai walks that tightrope quite admirably…
September 28, 2011 at 11:08 AM
Thanks Saket, Felt I was alone. Yes, I do prefer Boman over Irfan Lately. Not that I dont enjoy watching Irfan. Yes, completely agree Bajpai is very alive on screen, I want to listen to him when he talks. Also, GF I do not think Irfan and Bajpai are character actors they have done some great lead roles, and thats the exact perception I am talking about here, If you can dance, Groom oneself and show off a few muscles is NOT acting. I guess tehy are considered lead actors now. In that sense, Sanjeev Kumar would be considereed a character actor as well. I dont buy that.
September 28, 2011 at 11:16 AM
When I say character actor I hardly ever mean “peripheral” unless I’m talking about someone who obviously is so ala Vijay Raaz or Rajpal Yadav. Gene Hackman for example in his prime was a fantastic leading man who was also and often simultaneously a rather brilliant character actor. As for being alone on the Bajpai/Irfan question as I said more often than not I’ve found that people are on your side of the divide. And that’s fine. Boman I quite like, but barring “Let’s Talk” he hasn’t done a fraction of the serious lead work Irfan has. I don’t consider that a serious comparison.
September 28, 2011 at 12:04 PM
GF, when I compared Boman Irani to Irrfan, I was only referring to their acting ‘styles’. Boman Irani is obviously not a lead actor…in fact he started acting at a very late stage in his life and therefore was never even in consideration for lead roles.
The thing about Bajpai and Irrfan is that although both of them have acted as lead actors in films, that period is kind of over. I don’t seem them playing lead roles anymore. In that sense, they are strictly character actors in Bollywood.
Kash: just to add to my previous comment, there are two extremes in acting. Speaking of Bollywood only, there’s the SRK method where you basically see an adult suffering from ADHD on screen. Then there’s the Arjun Rampal method (Rock On, for instance) where you underplay the character so much that you resemble dead wood! There’s got to be a method that balances the two extremes. In very simplistic terms, that is the kind of ‘acting’ that I really enjoy watching…
September 28, 2011 at 2:08 AM
Irrfan over Bajpai for me… any day. Though I do like Bajpai a lot too.
September 28, 2011 at 11:17 AM
Good point kash^^
September 27, 2011 at 3:42 PM
ya namesake was his big ticket because it was closer to indian sensibilities and attratacted non desis abroad and this will only be acheived with indianized script if the sole purpose is there to acheive recognition abroad
September 27, 2011 at 4:27 PM
Lagaan should have won and this is coming from a SRK fan:
1. It has it’s heart at the right place.The intention of narrating a struggle against many odds to save the “food” for the “hunger” that burns the stomach achieved its zenith aptly.
2. It never lost its pace during its entire length.Infact Gowarikar never let it lose the pace,the screenplay allowed for even songs to be considered as poetic narration.
3. Technically the film was superb.The shots,the “imagery”,the sequences and the frames were all par excellence.I love their choice of location— quite dusty but still effective.
4. Performances–possibly the last or penultimate[i consider him good in RDB too] favourite performance of Aamir Khan for me.Even the ensemble cast looked great in their individual characters.Their get-ups,their looks,their gait,attitude,style all were clearly plotted out beautifully!
5.Then the eternal conquest between “Rain” and “Famine” [of sorts] coupled with the burden of Tax. Add to this a love story, an unrequited love and a cricket match–it is sheer brilliance that Gowarikar handled so many sub plots so deftly.
6. Lastly the impact of the film even for the foreign audience in terms of “philosophy” and also in terms of cinematic excitement[the climax scenes] was huge.
7. Music of the film,was if not operatic that westerners adore,it was soothing and appealing.If it was pleading and complaining in a song,it was inspiring in the other and then requesting in the third.
8. Lastly,all other films that year apart from may be Amelie were just on the same platform as Lagaan.
September 28, 2011 at 12:20 PM
Re: I also tend to think that actors who experiment with looks and accents (like Bajpai) sometimes tend to get more credit than actors who rely more on a script and their natural ability to make a performance their own.
I would take Irfan over Bajpai too. Bajpai can certainly be very good but havent found any of his recent performances compelling and that includes Rajneeti and Aarakshan. Irfan shined even in the miniscule role in Aaja Nach Le.
