Lagaan

Chris Norrod

Lagaan Film Review

HIND 2441

4/12/10

Lagaan (Ashutosh Gowariker) tells the story of a rural village’s struggle against British dominance. Gowariker presents themes of patriotism and nationalism in the film, but the manner in which it is presented is less subtle than in other films with nationalistic themes. Rather, much like Roja and Bombay it is obvious to the viewer, Indian or foreign, that much of the film is going to focus on national sentiments. Faced with a heavy tax on their food, or lagaan, as well as a drought, the villagers of Champaner are in peril. A sadistic British captain (Paul Blackthorne) agrees to release the villagers of their tax burden if they can defeat the British officers in a test match of cricket. A young hero emerges from the village, a young Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), who leads the villagers to victory against their British oppressors.

Lagaan is at its core a film about India nationalism. The struggle between Champaner and the British officers is largely symbolic of the greater struggle against the British colonial forces. The multicultural nature of the Champaner cricket team is representative of an India where everyone lives in harmony. Bhuvan makes this clear when he convinces his team to allow an Untouchable onto the team, saying, “You choke the air in our village/with this caste division.” This is very much a call for greater unity in the nation. Interestingly, the provincial Raj is depicted to share Indian resentment toward the British. This might present a somewhat distorted perspective, as Indian royalty often benefitted enormously from the British colonial presence.

As far as the conflict within the film was concerned, I was disappointed. Captain Andrew Russell is a fairly dull character. He falls prey to being a villain motivated only by sadism. This is often the case for film villains, even outside Bombay cinema. Captain Russell presents no motives for the suffering he causes, and so the viewer is left to assume it is for pleasure. He is akin to Gabbar (Amjad Khan) in Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay, who is a super villain, motivated only be the pleasure he reaps from others’ suffering. He does, however, serve as a symbol for the British colonial efforts overall. Captain Russell’s attempt to get the provincial Raj to eat meat evokes powerful imagery of subjugation and subordination. His motives, however, were still unlike those of the British, who sought profit and power. His defeat, notably, is done through peaceful methods (a test match of cricket). This could be drawing parallels to Gandhi’s method of peaceful resistance for an Indian nation against the British. Although I found the premise of the film’s conflict to be dull, I still enjoyed watching how everything unfolded.

I was surprised by how well the film was paced. Despite being just under 4 hours, the film kept moving, and I never felt the plot slow or become extended. A good portion of the film was dedicated to the cricket match, but in no way was it detrimental to the pace of the film. I was kept thoroughly interested in the match in its entirety. The location of the film serves to compliment the oppressive nature of the British colonial forces. Like the British, the dry and hot landscape of the province is taxing on the bodies of the villagers, and adds a physical element of oppression to the already taxing British colonial presence.