Customer Reviews

Lagaan - Once Upon a Time in India

5 star:		(157)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I know nothing about the Indian culture or music, and I was a bit skeptical that a 4-hour subtitled movie filmed in India about CRICKET would be of interest to me. I loved every minute. Not only was this movie visually beautiful and well paced, it also has a "good heart." Although a classic tale of courageous common folk rising up against oppressors, the story is told with humor and affection and with an infectious joy and innocence that is very appealing. One example of the director's skill is that even though most of the film is concerned with cricket, a sport about which I know absolutely nothing, the movie never lags or slows down, but keeps an active pace.

The singing and dancing were very enjoyable. Even though I had never been exposed to Hindi singing before, my "Western" ears still found the music very beautiful.

I can see why the actor who played Bhuvan is a big star in India--very charismatic and charming, as well as very good looking.

I will definitely watch this again and again. We made an "Indian Evening" out of it, getting recipes off the Internet for Indian food, and munched on Tandoori chicken and vegetable curry while watching the DVD at home. Great fun!

As the parched earth waits for the rain, the village girl Gauri (Gracie Singh) waits for the young village farmer Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) to discover her heart. Together they fight for freedom from tyranny as Gauri encourages Bhuvan in his quest to take on the most important challenge of his life.

This is a story of triumph over oppression. A story of how the human spirit rises to new heights to overcome injustice. The plot is uncomplicated, which leaves room for fascinating choreography, discussions of cultural issues and moments of pure abandon. The dance sequences tell stories only dance can tell. It brings together the thoughts and feelings of the characters and creates a sacred space where the characters enter the realm of spirit.

Set in the 1890s, the residents of a small farming village in rustic Gujarat, India are waiting for the monsoon when they discover they will now have to pay twice the amount of lagaan (agricultural tax) they normally have to pay. With just enough food to survive they are literally going to have to fight to survive.

Captain Russel (Paul Blackthorne) almost overplays his part as the colonial officer (of the cantonment which rules over the neighboring villages) to emphasize the absolute absurdity of the situation. He demands complete obedience with no regard to the human suffering his laws will produce. He challenges Bhuvan to a game, knowing he has never played Cricket. If the village loses, they must pay triple the tax (lagaan). Bhuvan must not only gain the support of the terrified villagers, he must rally a team and train them within a few months.

It is completely unfair and the officer's sister, Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley), takes pity on the farmers. Against her brother's will, she starts teaching the villagers how to play the game of Cricket. In the process she falls in love with Bhuvan. It is a shallow love at best. While she is beautiful, Gauri is completely captivating in her complete innocence. Gauri's jealousy over Bhuvan's attentions towards Elizabeth is spectacularly portrayed in dance.

The sweeping cinematography creates a magical ambiance and seems to invoke a certain unity of purpose. The delicious wide shots are sumptuously filmed, completely captivating your entire being. This movie will hold your complete attention, even through the Cricket scenes. One you fall in love with Gauri and Bhuvan, you rally to their cause and the sheer tension of the moments during the Cricket games keeps you completely entranced.

The love story is exotic, the choreography like you have never seen, the songs are intoxicatingly beautiful with poetic lyrics. I've never imagined anyone could combine so many elements into one movie. Sports and a musical? It is amazing how Ashutosh Gowariker knows how to appeal to the human heart in such a way as to combine a musical, political drama, universal emotions, poetry, community culture, romance, dance, artistic cinematography, patriotism and the brute strength of valor.

A movie that emerges slowly and works its way into your heart. First peeking out of the ground and then bursting into full bloom in moments of sheer beauty that will take your breath away right up to the exciting climax.

Story Telling at its Finest!

~The Rebecca Review

Despite the fact that I bought the DVD some time ago, it took me a couple of months and 2 tries to actually get into it enough to watch. Knowing that it's approx. 4 hours long, the first time I popped it in and started struggling through the subtitles, that baby was out of the recorder about 2 minutes later! Well, it took being held up in bed sick to finally motivate me to try again.

Lagaan is an enchanting film that works on several levels: as an exciting sports film, as a poignant triangular love story and as a social and political drama. I like all of the above-mentioned genres with the major exception of sports films. However, I found myself thoroughly caught up in the big game, which actually adds at least one hour to the film's length. It is through this game that so many of the wonderful characters that are introduced throughout the film get their moment to shine: the fortune-teller, the crippled low-cast outcast, the village "idiot", the reformed Judas, etc.

