20 Years of Lagaan EXCLUSIVE: Aamir Khan – “Almost every day, we used to have a doubt that we made a mistake by taking on this monster”

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

June 15, 2021 - 5:00 PM IST

Aamir Khan starrer Lagaan completes 20 years today. The actor, celebrating two decade of his film, took us down memory lane by sharing his experiences, anecdotes, and memories while shooting the movie. He also shared his feeling about not winning the Oscar and how he looks at it now.

20 Years of Lagaan EXCLUSIVE: Aamir Khan – “Almost every day, we used to have a doubt that we made a mistake by taking on this monster”

During a media interaction, Aamir Khan was asked whether he was doubtful of the film and how he felt being a producer, he replied, “Everyday, I used to have that doubt. There’s a scene in the film that – at one point in the second half in Lagaan, the Champaner team isn’t doing well and the Britishers come there to watch their practice and throw their sticks and they kind of demoralize the Indian players. So after that, there’s a scene in Lagaan that he (Bhuvan) is standing in front of the temple at night and his mother comes from behind and he (Bhuvan) is looking very disheartened. The first time you see Bhuvam with doubt on his face and the mother says, ‘What am I seeing? Doubt on Bhuvan’s face’… something like this. I don’t remember exact lines but basically, she questions like what’s up? He says, ‘Maa yeh bida uthake humne kono galati toh nahi ki?’ (By taking up this challenge, have I made a mistake?’ She says that Bhuvan is very combative and why is she seeing self-doubt in Bhuvan’s eyes. This was the scene.”

He further added, “So there were problems every day in Lagaan, meaning that cricket (scene) shooting wasn’t ending. We’d think today there are 10 shots, the next day Ashu (Ashutosh Gowariker) would bring a 15 more like it was just continuing; it was like a unending process. All of us would come every morning and it had become like that movie in which the same thing is happening and you are not able to move forward. It’s in the Groundhog Day movie. I haven’t watched it but I have heard about it. So you think you are doing a lot but not moving forward, so we were feeling like this.”

Aamir Khan further recalled, “The dates of British actors were ending and on top of the film is over budget. Every day, there were problems. So one day Ashutosh Gowariker was there and I said ‘Ashu!’ and he said ‘Ya?’’ I asked ‘Yeh bida uthake humne kono galati toh nahi ki?’ Ashu laughed a lot at it and then that became our joke line. Whenever we were in a problem, either he would say it to me or I would say it to him. So we would get a laugh. But at times of stress, you need some humour to perk you up. Yes, almost every day, we used to have a doubt that we made a mistake by taking on this monster.”

In Lagaan, during the British Raj, a farmer named Bhuvan accepts the challenge of Captain Andrew Russell to beat his team in a game of cricket and enable his village to not pay taxes for the next three years. The film starred Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne.

Also Read: Aamir Khan pays tribute to Shooter Dadi, Chandro Tomar: “She will remain an inspiration forever”