Re: Re: Re: Re: Query on Anti-Colonial Revolts

[Rakesh Bhandari <rakeshb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

my mom tells me that she now likes lagaan better which she may be
giving me on dvd tonight. rb



                                 Synopsis
                                 Set in the latter half of the
nineteenth century "Lagaan" is a film about the adversities and
                                 injustice perpetrated by the British
upon the innocent peasants who face these extraordinary
                                 circumstances with fortitude and dignity.

                                 It is Aamir Khan's maiden home
production and is written and directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar
                                 whose earlier directorial attempt
"Baazi" proved to be a dud at the box office.

                                 The film casts Aamir Khan, Gracie
Singh (of Amaanat fame) and a host of Indian and British
                                 actors including Jessica Radcliffe
and Rachel Shelley. AR Rahman's music in the film is folkish
                                 and have a beautiful amalgamation of
Indian and western instruments. And the costumes are
                                 by Bhanu Athaiya who had done the
costumes for Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi".

                                 In a small village of Champaner in
North India in 1890s is a community of poor and innocent
                                 farmers who are happy ploughing,
sowing, praying for the rains and reaping their harvest. Part
                                 of this community are Bhuvan (Aamir)
a young farmer and Gauri (Gracie Singh), his love.

                                 A spate of adversities strike them
with the entry of a brute-like British army captain who
                                 challenges the locals to a cricket
match. A dastardly character, he is planning, in the sly, to
                                 burden the villagers with a land tax
(Lagaan). One of the conditions of the game is that the
                                 loser will pay the state the land
tax. The captain knows that the villagers are ignorant of the
                                 game and its rules and therefore be
beating retreat against his trained players.

                                 Although poor, the villagers are
people of self-respect. Led by Bhuvan they are ready to take
                                 on the Britons despite their
ignorance of the game. Now comes to their rescue the army
                                 captain's younger sister Elizabeth
(Rachel Shelley). Firstly Elizabeth helps the rustic lads purely
                                 out of sympathy for them but later
she grows affection for Bhuvan.

                                 But Bhuvan is fixated on one thing.
With grit and determination he and villagers stand together
                                 against the ruthlessness of their
perpetrators. Faith and courage comes face to face with
                                 arrogance and ruthlessness and what
follows is spectacular climax of showdown between
                                 Indians and Britons.

                                 Review
                                 Lagaan," as Aamir puts it, "has not
been an easy film to make". When its director Ashutosh
                                 Gowarikar first narrated the idea to
him, he brushed it off without showing any enthusiasm. But
                                 Ashutosh didn't give up and worked
on the script and it's subtleties for a good five months. And
                                 when he showed Aamir a meticulously
written script the second time, the dashing Khan
                                 relented.

                                 Not only did Aamir give consent to
play the film's protagonist Bhuvan but also decided to
                                 produce it himself. With that began
a "challenging task" that, after two year's arduous labor,
                                 culminated in a Rs 25-crore film.

                                 "Lagaan" is a film with a realistic
theme but at the same time retains the gloss of popular
                                 cinema. With Nitin Desai as the art
designer, Ashutosh has created the authentic milieu of an
                                 Indian village Champaner in 1893.
Those who inhabit it go by the names of Deva, Goli, Kachra,
                                 Lakha, Bhura, Ismail. They are
peasants, blacksmiths, potters, wood cutters, temple dwellers
                                 and astrologers. The dialect they
speak is a mix of three bolis - Awadhi, Bhojpuri and
                                 Brijbhashsa.

                                 Clad in a darned Dhoti and with hair
drenched in oil, Aamir Khan gives a realistic portrayal of a
                                 simple village yokel. Bhuvan, the
character he plays, is a man of self-respect no matter
                                 whether he is gamboling around the
village fields or waltzing on Mozart's symphony in a
                                 ballroom with none other than
Elizabeth, the sister of the British captain Russell (Paul
                                 Blackthorne).

                                 Gracie Singh looks convincing as
Gauri, a simple village belle who is smitten by Bhuvan.
                                 Gracie's disarming smile and homely
looks make her a perfect choice to play a rustic girl for
                                 whom her small village is the world.

                                 The high point of the movie is the
three-day match between the villagers and the British team
                                 led by captain Russell. In the end,
when the Indian side needs to make 20 runs in just three
                                 overs and Bhuvan is at the crease,
batting with a century to his credit, the nail biting suspense
                                 begins. It ends with an Escape to
Victory-like climax, leaving viewers' at the edge of their seats.

                                 Rating: Worth Watching.