September 28, 2011 at 12:32 PM
I’ve said this before bu Aaja Nachley is a gem. Its got its problems but it’s one of the best Yashraj films to come out over the past decade or so along with movies like Rocket Singh. Hope Anil Mehta directs again at some point.
September 29, 2011 at 9:51 PM
this is for u GF – a gem from the gem called “aa ja nachle”:
October 1, 2011 at 11:17 AM
nykavi–good stuff (what i understood)–
is your “ny” as in New york—ie r u a poet based in new york…lol
(what imagination!)
btw how do u type in hindi
Talking of languages—
there are certain words that have a succinct meaning in one language but even an entire essay in any othe rlanguage does not suffice
eg Schadenfreude–the loan word from German
Also “Jugaad” in hindi—im still awaiting a translation into any other language which gets the “essence” of this right—can u suggest lol
September 28, 2011 at 12:29 PM
I hope this posts: Gabbar Singh ki Jeevan Smriti:
1. सादा जीवन , उच्च विचार : उसके जीने का ढंग बड़ा सरल था . पुराने और मैले कपड़े , बढ़ी हुई दाढ़ी , महीनों से जंग खाते दांत और पहाड़ों पर खानाबदोश जीवन . जैसे मध्यकालीन भारत का फकीर हो . जीवन में अपने लक्ष्य की ओर इतना समर्पित कि ऐशो – आराम और विलासिता के लिए एक पल की भी फुर्सत नहीं . और विचारों में उत्कृष्टता के क्या कहने ! ‘ जो डर गया , सो मर गया ‘ जैसे संवादों से उसने जीवन की क्षणभंगुरता पर प्रकाश डाला था .
२ . दयालु प्रवृत्ति : ठाकुर ने उसे अपने हाथों से पकड़ा था . इसलिए उसने ठाकुर के सिर्फ हाथों को सज़ा दी . अगर वो चाहता तो गर्दन भी काट सकता था . पर उसके ममतापूर्ण और करुणामय ह्रदय ने उसे ऐसा करने से रोक दिया .
3. नृत्य – संगीत का शौकीन : ‘ महबूबा ओये महबूबा ‘ गीत के समय उसके कलाकार ह्रदय का परिचय मिलता है . अन्य डाकुओं की तरह उसका ह्रदय शुष्क नहीं था . वह जीवन में नृत्य – संगीत एवंकला के महत्त्व को समझता था . बसन्ती को पकड़ने के बाद उसके मन का नृत्यप्रेमी फिर से जाग उठा था . उसने बसन्ती के अन्दर छुपी नर्तकी को एक पल में पहचान लिया था . गौरतलब यह कि कला के प्रति अपने प्रेम को अभिव्यक्त करने का वह कोई अवसर नहीं छोड़ता था .
4. अनुशासनप्रिय नायक : जब कालिया और उसके दोस्त अपने प्रोजेक्ट से नाकाम होकर लौटे तो उसने कतई ढीलाई नहीं बरती . अनुशासन के प्रति अपने अगाध समर्पण को दर्शाते हुए उसने उन्हें तुरंत सज़ा दी .
5. हास्य – रस का प्रेमी : उसमें गज़ब का सेन्स ऑफ ह्यूमर था . कालिया और उसके दो दोस्तों को मारने से पहले उसने उन तीनों को खूब हंसाया था . ताकि वो हंसते – हंसते दुनिया को अलविदा कह सकें . वह आधुनिक यु का ‘ लाफिंग बुद्धा ‘ था .
6. नारी के प्रति सम्मान : बसन्ती जैसी सुन्दर नारी का अपहरण करने के बाद उसने उससे एक नृत्य का निवेदन किया . आज – कल का खलनायक होता तो शायद कुछ और करता .
7. भिक्षुक जीवन : उसने हिन्दू धर्म और महात्मा बुद्ध द्वारा दिखाए गए भिक्षुक जीवन के रास्ते को अपनाया था . रामपुर और अन्य गाँवों से उसे जो भी सूखा – कच्चा अनाज मिलता था , वो उसी से अपनी गुजर – बसर करता था . सोना , चांदी , बिरयानी या चिकन मलाई टिक्का की उसने कभी इच्छा ज़ाहिर नहीं की .
