20 Years of Lagaan EXCLUSIVE: Aamir Khan lauds ex-wife Reena Dutta for her contribution – “She learnt on her own, cracked it and produced the film as if she’s a veteran”

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

June 15, 2021 - 3:00 PM IST

Aamir Khan starrer Lagaan has completed 20 years today. The film had talented performances of Aamir Khan, along with debutant Gracy Singh and British actors Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne in supporting roles. The film also had Aamir Khan turning into a producer for the first time. It was also the first time his ex-wife Reena Dutta was producing a film as well.

20 Years of Lagaan EXCLUSIVE: Aamir Khan lauds ex-wife Reena Dutta for her contribution – “She learnt on her own, cracked it and produced the film as if she’s a veteran”

Recalling the journey, Aamir Khan recently said not one thing that stands out for him it's everything about the film. He said, "It's not one thing. It's almost everything. Meaning there are so many things that have stayed as memories (thinking). So many things remain with me but still.”

He talked about ex-wife Reena Dutta and her contribution towards the film, “The one thing that remains with me is the way Reena handled the film. Reena, my ex-wife, was the producer of the film. She was someone who had no understanding of cinema, until then. Even though she was married to me for a number of years, she was never interested in films. So, she never knew anything about filmmaking. I requested her one night; I told her ‘I am producing the film. I need your help.’ She said ‘I don't know anything about filmmaking, what can I help you in?’ I said ‘You can try and learn, you can be there. You are someone who I can completely trust; you're someone who I can completely depend on.’ She was very sporting and she said ‘I'll learn.’ And after she said she'll learn, she learnt everything – she went and met Subhash Ghai, Manmohan Shetty who runs a lab. She went to the lab, she asked for the negatives, sound negatives, processing, printing and she asked everything about the lab process."

He also conveyed his amazement about her dedication, hardwork and commitment towards getting everything right which is a major reason for the film's massive success. He talked about the efforts Reena took to understand the deep rooted concepts of filmmaking and the complexities of production. He further revealed, “She went and met producers, directors, technicians to understand what filmmaking is. And I told her, ‘I won't tell you anything, you go and learn on your own.’ She learnt on her own, cracked it and produced the film as if she's a veteran. Now that is something I'll remember always in my life that how someone from another field. The rest of us were all from films, Ashutosh, me all of us – she’s not even from the film world. And after that entering this world and to this extent controlling everything was something very remarkable. That is something I'll always remember, how she did that, I still wonder how she's done that! (laughs).”

Also Read: 20 Years Of Lagaan: “I had seen the film in Chandan cinema in Mumbai. People were reacting as if they were watching a live India vs Pakistan match!” – Aditya Lakhia