Review of Lagaan

Let not the 'Once upon a time in India' slogan, or shots of dry landscapes and peasants speaking in an odd dialect, or interviews given by a solemn-faced director, or the four-hour show time put you off. Lagaan is not a period drama, a serious record of an imaginary event that took place in pre-independence India, as it has been projected and reported. In a nutshell, it is a wholesome entertainer. And with its unique setting and skillful direction, a movie not to be missed.

The story (also Ashutosh Gowariker's) is simple: people of a small Indian village, challenged by an arrogant English officer, get together and, literally, beat the English at their own game, defeating the foreigners in a cricket match, thereby escaping back-breaking taxes to be paid to the rulers for three years.

But it is in how the story is developed and handled by the director that the movie scores over other run-of-the-mill movies with pretensions of patriotism or heroism. The movie's appeal lies in the portrayal of how a few ordinary villagers join forces, overcome difficult situations and resistance from within, and defeat the mightier force. Humour, an excellent background score and admirable characterisation add to the overall effect. A masterstroke by the director is the use of the game of cricket for the climax; for one, the game lends itself to highs and lows, fun and despair, that make it riveting, and then, the director takes advantage of our cricket craze and the hours and days we are used to spending watching the game, so that the extra hour or so not only goes by unnoticed but keeps us fully engrossed.

Characterisation is a major strength of the movie and the casting is excellent. Bhuvan's character is well-sketched from the outset as he runs with the English hunting party in the jungle, hides and distracts the deer to prevent it from being shot, to his including Kachra, the low-born, into the team in spite of traditional taboos, and his forgiveness of Lakha. A perfect foil is the superior, overconfident and ruthless Captain Russell, who rather than shoot Bhuvan or punish him, challenges him to a game he is bound to win, who asks the vegetarian Rajah to take a bite of meat in return for a political favour, who vengefully orders his bowler to "bash the head in" of the betrayer Lakha.

Gauri, who loves Bhuvan with a quiet passion and possessiveness and sticks by him throughout; Lakha who spies for the British in order to defeat Bhuvan and thus win Gauri's love; Bagha, who is dumb but makes it up with his enthusiasm and fervour; the Rajah who refuses to eat the meat with dignity, who encourages the villagers to teach the English a lesson - are all delightful and realistic portrayals. Only one jarring factor - the Captain's intelligent and just sister Elizabeth taking the side of the villagers is alright, but falling in love with a rustic though strong-willed man makes her somewhat stereotypical (and reminds me of a similar situation in Bharathiraja's Tamil film Nadodi Thendral).

Aamir Khan as Bhuvan, debutante Gracy Singh as Gauri, British stage actors Paul Blackthorne as Captain Russell and Rachel Shelley as Elizabeth, and Kulbhushan Kharbanda as the Rajah, stand out in the histrionics department. There are a lot of familiar faces from the small screen (don't I recall Gowariker as an actor himself from the early days of television?) who bring freshness and add authencity to the characters they play: Rajendra Gupta as the mukhiya, Raghuveer Yadav as the hen-chasing Rakha, Rajesh Vivek as Gurran, Sri Vallabh Vyas as the vaid Ishwar kaka, and Javed Khan as the dubash Ramsingh, to name a few.

The humour is situational, universal and at times, leaves one giggling for some time. Gurran comes close to taking up the mantle of the comedian for the movie. Goli's description of Gurran, the villagers' views about cricket, their initial bewilderment at the umpire's finger going up to signal "out," Goli's awe on seeing the 'gori mem' for the first time, the batting and bowling styles of Goli and Gurran, the Rajah's hands reaching up to throw his necklace in an instinctive reaction during the match, the remarks of the Englishmen watching the game, make for good comedy.

The settings are also authentic, from the huts, vessels and implements of the villagers, with the representative occupations of a farmer, a potter, a medicine-man, a wood-cutter, a blacksmith and others, the small temple on the hill-top, the colourful attires, the cricket gear of the English, to the cricket ground itself.

Rahman's music, needless to say, adds life to the villagers' story with beautiful use of folk tunes and instruments, complemented by Javed Akhtar's dialectic lyrics.

The movie fully deserves the rave reviews it has received. Go watch Lagaan and you'll be surprised at how the four hours fly.