Lagaan
- Subtitled:
- Once Upon a Time in India
- Awards And Honors:
- Filmfare Awards
Lagaan, Bollywood film released in 2001, remarkable for its rousing depiction of anticolonial resistance by Indian villagers who humble their British overlords in a cricket match. Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and starring Aamir Khan (also the producer), Lagaan (“Land Tax”) was nominated for the Academy Award for best foreign-language film in 2002. As of 2025 it is one of only three Indian films to have been nominated in this Oscar category, along with Mother India (1957) and Salaam Bombay! (1988; “Salute Bombay!”).
Plot
Lagaan is set during the British raj in the drought-stricken village of Champaner, which is located in an unnamed princely state (ruled by an Indian but subject to British oversight). The villagers are unable to pay the land tax due, which has been arbitrarily doubled by Capt. Andrew Russell, who leads the local regiment. He proposes a cricket test match between the villagers and the officers. If the villagers win, the entire province will receive a tax exemption for three years; if they lose, each village will pay triple the amount owed.
A young farmer named Bhuvan accepts the challenge and is given three months to form a cricket XI (cricket teams consist of 11 primary players) and learn to play. The villagers are initially reluctant to enlist, but Bhuvan has an invaluable ally, Captain Russell’s sister Elizabeth, who is sympathetic to Champaner’s plight and acts as coach. Bhuvan puts together a motley crew consisting of an assortment of villagers and a former soldier who seeks Bhuvan out in order to join the team. One of the players is revealed to be spying for Captain Russell. The match, when it takes place, is intense and eventful with the British frequently taking advantage of the villagers’ inexperience. The Champaner XI triumph in a nail-biting finish, and it begins to rain, ending the season of drought.
Captain Russell, reprimanded by his senior officers earlier in the film for trivializing tax obligations, is forced to personally make up the exempted tax amount and is transferred to Africa. Elizabeth Russell returns to England after bidding Bhuvan a tearful farewell, having fallen in love with him, and Bhuvan marries his love interest, Gauri.
Characters
- The umpire allows Goli’s arm rotation while bowling; he takes a wicket, but the British team learn to anticipate his release of the ball.
- Having initially intentionally fumbled the fielding, Lakha makes up by taking a one-handed catch.
- Unable to spin the new ball at first, Kachra takes a hat trick of wickets on the second day of play.
- While bowling, the British employ sledging and body line tactics (verbal and physical intimidation during a cricket match) against Arjan, Lakha, Ismail, and Bhuvan.
- Bhuvan scores a century, having previously taken two wickets, including Captain Russell’s. He hits the winning six off the very last ball—it is caught by Captain Russell, who is shown to have stepped over the boundary.
The Champaner XI:
- Bhuvan (Khan): All-rounder and captain
- Bhura (Raghubir Yadav): Slip-fielder; poultry farmer
- Goli (Dayashankar Pandey): Fast-bowler; a wealthy farmer with an unusual bowling action
- Arjan (Akhilendra Mishra): Batter; the village blacksmith, who is assaulted by Captain Russell while shoeing a horse
- Guran (Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay): All-rounder; astrologer with a comic batting stance
- Ismail (Rajendranath Zutshi): Batter; the village potter
- Deva Singh Sodhi (Pradeep Singh Rawat): All-rounder; former soldier and only one in the village team to have previously played cricket
- Lakha (Yashpal Sharma): Batter; the village woodcutter, who betrays Bhuvan out of his jealousy of Bhuvan and Gauri’s relationship but redeems himself during the match
- Kachra (Aditya Lakhia): Spin-bowler; disabled Dalit basket-maker, drafted into the team by Bhuvan in defiance of caste hierarchies
- Ishwar (Shri Vallabh Vyas): Wicket-keeper; the village medic and Gauri’s father
- Bagha (Amin Hajee): Batter; a mute drummer
Other key Champaner villagers include Gauri (Gracy Singh), who is intensely jealous of Elizabeth; Bhuvan’s mother, Yashoda (Suhasini Mulay); and the village chieftain Mukhiyaji (Rajendra Gupta). Raja Puran Singh (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), ruler of the state, ineffectually pleads the villagers’ case to the British. Elizabeth Russell (British actress Rachel Shelley) risks her brother’s wrath to level the playing field and is eventually found out. She is assisted by Ram Singh (Javed Khan Amrohi), who is employed by the British but resigns his post in the course of the cricket match.
Did You Know? An off-screen cricket match on set during filming was won by the British cast.
The racist and arrogant Captain Russell (British actor Paul Blackthorne) is the primary antagonist of the film. He speaks fluent, though somewhat Anglicized, Hindi, and several of his dialogues occupy a place in Indian popular culture. His best-known line is delivered to the villagers:
You beat us in this game, and I’ll cancel your tax. Lekin kahin tum haar gaya toh tum humko triple tax, yani teen guna lagaan, dega. (But if you lose, then you will give us three times the tax.)
Impact
Lagaan was a blockbuster on release, collecting more than 65 crore rupees worldwide (equivalent to about 270 crore rupees in 2025 or more than $30,000,000). In addition to its Oscar nomination, it won in eight categories at the National Film Awards. It also won eight Filmfare Awards, including best film, best director (Gowariker), and best actor (Khan).
Much of Lagaan’s enduring appeal is credited to its soundtrack, composed by A.R. Rahman. The songs from the film are widely popular, notably “Radha Kaise Na Jale” (depicting Gauri’s jealousy about Bhuvan and Elizabeth), “Ghanan Ghanan” (in which the villagers prematurely celebrate the prospect of rain), “Mitwa” (Bhuvan successfully enlists Gauri’s father in the Champaner XI), and “O Rey Chhori” (a love song between Gauri and Bhuvan while Elizabeth dreams of a romance that cannot be).