Lagaan

Kaely Mayes
April 10, 2010
HINDI 2441
Film Review


Lagaan

Lagaan was made in 2001 and was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and produced by Aamir Khan, who also plays the main role of Bhuvan. There are also a few well-known English actors in this film, including Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne (one of my all time favorite actors!!!!). In my personal opinion, I think that this is one of the best Hindi films I have seen to date. It has all the makings of a classic; with it’s romantic love story, Robin Hood theme and exciting sports match. It is a win for anyone!

Lagaan takes place in a small rural town called Champaner in 1893, during the height of the British rule in India. In order to maintain their military numbers and elicit loyalty from the Indian population the British implement a Lagaan, a tax. The villages have to give up a certain amount of goods to the Raja of their province, Puran Singh, who in turn gives the British the goods. Unfortunately the people under the Raja’s province are experiencing a drought and have very little to no crop yield. On behalf of his people the Raja contacts the commanding officer of the area, Captain Andrew Russell, and asks for a pardon on this years lagaan. Rusell will have none of that, the people received half lagaan last year for the same reason and so this year they must make up for it. Captain Russell gives the Raja an ultimatum; either pay double lagaan or take a bite of meat, which went against all of the Raja’s religious morals. The Raja had no choice but to decline and let his people know of the misfortune. This is a classic example of the underhanded ways of the British and their style of ruling over the Indian people. The Raja’s easy exceptance of the double lagaan is a testament to the Indian peoples compliancy to a dominating authority and gives the people a catalyst to empower themselves within a communal support system against their oppressor.

In panic over the impossible lagaan, the people of Champaner rush to see the Raja and beg him to talk again to the captain. During the visit they come upon the British playing cricket where Bhuvan then mocks the game and gets into a fight with one of the British officers. Taking an instant dislike to Bhuvan, Russell offers a bet to Bhuvan, Russell will cancel all the lagaan of the whole province for three years if the villagers can beat his men in a game of cricket. However, if the villagers lose, they will have to pay three times the lagaan. Bhuvan accepts this wager on the behalf of all villages without their consent. When the other villagers find out about the bet, they are furious with Bhuvan. It takes a lot of cajoling and lecturing to get people to agree to the idea. Soon enough people come forward to help Bhuvan fight the British rule, including his love interest Gauri. Bhuvan and his friends soon realize that while the game is a lot like a childhood game they actually have no idea how to play cricket. Fortunately, they are introduced to Elizabeth Russell, the Captain’s sister, who thinks that the bet was extremely unfair and decides to help the villagers understand the game of cricket. The coming together of these men parallels the idea of a unified India, not only against the British, but also unity as a secular state. We see the meshing of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, as they come together to defeat a common foe and within the “battle” bridge the gap of religion.

The villagers steadily began getting better at the game with Elizabeth’s help and they slowly discover that each player has a special ability. For example, one villager is amazing with a slingshot and thus when he is bowler he is very accurate. Another is the untouchable Kachra who can put a crazy backspin on the ball when he throws with his deform hand. Also, there is a mute temple drummer who has huge muscles and thus can hit the ball very far. This is overall a very ragtag group. There is one bad tomato in the group though, Lakha, who in jealously over Gauri’s love of Bhuvan, decides to sabotage the game by reporting any progresses to Captain Russell. He also uncovers Elizabeth’s helping the villagers to Russell and when the big game day comes he purposefully doesn’t play well. Later that night, after a long day of Cricket and losing their best players they come to realize Lakha’s treachery. It is only thanks to Bhuvan calm level head does Lakha come out alive. He is shown the error of his way and the next day he shows his true talents and is instrument in the British’s sudden batting collapse. As a team they battle to the very end on the third and final day, ending in Bhuvan’s hard hit and the victory to the Indian people. Bhuvan's defeat of the British team leads to the disbanding of the humiliated cantonment. In addition, Russell is forced to pay the two years worth of taxes for the whole province out of pocket and is transferred to Central Africa. As they the villagers start celebrating the victory a miracle happens, the clouds open up in a torrential downpour. Thus insuring that the villagers will have a crop all to themselves that year.

This film is a blend of a “David verse Goliath” and “East verse West” theme. It is the show of the poor and traditional peasants battling the larger western oppression, which results in a strengthened Indian pride and provides a model/icon in which people can look to for support in their own battles. It is also a prompt for other provinces to fight back against the wrongs done to them. This battle is not only shown through victory, it is seen in the course of the game. This a especially see through their field techniques. The British are extremely well organized, are well practiced and are of superior skill. Yet, in the end it means little for victory, for the British have very unsportsmanlike conduct and they do not mind cheating, creating both physical and emotional pain. The villagers are totally disorganized, especially during the beginning of the game and slowly began to gain a handle of the workings of Cricket. Even though they lack the skill and experience, they have a burning passion for victory that is stronger than just being well practiced. They play with their heart, not just their heads and that is what guaranties their victory.