In Brief: Bollywood's Big Break?

By J. Lawrence Scholer | Sunday, November 3, 2002

The first time I held a cricket bat I was sixteen. I wasn't very proficient at protecting the makeshift wicket my friends and I had constructed. My swing was too much like a baseball swing, too American. I did, however, contact the ball a few times but only with a glancing blow. My bowling was worse. I consistently bent my elbow prior to release, resulting in an illegal bowl.

Despite my failure at the game, reviews of Lagaan intrigued me. Lagaan is the most expensive production in the history of Bollywood and has garnered critical acclaim in the West. Still, Lagaan is unlike movies that come out of Hollywood. It is four hours long, contains numerous song and dance routines (which often occur at random), contains no sex or stylised violence, and ends almost too happily.

Set in 1893, Lagaan is the story of a village of Indian farmers who are oppressed by their British colonisers, particularly Captain Russell (Paul Blackthorne). A drought has stricken the farmers in the Cantonment, and the villagers worry that they may not be able to pay their tax, the lagaan, to the British. Despite the drought, Russell informs the Rajah (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) that he will enforce a double lagaan. The farmers protest, and Russell promises to cancel the lagaan for three years if the villagers defeat the British in a game of cricket. If the British are victorious, the entire cantonment must pay triple lagaan.

Under the leadership of Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), the farmers, although unfamiliar with cricket, assemble a motley, inter-caste team and, with the help of a Russell's sister (Rachel Shelley), learn the game.

The cricket match, which takes place over the final eighty minutes of the film, is the typical underdogs versus bad guys grudge match. The movie does not delve into the details of cricket, but the preparation and game provide enough information for audiences unfamiliar with the game to understand.

Lagaan is a enjoyable and cheerful film, but it does carry strong messages. Colonialism is harshly criticised, although many of the British do have redeeming qualities. Captain Russell is overly harsh, so much so that he alienates even his own countrymen. In one particularly egregious scene, he promises to cancel the lagaan if the Rajah forsake his religion and eat meat. The caste system is also harshly criticised. Bhuvan invites a crippled Untouchable to join the team due to his uncanny ability to spin the ball, and the other members of the team protest. Bhuvan, however, delivers a rousing speech condemning the caste system and wins over his comrades.

Lagaan is part musical, part romance, part drama, part sport—the list could go on. Bollywood cinema is a form of escapism for its native patrons, so a happy ending is essential. Although made closer to Hollywood specs, cultural differences abound. How often in Hollywood movies are black, ominous clouds a catalyst for jubilation?

Lagaan has drawn large audiences in the United States, but Bollywood still has work to do before it can break through to American audiences as a whole. It is a step in the right direction, but Americans aren't singing and dancing just yet.

In Brief: Bollywood's Big Break?

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