Indian films to view before trip to India
 

We will be going to India in January and are interested in watching some good films about India to give us an intial perspective of India. What do you suggest? If possible, I would like to be able to get it on Netflix. Thanks

Slumdog Millionare is an obvious one.

hi there thy this one 3 Idiots,


3 Idiots (Hindi: थ्री इडीयट्स) is a 2009 Bollywood comedy film directed by Rajkumar Hirani, with a screenplay by Abhijat Joshi, and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It was loosely adapted from the novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. 3 Idiots stars Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Omi Vaidya, Parikshit Sahni and Boman Irani.

Upon release, the film broke all opening box office records in India. It was the highest-grossing film in its opening weekend in India and has the highest opening day collections for a Bollywood film. It also has the record for highest net collections in the first week for a Bollywood film. Within 10 days of its release, the film crossed the Indian Rupee symbol.svg 1 billion mark in India and became the first film of 2009 to do so. The film also created a new box office record for a release in the last quarter of a year (October to December), breaking the previous record set by Ghajini. It is also the highest-grossing film to be released in the second half of the year (July to December), breaking the previous record also held by Ghajini.

3 Idiots has become the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time in India[3] and is also the highest grossing Indian film ever breaking the record made by the Tamil film, Dasavathaaram a 2008 Kamal Haasan starrer.[4] The film set a box office record for the Indian film industry, grossing Rs 470 crore (US$ 100 million) worldwide.[5] It was expected to be the first Indian film to be officially released on YouTube, within 12 weeks of releasing in theaters on March 25, 2010, but never got released.[6] The film also went on to win many awards, winning six Filmfare Awards including best film and best director, and ten Star Screen Awards. Furthermore, it won 16 IIFA awards.

The film also uses real inventions by little known people in India's backyards. The brains behind the innovations were Remya Jose, a student from Kerala, who created the exercise-bicycle-cum-washing-machine, Mohammad Idris, a barber from Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh, who invented a bicycle-powered horse clipper, and Jahangir Painter, a painter from Maharashtra, who made the scooter-powered flour mill.[7]
Farhan Qureshi (R. Madhavan), Raju Rastogi (Sharman Joshi), and Rancchoddas "Rancho" Shyamaldas Chanchad (Aamir Khan) are three engineering students who share a room in a hostel at the Imperial College of Engineering, one of the best colleges in India. While Farhan and Raju are average students from modest backgrounds, Rancho is from a rich family. Farhan wants to become a wildlife photographer, but has joined engineering college to fulfil his father's wish. Raju on the other hand wants to uplift his family fortunes. Rancho is a wealthy genius who studies for the sheer joy of it. However, Rancho's passion is for knowledge and taking apart and building machines rather than the conventional obsession of the other students with exam ranks. With his different approach Rancho incurs the wrath of dean of college, Professor Viru Sahastrabudhhe (ViruS) (Boman Irani). Rancho irritates his lecturers by giving creative and unorthodox answers, and confronts ViruS after fellow student Joy Lobo hangs himself in his dormitory room. Joy had requested an extension on his major project on compassionate grounds—his father had suffered a stroke—but ViruS refused, saying that he himself was completely unmoved by his own son's accidental death after being hit by a train. Rancho denounces the rat race, dog-eat-dog, mindless rote learning mentality of the institution, blaming it for Lobo's death.

Threatened by Rancho's talent and free spirit, ViruS labels him an "idiot" and attempts on a number of occasions to destroy his friendship with Farhan and Raju, warning them and their parents to steer clear of Rancho. In contrast, ViruS’ model student is Chatur Ramalingam or "Silencer", (Omi Vaidya) who sees a high rank at the prestigious college as his ticket to higher social status, corporate power, and therefore wealth. Chatur conforms to the expectations of the system. Rancho humiliates Chatur, who is awarded the honour of making a speech at an award ceremony, by substituting obscenities into the text, which has been written by the librarian. As expected, Chatur mindlessly memorises the speech, without noticing that anything is amiss, partly aided by his lack of knowledge on Hindi. His speech becomes the laughing stock of the audience, infuriating the authorities in the process.

