AN EMOTIONAL EXTRAVAGANZA : "LAGAAN: ONCE UPON A TIME IN INDIA"

Now, this little number was actually an Oscar® nominee for Best Foreign Film in 2001. When I say little, I mean it purely metaphorically of course as the film itself is around three and a half hours long. But I mean, we’re in Indian films week, and the culture is famous / infamous for making films that last for ages so why break a tradition? This film is not only an interesting blend of genres from a cinematic point of view but also a gripping story to watch that will stir you emotionally if you just let it…
It is the year 1893, the height of the British Raj in India. The little village of Champaner is crippled by draught. The villagers mainly make a living through agriculture, so the draught is having disastrous effects on their lives. Their plight is even worsened by a capricious young British governor (with a definite sadistic streak in him) who takes pleasure in torturing the “darkies” around him – and the Raja of the area – reduced to a mere puppet by the British – is powerless to help. An attempt on the governor’s part to raise the land tax the villagers have to pay every year is met by defiance, especially by Bhuvan, a young an spirited farmer. His defiance will lead to an interesting bet: If the villagers can master the game of cricket in three months and beat a team made up of British officers, they will not pay land tax for three years. If they lose the game however, their land tax will be tripled. The situation looks desperate but they are not completely on their own; Elisabeth, the Governor’s young sister who is visiting at the time is fully aware that her brother has been unjust and offers to help the villagers by teaching them the game… But will her help and three months training be enough to save the villagers from a terrible plight?
Lagaan is particularly interesting in that it very successfully combines a musical / Bollywood film with a sports movie. And please do not get put off by the fact that the sport in question is actually cricket. I sat down to watch this one fully prepared to not understand a word, not necessarily because I don’t speak Hindi, but because I know virtually NOTHING about cricket. Sorry, that should be “knew”. You see, the advantage here is that the villagers of Champaner are as clueless as we are (if not more so). So as Elisabeth teaches them, we begin to pick up the rudiments of the game as well. Then, the things we have learnt are “put into practice” by the fateful cricket match – a must of every sports film. And I can promise you, thanks to the crash course and running commentary provided by the film, even the most stone hearted enemy of cricket will end up getting worked up about the match, and believe me, I know this from personal experience. This is a great advantage this film holds over the average sports film. Usually, these films assume a certain amount of knowledge concerning the sport in question, there are romantic sub-plots etc. but if the “big match” isn’t understood, well, that’s half the enjoyment gone, isn’t it? Not here. It’s a very clever move on the director’s part.
As for the general style, well, the film is very much an Indian film if you get my drift. The acting style, the Bollywood musical numbers, the film is stylistically very true to its roots, making no compromises to a Western style. Yet we get so caught up in the story – a typical David vs. Goliath number where we root for the underdog incidentally, the template is often used in Hollywood with great success – and we get so emotionally involved with the whole affair, that even if we normally might be irked by some things in the film we are just swept along willy-nilly. As a foot note, yes, I did fast forward some of the musical numbers. And no, that is NOT cheating… =)