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Lagaan -
Movie Review Cast:
Aamir Khan , Akhilendra Mishra , Gauri Singh , Kulbhushan Kharbanda , Raj Zutshi Director: Ashutosh Gowarikar Music Director: A.R.Rehman Lyricist: Javed Akhtar Enter the dream league of Lagaan …and be ready to play yet another googly. Lagaan seems to take the viewers for a ride…dubbed highly as yet another patriotic saga. This movie gives a big surprise for all those expecting it to be a love story in the background of freedom movement. A high budget movie and yet another home production for Aamir Khan, the actor described his first film Lagaan, as a story of a battle without bloodshed. The main theme is of course lagaan, meaning tax. Set in 1893 in Champaner, a small village in Central India, Lagaan is the story of unusual circumstances thrust upon ordinary people. A tale of determination to fight against the injustice and oppression, it tells the story of a village where it has not rained since a year. Since the villagers depend on the rain for their crops, they are unable to pay the ruler their lagaan (tax). But they are even more shocked when dugna lagaan (two taxes) are imposed on them. Aamir Khan plays Bhuvan, a young farmer who takes up the challenge of saving his village by accepting an offer, which forms the crux of the story. He is helped by Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley), Captain Russell’s (Paul Blackthorne) sister. Despite her brother’s opposition, she is in love with Bhuvan and goes all the way out to help the villagers. Gauri (Gracy Singh) is a briskly cheerful village girl who loves Bhuvan and has faith in him. Bhuvan takes on the impossible challenge of defeating the British in a game of cricket, which is Captain Russell's alternative to the villagers paying tax. The deal is that if the villagers defeat the British, they will be pardoned lagaan for three consecutive years, but if they lose, they have to pay up three times the lagaan during the same year. Assisted by his villagers, Bhuvan forms a team of eleven with hopes and dreams to win this game, which is a do-or-die situation. Lagaan has some definite plus points like A R Rahman’s music, which is already been appreciated by the audience. Among the cast, Aamir Khan as Bhuvan is very convincing. He is earnest in his portrayal, and is the lifeline of the film. Gracy Singh is the surprise packet. Bubbly and charming, she has a terrific screen presence. The rest of the cast, including the British actors and their Indian counterparts (Raghuvir Yadav, Aditya Lakhia, Rajesh Vivek, Amin Hajee, Yashpal Sharma) have all put in their best. Despite all these efforts, the fact that Lagaan is three hours and 40 minutes long might go against it. The movie seems a little slow in places, but overall it manages to hook the viewer. The cricket sequences are gripping. You feel like you are watching a India-Pakistan cricket match. And this time, the team does not let us down ! |