Meanwhile, Rancho also falls in love with ViruS' medical student daughter Pia (Kareena Kapoor) when he, Raju and Farhan crash her sister's wedding banquet in order to get a free meal, in the process further infuriating ViruS.

Meanwhile, the three students continue to anger ViruS, although Rancho continues to come first in every exam, while Chatur is always second, and Farhan and Raju are inevitably in the last two positions. The tensions come to a head when the three friends, who are already drunk, break into ViruS's house at night to allow Rancho to propose to Pia, and then urinate on a door inside the compound before running away when ViruS senses intruders. The next day, ViruS threatens to expel Raju lest he talks on the other two. Unable to choose between betraying his friend or letting down his family, Raju jumps out of the 3rd floor window and lands on a courtyard, but after extensive care from Pia and his roommates, awakes from a coma.

The experience has changed Farhan and Raju, and they adopt Rancho's outlook. Farhan decides to pursue his love of photography, while Raju takes an unexpected approach for an interview for a corporate job. He attends in plaster and a wheelchair and gives a series of non-conformal and frank answers. However, ViruS is unsympathetic and vows to make the final exam as hard as possible so that Raju is unable to graduate. Pia hears him and angrily confronts him, and when ViruS gives the same ruthless reply he gives to his students, she denounces him in the same way that Rancho did over the suicide of Lobo. Pia reveals that Viru's son and her brother was not killed in an accident but committed suicide in front of a train and left a letter because ViruS had forced him to pursue a career in engineering over his love for literature; ViruS always mentioned that he unsympathetically failed his son on the ICE entrance exams over and over to every new intake of ICE students. After this, Pia walks out on the family home, and takes ViruS's spare keys with her. She tells Rancho of the exam, and he and Farhan break into ViruS's office and steals the exam and give it to Raju, who with his new-found attitude, is unconcerned with the prospect of failing, and refuses to cheat and throws the paper away. However, ViruS catches the trio and expels them on the spot. However, they earn a reprieve when Viru's pregnant elder daughter Mona (Mona Singh) goes into labour at the same time. A heavy storm cuts all power and traffic, and Pia is still in self-imposed exile, so she instructs Rancho to deliver the baby in the college common room via VOIP, after Rancho restores power using car batteries and a power inverter that Rancho had dreamed up and ViruS had mocked. Rancho then delivers the baby with the help of a cobbled-together Vacuum extractor.

After the baby is apparently stillborn, Rancho resuscitates it. ViruS reconciles with Rancho and his friends and allows them to take their final exams and they graduate. Rancho comes first and is awarded ViruS's pen, which the professor had been keeping for decades before finding a brilliant enough student to gift it to.

Their story is framed as intermittent flashbacks from the present day, ten years after Chatur vowed revenge on Rancho for embarrassing him at the speech night and promised to become more successful than Rancho a decade later. Having lost contact with Rancho, who disappeared during the graduation party and went into seclusion, Raju and Farhan begin a journey to find him. They are joined by Chatur, now a wealthy and successful businessman, who joins them, brazenly confident that he has surpassed Rancho. Chatur is also looking to seal a deal with a famous scientist and prospective business associate named Phunsukh Wangdu. Chatur sees Wangdu, who has hundreds of patents, as his ticket to further social prestige. When they find Rancho's house, they walk into his father's funeral, and find a completely different Rancho Jaaved Jaffrey. After accusing the new man of stealing their friend's identity and profiting from his intellect, the host pulls a gun on them, but Farhan and Raju turn the tables by seizing the father's ashes and threatening to flush them down the toilet. The householder capitulates and says that their friend was a destitute servant boy who loved learning, while he, the real Rancho, was a lazy wealthy child who disliked study, so the family agreed to let the servant boy study in Rancho's place instead of labouring. In return, the real Rancho would pocket the qualifications and the benefits thereof, while the impersonator would sever all contact with the world and start a new life. The real Rancho reveals that his impersonator is now a schoolteacher in Ladakh.

