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Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
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Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   10,263 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Ashutosh Gowariker
Writers:
Kumar Dave (screenplay)
Sanjay Dayma (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 May 2002 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Musical | Romance more
Tagline:
Once upon a time in India
Plot:
The people of a small village in Victorian India stake their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers... full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 44 wins & 19 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Will Linda manage what other heroines from West couldn't? - News
 (From GlamSham. 13 April 2009, 11:30 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Magnificent and Overwhelming Fairytale – An Oscar Deserving more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Aamir Khan ... Bhuvan
Gracy Singh ... Gauri

Rachel Shelley ... Elizabeth Russell
Paul Blackthorne ... Captain Andrew Russell
Suhasini Mulay ... Yashodamai
Kulbhushan Kharbanda ... Rajah Puran Singh
Raghuvir Yadav ... Bhura (as Raghuveer Yadav)
Rajendra Gupta ... Mukhiya
Rajesh Vivek ... Guran
Shri Vallabh Vyas ... Ishwar (as Sri Vallabh Vyas)
Javed Khan ... Ram Singh

Rajendranath Zutshi ... Ismail (as Raj Zutshi)
Akhilendra Mishra ... Arjan
Daya Shankar Pandey ... Goli
Yashpal Sharma ... Lakha
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Lagaan (India: Hindi title) (short title)
Land Tax (International: English title) (informal literal title)
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MPAA:
Rated PG for language and some violence.
Runtime:
224 min
Country:
India
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital
Certification:
Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:PG | USA:PG
Filming Locations:
Bhuj, Gujarat, India

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Model turned actress Sonali Bendre was interested in playing "Gauri" but Aamir Khan rejected her, felt that she looked much like a Westerner. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Kachra takes his first wicket he hits the OFF Stump. Later in the next scene it shows that he hit the MIDDLE stump and the OFF Stump is not at all moved. more
Quotes:
[Russell comes back from his meeting with the senior soldiers, where they got mad about the tax cancellation, a soldier salutes and walks by... ]
Capt. Russell: Is that the way a soldier behaves? You're SUPPOSED TO SALUTE when a superior officer passes!
British Soldier: I did, Sir.
Capt. Russell: I didn't see it!
British Soldier: [Salutes]
Capt. Russell: That's better.
Lt. Smith: I imagine your meeting didn't go quite as expected, sir?
Capt. Russell: Damn right it didn't! The senile old hats want to teach me how to run the show. They've lost their sense of adventure with age!
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in 50 Films to See Before You Die (2006) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Waltz for a Romance more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
59 out of 77 people found the following comment useful:-
A Magnificent and Overwhelming Fairytale – An Oscar Deserving, 15 July 2004
10/10
Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In 1893, India was a colony of England. The starving native farmers had to pay an imposed tax to the British soldiers for the protection of their lands, delivering most of their harvest to the British Queen. In those years, the lands were very dry due to the lack of rain, and the inhabitants of Champaner decide to request to their Rajah Puran Singh (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) to waive the taxes. While waiting for the Rajah, Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), the beloved friend of Gauri (Gracy Singh), comments that the silly game of cricket was a stupid game, comparable to the Indian child game `gilli-danda'. The nasty and arrogant Captain Andrew Russell (Paul Blackthorne), who had had a previous discussion with Bhuvan, listens to his comment and challenges Bhuvan to play a match against the British team, imposing the following condition: if the natives win the game, they would not need to pay Lagaan for the next three years. Otherwise, they would triplicate their payment in that year. Bhuvan accepts the bet despite of the opinion of his people. The sister of Captain Russell, Elizabeth Russell (Rachel Shelley), finds the competition unfair to the Indians and decides to help Bhuvan and his friends, teaching them how to play cricket. This movie is a magnificent and overwhelming fairytale. It really deserved an Oscar nomination! The nice and well-directed story has wonderful songs and interpretations, romance, treason, dispute, drama, beautiful messages, outstanding choreography, being a stunning film indicated as family entertainment. The expensive Brazilian DVD is a shame, showing a total lack of respect of the `Columbia Tristar Home Video' with the Brazilian costumers: the important songs do not have subtitles in Portuguese. I changed the option in the `Menu' to `English', and there were subtitles in English. At least in the opinion of the ridiculous Columbia representatives, Brazilians shall learn English first to understand the wonderful lyrics sang in Hindi. I feel really sorry for those who cannot understand English, since they will miss the meaning of these songs. It is amazing how 225 minutes running time passes so fast when you see such a marvelous movie. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): `Lagaan – A Coragem de Um Povo' (`Lagaan – The Courage of a People')

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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Liked it more than Slumdog... GrigoryGirl
Elizabeth mharishkashyap
Clip of Lagaan in King of Queens ozzyboy1976
why oh why did they make her sing?! lejrulez
Bhuvan dead ringer for Ganguly? vvs_laxman_hits_281
Subtitles???? szokia
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