I also appreciated the film's attempt to be fair: it would have been very easy to make the Brits all look like "bloody colonial twats", and the Indians smell like roses. We get to see Brits who where appalled by the way that their fellow countrymen behaved towards the Indians, and Indians discriminating amongst themselves due to their cast system. These areas of grey add layers to what might have been a fairly one-dimensional, Indian version of Mighty Ducks! That said, the very clear lines between good and bad help one cheer the underdogs on and ultimately make this a warm and fuzzy, feel-good-movie.

The cast, lead by Aamir Khan - a wonderful mixture between Tom Hanks and Elvis Presley (!) - is wonderfully diverse, and the films length allows us to get to know each and every one of them. It is my understanding that Khan is somewhat of a superstar in India, which probably means he'll never have the desire to breakout and start an international career. I guess we'll just have to keep watching him in Bollywood films - if his other films are as charming as this one, however, than I certainly don't mind.

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 creates an instantly likeable presence, handsome, engergetic and full of great promise and self-assuredness. I welcome the opportunity to see more of his work.

Gracy Singh is simply irresistable as Gauri - who could not fall in love with this slightly wacky, but ultimately wise in matters of the heart. She moves with an easy grace and elegance and charm befitting a princess. Her contribution to the song and dance numbers was exquisite. More Singh, please!

Paul Blackthorne was a hilarious, old-school villain; over the tope and right out of a penny dreadful melodrama - and I mean this as a compliment. His unrelenting arrogance made him so oh so easy to hate I almost hissed at his every appearance. I love a good villain!

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.

Don't let this movie's running time (325 minutes; almost 4 hours), the fact that it is not in English, or that it's about cricket, put off any potential viewers.

This is not an action film, nor is it a high-suspense thriller. It doesn't have any special effects, no blood, no gore. And yet for some reason, the story catches you up and you find yourself caring about what happens. Personally, I found that the four hours whizzed by.

I don't know more than a couple of words in Hindi, so I can't say how accurate the subtitles are, but they are certainly good enough to me informed. I especially appreciated the subtitles for the musical numbers, which you rarely find.

As an American, I find cricket to be rather mysterious. So I didn't understand the finer details of the cricket match, but I definately got wrapped up in the tension and suspense, even if I didn't know why. Which, if you think about it, is a good reccomendation!

The acting is great; Aamir Khan is very charismatic, intense, and down right handsome. I appreciated Gracy Singh's acting as well; she could have really camped up her jealousy scenes, but instead came off adorable; how could Bhuvan (Kahn) not have been in love with her?

I wonder how long it took the British actors to learn their Hindi lines, or if they were doing them phonetically.

I digress. If you have even a passing interest in India, Indian history, the Bollywood style of movies, or even that peculiar game called cricket, then you will enjoy this film immensely.

It is the 1890s and India is still occupied by the British army. A commander I'm going to call "slimy British guy," after the local Raja refuses to eat meat, decides to double the tax (or "lagaan") that the province pays to the crown. The raja feels helpless to do anything but pass on the news.

In a local village, Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) and his friends hear the news, and since the lagaan involves giving ten percent of their grain, they go to talk to the Raja. The raja is watching the soldiers play a game of cricket, which Bhuvan and his friends ridicule, likening it to a game that only children play. Slimy British guy challenges Bhuvan to a game with high stakes: if Bhuvan's team wins, they lagaan will be removed for three years; but if the British win, the tax will be tripled. After much consideration, Bhuvan accepts.

This is only the first hour of what turns into an epic (almost four hours) film of struggle, friendship, and redemption. Bhuvan's village is furious with him, because they know they cannot win. And it has not rained yet this season, so what are they going to eat, let along pay lagaan with? But with help from a surprising source, Bhuvan assembles a ragtag team of players, including one with a crippled right hand.

Lagaan is a fabulous film from the Indian "Bollywood" film industry, made of feelgood films where people break into song at unexpected moments. I loved this film, the acting was phenomenal all around. In fact, it is only now, writing this, that I even considered it to be "acting." Star/producer Aamir Khan draws us into the story of Bhuvan and his friend Gauri (the lovely Gracy Singh, in her first film) steals all her scenes with grace and beauty. It's a joyous film with the requisite happy ending (sort of like Major League with cricket, except a lot better) and the humor and music raise it above anything Hollywood has put out since its golden days. If this film were in English, it would be a blockbuster. I've made it my job to make sure that you watch it so more like it will be made and more people will know about Lagaan.