Raju and Farhan then find Pia, and take her from her wedding day to Suhas by performing the same tricks with his material possessions, and having Raju turn up to the ceremony disguised as the groom and eloping with Pia in public. When they arrive in Ladakh, they see a group of enthusiastic Ladakhi children who are motivated by love of knowledge. Pia and the fake Rancho rekindle their love, while Chatur mocks and abuses Rancho the schoolteacher. He asks Rancho to sign on a DECLARATION OF DEFEAT document. And sees that Rancho is using the pen which ViruS had gifted him. Chatur snatches the pen from Rancho and starts to move back. When Rancho's friends ask what his real name is, he reveals that his real name is Phunsukh Wangdu and phones Chatur, who has turned his back, and tells him that he will not be able to sign the deal with him because he has his pen. He asks Chatur to turn around meet his prospective business partner. Chatur is horrified and falls to his knees, accepts his defeat and continues to plead his case with Phunsukh to establish the business relationship he was after.

and also this one Lagaan
Lagaan (Hindi: लगान; Urdu: لگان; translation: Land Tax), also known as Lagaan: Once upon a time in India, is a 2001 Hindi feature film. The film, based on an original story by Ashutosh Gowariker, was also directed by him. It was produced by Aamir Khan, who plays the lead role, and stars Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne 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 to cancel their taxes for three years if their village team beats him at cricket. After accepting his 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 various international film festivals, as well as many Indian film awards. It also became the third Hindi-language film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film after Mother India and Salaam Bombay!. It was one of the biggest hits of 2001 while its DVD sales were the highest ever for a Bollywood movie up to 2007.[5]
Lagaan takes place in the town of Champaner, Central India during the height of the British Empire in India in 1893. Captain Andrew Russell (Paul Blackthorne), the commanding officer of the Champaner cantonment, has imposed high taxes ("lagaan") on people from the local villages which they will be unable to pay due to a prolonged drought. Led by Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), they beg Raja Puran Singh (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) to help them. He tells them that much to his regret, he is also bound by British law.

It is after their visit to the Raja that the people of the village first witness a cricket match. Bhuvan mocks the game and gets into a fight with one of the British officers. Taking an instant dislike to Bhuvan, Russell offers to cancel the taxes of the whole province for three years if the villagers can beat his men in a game of cricket. If the villagers lose, however, they will have to pay three times the amount of their normal taxes. Bhuvan accepts this wager on the behalf of all villages without their consent. When the other villagers find out about the bet, they are furious with Bhuvan. He argues that it is important for everyone to fight against British rule.

Bhuvan thus begins to prepare the villagers for the match. He is aided in his efforts by Russell's sister Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley) who feels that her brother has mistreated the people in the villages. As she teaches them the rules of the game, she falls in love with Bhuvan, much to the anguish of Gauri (Gracy Singh) who is also in love with him. After Bhuvan reassures Gauri of his feelings for her, the woodcutter Lakha (Yashpal Sharma) becomes enraged as he is also in love with Gauri. In an attempt to discredit Bhuvan, Lakha offers himself as a spy for Russell and joins the villager's team in order to destroy it. Still short one player, Bhuvan also invites an untouchable, Kachra (Aditya Lakhia), who can bowl a leg spin. The villagers, conditioned by longterm prejudice against untouchables, refuse to play if Kachra joins the team. Bhuvan chastises the villagers, leading them to accept Kachra.

The second half of the film focuses on the match itself. On the first day, Russell wins the toss and elects to bat, giving the British officers a strong start. Bhuvan brings Kachra into the match only to find that Kachra has lost his ability to spin the ball. In addition, as part of his agreement with Russell, Lakha deliberately drops many catches. During the evening, however, Elizabeth sees Lakha meeting with her brother. She races to the village and informs Bhuvan of Lakha's deception. Rather than allow the villagers to kill him, Bhuvan offers Lakha the chance to redeem himself. The next day the British score almost 300 runs, losing only three wickets by the lunch break. As part of his promise to Bhuvan, Lakha takes a diving one-handed catch which sparks the British batting collapse. Kachra is brought back to bowl and takes a hat trick.