8. सामाजिक कार्य : डकैती के पेशे के अलावा वो छोटे बच्चों को सुलाने का भी काम करता था . सैकड़ों माताएं उसका नाम लेती थीं ताकि बच्चे बिना कलह किए सो जाएं . सरकार ने उसपर 50,000 रुपयों का इनाम घोषित कर रखा था . उस युग में ‘ कौन बनेगा करोड़पति ‘ ना होने के
September 28, 2011 at 12:37 PM
के बावजूद लोगों को रातों – रात अमीर बनाने का गब्बर का यह सच्चा प्रयास था .
9. महानायकों का निर्माता : अगर गब्बर नहीं होता तो जय और व ?? रू जैसे लुच्चे – लफंगे छोटी – मोटी चोरियां करते हुए स्वर्ग सिधार जाते . पर यह गब्बर के व्यक्तित्व का प्रताप था कि उन लफंगों में भी महानायक बनने की क्षमता जागी .
September 28, 2011 at 12:42 PM
It really feels good to read chaste hindi!
Hindi bahut his klisht par atyant hi madhur bhasha hai…
September 28, 2011 at 3:49 PM
Hamara Desh Hindi ki Madhurta aur Urdu ki nazaakat se dhanya hua hai.
September 28, 2011 at 4:21 PM
I’ll take whatever languages Adoor and Ray speak in!
September 30, 2011 at 4:35 AM
True.
What about some Bhojpuri.
Movies in Bhojpuri
1. Titanic – नौका देले धोका
2. Ghost Rider – भूत चढ़ गएल
3. 3 Idiots – तीन ठो बुद्धू
4. Ghajini – टकला के बदला
5. Silence of the Lambs – बकरिया बोलत नाही
6. Black Hawk Down – काला बटेर मर गईल
7. Kung Fu Panda – कुंग फू पांडे
8. Mission Impossible – भैय्याजी ई न हो पाई
9. Mission Impossible 2 – हम फिर कहत रहीं… ई न हो पाई बबुआ
10. Mission Impossible 3 – अब कितनी बारी कहीबे… ई नाही हो सकत
September 29, 2011 at 2:14 PM
IMO, there is simply no comparison between Irfan and Manoj Bajpai. Manoj is more of a hack and heavily dependant on theatrical and hardly blends or flows with the character he plays. He was very good and a perfect fir in satya but after that herogiri got him off tracked A bit ott for my taste. A poor cousin of srk in Bhaandgiri School of acting.
Irfan just flows on screen. This guy is phenomenal in whatever he has done till now and I hope he gets ample opportunity to display more histrionics on the Indian screen. It’s very sad he has done hardly much work lately but whenever I watch him on screen, remote stops. Irfan and Prakash Raj are the two major actors who currently excite me when they are on screen.
September 29, 2011 at 2:27 PM
In all honesty, Prakash Jha did rein him in a bit and gave him a new lease to his faltering acting career. Hope Manoj uses the opportunity intelligently.
September 29, 2011 at 2:45 PM
I have been a fan of Irfan from the Banegi Apani Baat days. He played dad to Ritu Raj , one of the characters there. He did not have any major role but had a fantastic take on the character he played and his voice was amazing even then on tv.
Incidentally this is the same tv series, Madhavan also started his acting career.
September 30, 2011 at 4:31 AM
I can’t believe it. People are appreciating a YRF film *and* seem to share my sentiments.
This film is among my favourites too ….. all time.
Another gem which was a flop like many other flop gems which are my favourite.
September 30, 2011 at 11:52 AM
Came acros this song –some nice use of guitar(that I’m
Learning as a hobby)…
Good ethnic stuff
Also sometimes one finds good stiff in the most unlikely places–crap IHLS has some reasonable songs –
This one met my approval (somewhat)—nice vocals
Perhaps one of he v few good songs by vishal shekhar
Lyrics aren’t bad btw
October 1, 2011 at 10:30 AM
Alex, comment pourrai-je mettreune video dans une commentaire?
October 1, 2011 at 10:46 AM
^^Hi thebollywoodfan–êtes vous quelqu’un que je sais.
n’a pas entièrement compris ce que vous avez dit.
October 1, 2011 at 10:53 AM
thebollywoodfan—pour inclure la vidéo dans un commentaire—-” de clic ; video” de part ;. copiez alors juste le lien dans le commentaire—du youtube le lien visuel vient automatiquement.