Lagaan Movie Reviews

15th August 2018, Department of English has organised the Movie screening. We seen Movie Lagaan. Generally we watch the movie for entertainment, As a English literature students. we have to watch movie with the help of various literary theories, approaches and different perspectives.

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India is the one of the best Indian Epic sports-drama film, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, produced by Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan, and written by Ashutosh Gowariker and Abbas Tyrewala. The film is set in the Victorian period of India's colonial British Raj. the film was shot in an ancient village near Bhuj, India. 

The movie deals with Superstition, Cast-ism, patriarchy, patriotism, love etc themes. The movie is opened with the temple which is indicated that there will be going on Hinduism and Caste system. Characters like Guran, Kachara etc are an example of the class conflicts. We can also find the feudalism in this movie.

• Hinduism

    The movie has opened with the Temple which is indicate that the movie will have deal with some of orthodox, Hinduism, Superstition, Myth, accountability etc. we can find that every event will deal with the God. Character like Guran has indicated hypocrites (Astrologer) which we find today also. we can say that it is a part of the superstition. Why the Britisher increase the taxation ? because of Temple, like the king wants to open the Siddheswar temple, and Britisher offered to eat meat, but the King is the Hindu. so he did not, and Britisher taxation do double. when song has come there we also find some elements like peacock's feather, song's words etc.

• Leadership

    There is a “natural leader,” born with a combination of talents and traits that enable a person to lead others, has been a subject of debate across time. In a modern context, we have come to recognize that leadership comes in many form and representations. Once it was thought that someone with presence of mind, innate intelligence, and an engaging personality was destined for leadership, but modern research and experience shows us otherwise. Just as a successful heart surgeon has a series of skill sets, so does a dynamic leader. A television producer must both direct and provide space for talent to create, balancing control with confidence and trust. This awareness of various leadership styles serves our discussion as groups and teams often have leaders, and they may not always be the person who holds the title, status, or role. Leader should be motivate and inspirable person, like in this movie we find the Bhuvan is the best leader, his team work, unity etc is notable. 

• Post-Colonialism

I can't apply Post colonial theory in this movie because movie's setting is in Pre-colonial India. So, there is points from the perspective of director we can say post colonialism is that the game of cricket in today's India. The game of cricket is belong to Britisher but today we India much powerful in cricket than Britisher. Hence, we can say that India follow the and use British game as our own and mindset as well.

• Nationalism : 

What political ideology tells about nation that becomes Nationalism. They have a strong belief for the nation. When Raja Puran Singh denies to eat non-vegetarian food that shows the nationalism. The another scene comes in our mind is that when we see Captain Russell doing deer hunting that time Bhuvan tries to rescue deer. Which again portrays the national ideology because in reality the situation seems vice versa.

• Caste-ism 

"The provision of constitutional safeguards to backward sections has made caste consciousness very strong and the members have developed a blind loyalty towards their own caste or subcaste at the cost of other caste groups. This is what we call as casteism."(Artical)

We can openly finds the caste system in the village. Which prevails even today in the rural India. In a movie we finds in the character of Kachra, He considered as a untouchable by the other villagers. Most of them denies to play with him. He lives on the periphery of the village. Where as Ishwar lives in the center of the village.