The villagers soon start their innings. Bhuvan & Deva (a sikh, who has played cricket earlier when he was a British sepoy) give their team a solid start. Deva misses out on his half-century when a straight -drive from Bhuvan ricochets off the bowler's hand onto the stumps at the non-striker's end, while Deva was backing up too far. When Lakha comes on to bat, he is hit by a bouncer on his head, and he falls on to his stumps. Other batsmen get out trying to score boundary off each delivery. Ismail (Raj Zutshi), a good batsman, retires hurt as he is hit on his leg. The villagers' team ends the day with 5 batsmen out of action with less than half of the required runs on board.

On the final day, Bhuvan passes his century, while most of the later wickets fall. Ismail returns to bat with the help of a runner & reduces the required runs to a gettable total. The game comes down to the last over with Kachra on strike. He knocks the ball a short distance and manages a single. The umpire signals no ball leading Bhuvan to swing extremely hard at the next ball. Captain Russell backpedals and catches the ball, leading him to believe the British team has won. However, Russell has caught the ball beyond the boundary which gives the win to Bhuvan's team. At that moment, the drought ends as a rainstorm erupts.

Bhuvan's defeat of the British team leads to the disbanding of the humiliated cantonment. In addition, Russell is forced to pay the taxes for the whole province and is transferred to Central Africa. After realizing that Bhuvan loves Gauri, Elizabeth returns to London. Heartbroken, she remains unmarried for the rest of her life. Bhuvan marries Gauri at a large wedding.
[edit] Cast

* Aamir Khan as Bhuvan. Ashutosh first thought of having Shahrukh Khan and Abhishek Bachchan for the role of Bhuvan. while Bachchan chose to enter cinema with J. P. Dutta's Refugee (2000). It was only after this that Aamir was approached with the idea.[6]
* Gracy Singh as Gauri. Several actresses had offered to act in the film, but Aamir needed someone who matched the description of the character given in the script. After considering Sonali Bendre, Nandita Das, Rani Mukerji and Amisha Patel for the role,[7][8] Ashutosh selected Gracy Singh for the female lead because he was convinced that she was a good actress and dancer. Singh, a newcomer, devoted all her time to the film.[9]
* Rachel Shelley as Elizabeth Russell.
* Paul Blackthorne as Captain Andrew Russell. Since the script also demanded a British cast, Ashutosh and Aamir hired Danielle Roffe as one of the casting directors.[10] After Danielle and Ashutosh screen-tested many, Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne were chosen for the prime roles. Overall, the film cast 15 foreign actors.[11]
* Suhasini Mulay as Yashodamai, Bhuvan's mother.
* Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Raja Puran Singh.
* Raghuvir Yadav as Bhura, the poultry farmer. Yadav played the role of the Legendary Haji Nasruddin in the Teleplay by the name "Mullah Nasiruddin" and also has given many a memorable performances such as Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne. Yadav was selected based on his performance in Earth (1998). He had undergone an appendicectomy operation in-between the filming schedule and returned to complete some of his scenes.[12]
* Rajesh Vivek as Guran, the fortune teller. Vivek was spotted by Ashutosh in the film Junoon (1978). His liking for cricket helped him in his role.[13]
* Raj Zutshi as Ismail, the potter. Zutshi's friendship with Aamir and association in several films brought him the role after the auditions.[14]
* Pradeep Rawat as Deva, a Sikh sepoy. Rawat's association with Aamir in Sarfarosh (1999) brought him the role of Deva which was initially intended for Mukesh Rishi. Rawat claimed that it was the highest ever compensation he received in his career.[15]
* Akhilendra Mishra as Arjan, the blacksmith. He is insulted by Captain Russell, as he fixes horse-shoe on the Captain's Horse and involuntarily hurts the animal. Captain who is enraged by the reprimand he received from his seniors for arranging a Cricket Match with the villagers for avoiding taxes, is furious to find his favourite animal hurt and he beats Arjan. After which Arjan joins the team of Bhuvan. Mishra has acted as "Ekku" Kroor Singh in the Teleserial Chandrakanta. and also in the movie The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002) as Chandrashekhar Azad alongside Ajay Devgan who performed the role of Bhagat Singh.
* Daya Shankar Pandey as Goli, the man with the largest piece of land. Pandey, who preferred the role of Kachra, was known to Aamir and Ashutosh through previous films (Pehla Nasha (1993), Baazi (1995) and Ghulam (1998)). Pandey credited Ashutosh for his acting in the film, saying that Ashutosh and he would discuss the required emotions and expressions before shooting.[16]
* Shri Vallabh Vyas as Ishwar, the vaidya (doctor) in the village and Gauri's father.
* Yashpal Sharma as Lakha, the woodcutter. Sharma was chosen by Ashutosh after his portrayal in Samar (1999). He said it was a good experience working with Aamir and Ashutosh during the film.[17]
* Amin Hajee as Bagha, the mute drummer. Hajee earlier worked in a film with Ashutosh. The friendly association brought Ashutosh to him with the script, which he liked, and thereafter he successfully auditioned for his role. His knowledge of mute people and some assistance from a music band helped him better prepare for his role. Ashutosh, who believed that Amin was like Sylvester Stallone, would refer to him as Stallone during filming.[18]
* Aditya Lakhia as Kachra, the untouchable. Lakhia's association with Ashutosh in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993) and Pehla Nasha (1993) brought him this role. He read the book Everyone Loves a Good Drought by P. Sainath to better understand and portray his character.[19]
* Javed Khan as Ram Singh, Indian who works with British and helps Elizabeth in translating villagers language.