To be quite honest with you, this wasn't the first Bollywood film that I have viewed, but it should have been. Bollywood is to Indians, Pakistanis and Iranians what Hollywood is to us, except probably about ten times as popular. Bollywood films consist of film elements that are massively appealing to a great cross section of people. You have your action scenes, the two romantic leads (young and attractive), sometimes children might be thrown in for family appeal, plenty of singing and dancing numbers interspersed between scenes (sometimes, they seem to come out of nowhere!) and the singing voices are always dubbed. This might sound kind of odd to the average American filmgoer, but this is truly the rage in South East Asia, and has been so for many. many years now. What's more, many of the plots are originally derived from ancient stories and parables, and oftentimes the ending are more than a little moralistic.

"Lagaan" is of exceptional quality as, both, a Bollywood film and as a movie, in general. Also, it succeeds in spite of its length. (four hours plus!) That is quite an unusual feat, in and of itself. This film was directed by and stars the legendary Aamir Khan, a wildly popular and successful Bollywood actor. The story is quite complex and very intelligent. It is centered around an Indian village and the English who rule it with an oppressive iron fist. A tax is required (a tax that the village cannot afford to pay) and the outcome of whether they must pay it or not is determined by the outcome of a cricket match between the Indian villagers and the English. While the English excel at the sport, the villagers need time for practice.

The acting is wonderful (something that can't be said for a lot of films today, Bollywood and Hollywood alike). Aamir Khan is a strong lead and the two actresses who play his love interests (Indian and English) are wonderful. The dance sequences and the music are just beautiful! Rent this today, but be sure you make time for it and can watch it from beginning to end! It's worth it.

I admit that I love films with Anglo-Indian themes. I also love period pieces. So, when I discovered Lagaan, I was intrigued, though somewhat skeptical about its being a musical and about its underlying story. Still, I thought it was worth a shot. I am delighted that I took a chance, as I was riveted for the nearly four hours the film was on the screen. It is little wonder that it was a 2001 Academy Award nominee for best foreign language film.

The film takes place in late nineteenth century India, during the time of the British Raj, in the small rural village of Champaner. It is a poor village against whom a tax, called a lagaan, is levied by the British. It appears that the lagaan goes to support the British cantonment that rules over the Central Indian province in which Champaner sits. The cantonment is commanded by an arrogant Captain Russell, who seems to care little for the customs, culture, and people of India. He typifies all that is bad about the reign of the British Raj.

Champaner has, unfortunately, had a long lasting drought and, as a farming community, the dry spell has been devastating, leaving the villagers on the brink of agricultural disaster. They have been awaiting the seasonal monsoon rains to no avail. When the villagers are told that Captain Russell has doubled the lagaan, as it had been cut in half the previous year due to the drought, they are angry. It is a now an issue of life and death for them.

This brings Bhuvan, a handsome, young, spirited farmer to the fore. Before he knows it, Bhuvan finds himself wagering the future of his village and province on a cricket game, as he has likened it to a local game played by the villagers. The stakes are now higher, for if they lose, Captain Russell has decreed that not only will Champaner have to pay a triple lagaan but the entire province will have to do so, as well. If they win, however, the lagaan will be stayed for three years.

So, it begins. The villagers are a colorful and motley cast of characters, both Hindu and Muslim. It is interesting to see how Bhuvan organizes and trains them to meet the British on what will be the functional equivalent of a field of battle. Village blood feuds and caste prejudices are laid aside in order to do wage their own unique war against the onerous lagaan. They are assisted by Captain Russell's tenderhearted and beautiful sister, Elizabeth, who is disgusted by her brother's meanness towards a people and culture that she embraces. This leads to a love triangle, as Elizabeth finds herself falling in love with Bhuvan, to the consternation of Gauri, a beautiful village girl who loves Bhuvan. He, however, remains somewhat oblivious to the romantic portents swirling about him.

