Lagaan ( Land Tax)- Wikipedia,

Lagaan (Bhojpuri/Hindi: लगान; Urdu: لگان; translation: Land tax), also known as Lagaan: Once upon a time in India, is a Bollywood feature film made in India. It became the third Hindi language film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (after Mother India in 1957 and Salaam Bombay! in 1989). The film, based on an original story by Ashutosh Gowarikar, was also directed by him. It starred Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh in the lead pair with Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne and A. K. Hangal in supporting roles. The movie is set in the Victorian period of the British Raj, and revolves around the peasants from a barren village who are oppressed by high taxes imposed by the British. When the peasants attempt to persuade the officers to reduce the taxes, the officers put forth a proposition to the peasants. One senior officer offers them to cancel their taxes for three years if their village team beats them at cricket. After accepting this proposition, the villagers face the arduous task of learning the game and playing for a result that will change their village's destiny. The film received critical acclaim and awards at several international film festivals, as well as many Bollywood awards. Released on June 15, 2001 it became one of the biggest hits of the summer while its DVD sales in the highest ever for a Bollywood movie.

Plot

Lagaan is set in late 19th century India. Captain Andrew Russel (Paul Blackthorne), the commanding officer of a British cantonment, oppresses the people of Champaner with high taxes (lagaan). The local ruler, Rajah Pooran Singh (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), asks that taxes be lowered to ease the suffering of the drought-stricken villagers. Captain Russell humiliates the Rajah by asking him to eat meat if he wishes the taxes to be lowered. Captain Russell the doubles the taxes. The monsoon is late, they will be unable to pay regular taxes, much less double taxes. The villagers, returning from their fruitless audience with the Rajah, stop to watch the British officers playing cricket. Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) gets into a fight with a British officer who behaves badly with one of the villagers. Captain Russell notices them and sees the young, impetuous Bhuvan, who has previously angered him by interfering during his game hunting expedition and shooing off wildlife so that they would not be shot. The captain offers to cancel the taxes of the whole province for three years if the villagers can beat his men at cricket if they lose, they will owe triple tax. To the horror of the other villagers, Bhuvan accepts this wager on their behalf. Nonetheless, the villagers of Champaner, and of all the neighboring villages, are furious with Bhuvan. No one has ever played cricket. How can complete novices beat the British. Upon learning of Captain Russell's wager, his superiors in the British Army admonish him for his arrogant and irresponsible behavior. Led by the courageous Bhuvan and helped by Russell good-hearted sister Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley), a few villagers begin to learn cricket. As time progresses, more and more villagers are convinced to join Bhuvan's team. The villagers have eccentric self-styled techniques-Goli swings his arms many times before releasing the ball, while Bhura, the chicken farmer, organises fielding training for the other villagers by having them attemp to catch his hens. As they spend time together, Elizabeth falls in love with Bhuvan, who himself attached to a charming local girl, Gauri (Gracy Singh). Though Bhuvan fells nothing but respect for Elizabeth and Elizabeth never expresses her feelings, Gauri sees how matters stand and is anxious until Bhuvan declares his love. Lakha decides to humble by forcing hin to lose the match. Lakha joins the team, but secretly meets with Captain Russell, informing him of everything that is happening. The captain tries to prevent his sister from helping the villagers, but she defies him. In the end Bhuvan has only ten players, one less than eleven needed for cricket team. Bhuvan finds his final player by chance, after the village cripple and untouchable Kachra inadvertently demonstrates his ability to bowl leg spin while returning the ball to the players. However, the village head and other members of team threaten to quit the team, refusing to play with an untouchable. Members of the British leadership in India are also present, and the match is umpired by two Britons based in Kanpur (spelled Cawnpore before 1948). Captain Russell wins the toss and elects to bat. The British officers make a strong start, and put on more than fifty run before Lieutenant Smith, Captain Russell's deputy, is run out by Bhura after a mix-up. Goli then quickly follows up by bowling out one of the British officers, who are unable to pick up his multiple awing bowling action action repeatedly miss the ball. Captain Russel then attempts to convince the umpires to ban Goli's bowling because of the multiple swinging of the arm, but Elizabeth runs onto the field and points out there is nothing in the law of cricket that prohibits this, much to her brother's chagrin. Bhuvan brings on his trump card, Kachra, who has been spinning his leg break significantly during practice. However, Kachra's spin deserts him and he concedes a lot of runs. During the first day, Lakha, the Indians' best fielder, deliberately drops many catches and at the end of play, the British batsmen are in a strong position. That night, Elizabeth sees Lakha travelling to the British camp to meet her brother and she informs Bhuvan. The villagers attempt to kill Lakha on the spot but Bhuvan offers Lakha one last chance. The next day, the British continue to play with ease againts the Indian, and are only three wickets with almost 300 runs, at the lunch break, with Russel confidently predicting to his superiors thst they will reach 600. However, Lakha takes a diving one-handed catch which spark the British batting collapse. Kachra is brought back to bowl, and rediscovers his ability to spin the ball and takes a hat trick, bowling one of the officers around his legs with a leg break that spun more than a metre. Captain Russell reaches his century before being dismissed by Bhuvan, who gives him a send-of. The eccentric village mystic, Guran, gets in on the act. After one batsman repeatedly charges many meters out of the crease to hit his balls, he deliberately bowls a full toss way over the batsman's head, with the wicket keeper Ishwar (who is Gauri's father) stumping the batsman. The officers are bowled out after losing their last seven wickets for less than fifty runs. The Indian's start the run chase strongly, with Bhuvan and Deva Singh Sodhi, a former sikh sepoy, opening the batting an put on seventy-odd runs. However, a straight drive from Bhuvan deflects off the hand of Lieutenant Smith, the bowler, onto the stumps, with Deva backing up too far and being run out. The Indians then lose a sequence of quick wickets. When Lakha comes into bat, Russell orders his fastest bowler Yardley to knock Lakha's head off. Yardley then bowls a beamer which hits Lakha directly in the temple. Lakha is concussed and falls onto the stumps and is given out hit wicket anyway. At the end of the day's play, more than half the team is out and the team has scored less than half of the required runs. The final day starts well for the Indians, with Bhuvan and the wicket keeper Ishwar Batting steadily. However, not-so-young Ishwar begins to tire, and is run out after trying to run for an extra run. Bhuvan blames himself for pushing Ishwar's fitness too hard. Ismail return to the crease after the umpires allow the village boy Tipu to act as a runner. Bhuvan passes his century and Ismail his fifty as the Indians seize control of the match. Bhuvan convinces him to be on strike, he will make the runs. Russel then by his cleverness brings Bhura comes for strike by kicking the single run ball for a four-run. Then Bhura comes for strike, he hits the ball for a single but due to his mistake Bhuvan falls apart & the Brits get an opportunity for an runout. Bhura does a sacrifice by making himself runout. As a result, the match turns again, with runs still needed, and the last batsman to enter the crease is Kachra, whose disability means he cannot hold the bat properly. However, the English bowlers repeatedlymis the stumps while Bhuvan continues to score. The match coms down to the last over. In the first ball Bhuvan hits four runs that makes the Brits alarming. In the next ball, Bhuvan is struck on the head with a bouncer Refusing the medical aid provided to him, Bhuvan hits & now Kachra is on strike. Kachra finds difficult to hit two balls out of three ball & now he needs to strike a six out of playing arena from the last ball of the match. Bhuvan and Indian camp are distraught, while the British are jubilant. Nobody however, has heard the umpire signal no ball. Thus, Yardley has bowl he last again. Bhuvan swings extremely hard with a pull shot, that goes very high up into the air off a top edge. Captain Russell backpedals at long on, and the ball finally descends into his hands after an eternity and Bhuvan is caught. Bhuvan's shot has scored six runs, securing a one wicket win for the Indians. The crowd then spontaneously erupts and invades the field, Chairing Bhuvan off the field. after the match, the British high command orders that the cantonment at Champaner be disbanded in humiliation at losing to the Indians. The narrator closes the story by reporting that Russell was forced to pay the taxes for the whole province from his own pocket and was transferred to East Africa paying those villages 3 year taxes. The narrator adds that Elizabeth returned to London, and remained unmarried for rest of her life. Remembering Bhuvan, who marries Gauri.