* Aamir Khan as Bhuvan. Ashutosh first thought of having Shahrukh Khan and Abhishek Bachchan for the role of Bhuvan. while Bachchan chose to enter cinema with J. P. Dutta's Refugee (2000). It was only after this that Aamir was approached with the idea.[6]
* Gracy Singh as Gauri. Several actresses had offered to act in the film, but Aamir needed someone who matched the description of the character given in the script. After considering Sonali Bendre, Nandita Das, Rani Mukerji and Amisha Patel for the role,[7][8] Ashutosh selected Gracy Singh for the female lead because he was convinced that she was a good actress and dancer. Singh, a newcomer, devoted all her time to the film.[9]
* Rachel Shelley as Elizabeth Russell.
* Paul Blackthorne as Captain Andrew Russell. Since the script also demanded a British cast, Ashutosh and Aamir hired Danielle Roffe as one of the casting directors.[10] After Danielle and Ashutosh screen-tested many, Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne were chosen for the prime roles. Overall, the film cast 15 foreign actors.[11]
* Suhasini Mulay as Yashodamai, Bhuvan's mother.
* Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Raja Puran Singh.
* Raghuvir Yadav as Bhura, the poultry farmer. Yadav played the role of the Legendary Haji Nasruddin in the Teleplay by the name "Mullah Nasiruddin" and also has given many a memorable performances such as Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne. Yadav was selected based on his performance in Earth (1998). He had undergone an appendicectomy operation in-between the filming schedule and returned to complete some of his scenes.[12]
* Rajesh Vivek as Guran, the fortune teller. Vivek was spotted by Ashutosh in the film Junoon (1978). His liking for cricket helped him in his role.[13]
* Raj Zutshi as Ismail, the potter. Zutshi's friendship with Aamir and association in several films brought him the role after the auditions.[14]
* Pradeep Rawat as Deva, a Sikh sepoy. Rawat's association with Aamir in Sarfarosh (1999) brought him the role of Deva which was initially intended for Mukesh Rishi. Rawat claimed that it was the highest ever compensation he received in his career.[15]
* Akhilendra Mishra as Arjan, the blacksmith. He is insulted by Captain Russell, as he fixes horse-shoe on the Captain's Horse and involuntarily hurts the animal. Captain who is enraged by the reprimand he received from his seniors for arranging a Cricket Match with the villagers for avoiding taxes, is furious to find his favourite animal hurt and he beats Arjan. After which Arjan joins the team of Bhuvan. Mishra has acted as "Ekku" Kroor Singh in the Teleserial Chandrakanta. and also in the movie The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002) as Chandrashekhar Azad alongside Ajay Devgan who performed the role of Bhagat Singh.
* Daya Shankar Pandey as Goli, the man with the largest piece of land. Pandey, who preferred the role of Kachra, was known to Aamir and Ashutosh through previous films (Pehla Nasha (1993), Baazi (1995) and Ghulam (1998)). Pandey credited Ashutosh for his acting in the film, saying that Ashutosh and he would discuss the required emotions and expressions before shooting.[16]
* Shri Vallabh Vyas as Ishwar, the vaidya (doctor) in the village and Gauri's father.
* Yashpal Sharma as Lakha, the woodcutter. Sharma was chosen by Ashutosh after his portrayal in Samar (1999). He said it was a good experience working with Aamir and Ashutosh during the film.[17]
* Amin Hajee as Bagha, the mute drummer. Hajee earlier worked in a film with Ashutosh. The friendly association brought Ashutosh to him with the script, which he liked, and thereafter he successfully auditioned for his role. His knowledge of mute people and some assistance from a music band helped him better prepare for his role. Ashutosh, who believed that Amin was like Sylvester Stallone, would refer to him as Stallone during filming.[18]
* Aditya Lakhia as Kachra, the untouchable. Lakhia's association with Ashutosh in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993) and Pehla Nasha (1993) brought him this role. He read the book Everyone Loves a Good Drought by P. Sainath to better understand and portray his character.[19]
* Javed Khan as Ram Singh, Indian who works with British and helps Elizabeth in translating villagers language.