The film take the viewer through the preparations for the game by the villagers, the nefarious duplicity of one villager, and the game itself, which is a tense, three day match in which the rag-tag group of villagers meet the crisply dressed British on the cricket field. The hopes and dreams of the villagers hang on the result of the game, as does the career of the unlikable Captain Russell, whose superior officers have looked askance at his unseemly proposition to the villagers. The match itself, which consumes nearly a third of the film, is exciting to watch. The film is a thrilling epic with masterful performances and occasional exuberant musical numbers that are sparsely interjected at appropriate times throughout the film.

This multi-faceted film is deftly directed by Ashutosh Cowariker, who wrote the excellent screenplay. The acting by the entire cast is stellar. It is also easy to see why Aamir Khan is such a super star in India, as he has all the attributes of a leading man. He is simply sensational. The lovely and graceful Gracy Singh, in her debut role, is wonderful as the lovesick Gauri, and Rachel Shelley is terrific as Elizabeth. The cinematography is spectacular, as are the production values. Altogether they provide a sumptuous feast for the eyes. This film is certainly representative of the best that Bollywood has to offer.

The DVD has excellent audio and crystal clear visuals. The film is shown in letterbox format, and the subtitles are clear and easy to read as they are displayed against a black backdrop. The subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and Thai. There is also a long deleted scene included that is very worthwhile, as well as filmographies for the principals in this film.

All told, this is a very fine, worthwhile film to add to one's personal collection. Bravo!

Despite the fact that I bought the DVD some time ago, it took me a couple of months and 2 tries to actually get into it enough to watch. Knowing that it's approx. 4 hours long, the first time I popped it in and started struggling through the subtitles, that baby was out of the recorder about 2 minutes later! Well, it took being held up in bed sick to finally motivate me to try again.

Lagaan is an enchanting film that works on several levels: as an exciting sports film, as a poignant triangular love story and as a social and political drama. I like all of the above-mentioned genres with the major exception of sports films. However, I found myself thoroughly caught up in the big game, which actually adds at least one hour to the film's length. It is through this game that so many of the wonderful characters that are introduced throughout the film get their moment to shine: the fortune-teller, the crippled low-cast outcast, the village "idiot", the reformed Judas, etc.

I also appreciated the film's attempt to be fair: it would have been very easy to make the Brits all look like "bloody colonial twats", and the Indians smell like roses. We get to see Brits who where appalled by the way that their fellow countrymen behaved towards the Indians, and Indians discriminating amongst themselves due to their cast system. These areas of grey add layers to what might have been a fairly one-dimensional, Indian version of Mighty Ducks! That said, the very clear lines between good and bad help one cheer the underdogs on and ultimately make this a warm and fuzzy, feel-good-movie.

The cast, lead by Aamir Khan - a wonderful mixture between Tom Hanks and Elvis Presley (!) - is wonderfully diverse, and the films length allows us to get to know each and every one of them. It is my understanding that Khan is somewhat of a superstar in India, which probably means he'll never have the desire to breakout and start an international career. I guess we'll just have to keep watching him in Bollywood films - if his other films are as charming as this one, however, than I certainly don't mind.

I picked this one up at my library as a lark - foreign films always intrigue me, but I'm getting a little tired of the European cynicism (especially French cinema). I thought this one would be a good film to check out - Indian cinema, lots of singing. I was prepared to find it silly and sophomoric.

Was I surprised!

First thing I did when I popped it into my DVD player was check the time - 3 hours, 42 minutes! You're kidding, I thought!

When the first hour raced by, I was breathless. What a great film! The story is so compelling, the actors so talented, the director so gifted. And that first musical number is still going through my head!

In a nutshell, the film is about the British colonial system in 1900's India (and, despite the rant of the one-star person below (who obviously didn't see the movie), this film deals in the reality of the social times in India). A cruel British officer offers the locals a bet: a cricket match. Winner takes all, basically.

And that's it. It's such a joy to watch the lead actor win his townsmen over to him and join his team. The Indian lead actress is so beautiful to watch.

This is a film for the whole family: everything good about moviemaking, and nothing bad: no sex, no cursing, no violence. No one gets shot, no one gets killed. The love scenes are treated with such respect and tenderness; it is a film about the triumph of the human spirit, and an interesting window onto a culture in which faith is so deeply rooted.

You'll absolutely love this one. The 3.42 hours will just fly by, and you'll want to watch it all over again.

I wish I could give this one 6 stars - it certainly beats anything else I've seen this year, "he Two Towers" included!