Sountrack

• Ghanam-Ghanam ......... singers ( Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik, Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, Chorus)..........(06:11) ......... Lyrics (Javed Akhtar)...............A song where the village-folk celebrate the arrival of clouds in the sky.
• Mitwa..............singers( Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik, Srinivas).........(06:47)..........Lyrics( Javed Akhtar)...............The song picturized on Bhuvan in which he tries o recruit villagers onto his team.
• Radha Kaise Na Jale..............singers(Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan, Vaishali, Chorus).........(05:34).............Lyrics (Javed Akhtar).............The song picturized on Gauri and Bhuvan dancing at a festival for Radha and Krishna. It also shows Gauri expressing her jealousy of Elizabeth.
• O Rey Chhori..............singers(Udit Narayan, Alka Yaknik, Vasundhara Das)...........(05:59).........lyrics (Javed Akhtar).................Bhuvan and Gauri expressing their love for each other and Elizabeth expressing her love for Bhuvan.
• Chale Chalo................singers(A.R.Rahman, Srinivas)...........(06:40)...........Lyrics(Javed Akhtar)...................Bhuvan motivating his team-mates for the cricket match.
• O Paalanhaare..............singers(Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan, Chorus)..................(05:18)..................Lyrics(Javed Akhtar)......................A song where the village-folk praise Lord Krishna.