Tarun J Tejpal – 20 Years of Lagaan: A Film Worth Remembering

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20 Years of Lagaan A Film Worth Remembering
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Tarun J Tejpal - Aamir Khan starrer film Lagaan
has completed 20 years of its release on 15th
June 2021. Lagaan was a remarkable movie in the
history of Indian cinema.
The period epic was directed by Ashutosh
Gowarikar and Aamir Khansnow-estranged wife
Kiran Rao was the assistant director of the movie
it is perhaps particularly bittersweet that as
the seminal film hit the two-decade milestone,
merely a couple of weeks later the power couple
of Khan and Rao announced they were separating
after 15 years of marriage.
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But even that unfortunate note cannot take the
moment away from Lagaan itself. The film, whose
acclaimed soundtrack was composed by AR Rahman,
also introduced the entirely unknown Gracy Singh
to audiences. As significant was the fact that
Lagaan marked Aamir Khans first foray into film
production, and in keeping with the actors
acuity, he went on to create a film as admired by
critics as adored by fans.
Lagaan also became the third film to receive an
Oscarnomination for Best Foreign LanguageFilm in
the history of India. And even after 20 years of
its release, the cult obsession around this film
is astounding. The crew of the film reunited
after 20 years to celebrate the 20th Anniversary
of the most phenomenal movie of the decade.
Because of Covid-19 the celebration took place
virtually, but the whos who were present
fromAamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowarikarand AR Rahman
to British actors Paul Blackthorn and Rachel
Shelly. Also present were the absolutely stellar
supporting cast including Pradeep Rawat,
Akhilendra Mishra, Suhasini Mulay, and Yashpal
Sharma.
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Later on, AR Rahman shared the screenshot of the
virtual celebration on his Instagram handle with
an emotional message. Furthermore, the full video
of their interaction was posted on the official
YouTube channel of NetflixIndia. Something that
drew everyones attention was the absence of the
films lead actress, Gracy Singh from the virtual
reunion of the cast and crew of Lagaan.
Since then, Twitter has been flooded with various
tweets on 20 Years of Lagaan. Delhi Capitals
tweeted- 20YearsOfLagaan, an audacious legacy
lives on.. Syed tweeted- It is extremely
difficult to convince AamirKhan to do a film,
but once he commits, that is the greatest moment
for the Director. And I cant thank him enough.
Lagaan has been the most cherished and fulfilling
experience for me. Wrote Ashutosh Gowarikar.
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Lagaan shaped the careers of many who were
involved in the film, from its actors to the
director Ashutosh Gowarikar. In fact, Aamir Khan,
acquired his image of Mr. Perfectionist through
this film only. Even the actress of the film,
Gracy got a flying start in her acting career
through Lagaan and later on got the chance to get
featured in Munna Bhai MBBS with Sanjay Dutt.
However, later she became the victim of bad
projects.
Lagaan was a musical sports drama, set in the
pre-independence era. In an interview, the
director of the film revealed that many actors
were unwilling to give Lagaan a chance safe to
say that when Lagaan went on to create history at
the box office, a lot of humble pie must have
been eaten in a lot of A-list homes. Lagaan
became one of the most iconic movies of all time
and won the hearts of all Indians. While known
for his reticence, in one of his exceptionally
insightful and engaging interviews with
journalist and editor Tarun Tejpal at his
celebrated conclave THiNK fest in the year 2011
the actor opened up about his journey as well as
the incredible experience of working on Lagaan.
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It was in this interview, in fact, that Aamir
Khan also mentioned that doing Lagaan was one of
the biggest decisions that he had made in his
career up to that point because it was a huge
risk for its unconventional setting and genre.
But it was his love for stories that drew him to
this career, he told Tarun Tejpal whose own
books have been widely acclaimed and awarded
which is why, clearly, he spotted the stunning
potential of Lagaan where others only saw risk.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Aamirs interview with the journalist Tarun J
Tejpal on this movie a decade ago shows that how
critically acclaimed this movie has been. Tarun J
Tejpal, himself being a writer was able to
understand the importance of a story in Aamir
Khan life, better than any other interviewer.
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Although everyone knows about the undeniable
success of Lagaan but, here is an interesting
fact about the climax of the movie that not many
are aware of. The climax of the movie was the
cricket match between the villagers and the
British. The makers of the film involved 10,000
people from neighboring towns and cities to shoot
the crowded scenes of the movie. Involving and
handling such a big crowd of real people not
actors was not an easy job to do, but the
makers of Lagaan pulled it off, in the meanwhile
lending a gritty and authentic note to the scene.
Dressing and feeding 10,000 people was exhausting
and a logistical nightmare, but the team pulled
it off with spectacular success. That were still
here talking about the movie 20 years later shows
just how much.