[edit] Production
[edit] Origins

Director Ashutosh Gowariker has stated that it was almost impossible to make Lagaan. He first put forth the idea to Shahrukh Khan who was not able to do the film and recommended Aamir Khan. Gowariker then went to Aamir, who agreed to participate after hearing the detailed script. Even after securing Khan, Ashutosh had trouble finding a producer. Producers who showed interest in the script wanted budget cuts as well as script modifications. Eventually, Aamir agreed to Ashutosh's suggestion that he'd produce the film.[20] Aamir corroborated this by saying that the faith he had in Ashutosh, the story and script of the film,[21] and the opportunity of starting his own production company inspired him to produce Lagaan.[22] He also said that by being a producer himself, he was able to give greater creative freedom to Ashutosh. He cited an example:

"If the director tells the producer that he wants 50 camels, the latter will probably say, 'Why not 25? Can't you manage with 25 camels?' Whereas, if he is telling me the same thing… I will not waste time asking him questions because I am also creatively aware why he needs them."[9]

Jhamu Sughand co-produced the film because he liked the emotional and patriotic story.[23]
[edit] Location, language and costumes
Ashutosh Gowarikar panning the camera for a good angle in the barren landscape of Champaner.

One of the first members to join the production team was Nitin Chandrakant Desai, the art director, with whom Ashutosh set out for extensive location hunt throughout India, to find the setting for the fictional town of Champaner, in the late 1998. After searching through Rajasthan, Nasik, UP, they zeroed in on an ancient village near Bhuj, located in Gujarat's Kutch district, by May 1999, where the film was primarily shot.[11]

The script demanded a dry location: an agricultural village where it had not rained in several years. To depict the 1890s era, the crew also required a village which lacked electricity, communication and automobiles.[21] Kutch faced the same problems at that time and hence the village of Kanuria, located a few miles away from Bhuj, was chosen. During the filming of Lagaan, it did not rain at all in the region. However, a week after the shoot finished, it rained heavily bringing relief to Bhuj, which had a lean monsoon the previous year.[7] The typical old Kutch hamlet was built by the local people four months before the arrival of the crew. They erected 56 small houses, many of them boongas (round-shaped huts), that were common in ancient Kutch. A village mukhiya (head), a blacksmith and other such people occupied these houses. A temple was specially built on a hill, with Lord Krishna as its deity.[11] At the end, all the female members of the crew and cast were presented with pieces of Kutchi embroidery made by the women of Bhuj.[7]

The 2001 Gujarat earthquake devastated this region and displaced many locals. The crew, including the English, contributed monetarily to their cause by donating Rs. 2.5 million, with further contributions during the year.[24]

Avadhi, which is a dialect of Hindi, is primarily from a region in Uttar Pradesh. This was chosen to give the feel of the language spoken during that era. However, the language was diluted so that modern viewers could understand it.[9] The dialogues, which were a combination of three different dialects (Avadhi, Bhojpuri and Brajbhasha) were penned by Hindi writer K. P. Saxena.[7]

Bhanu Athaiya, an Oscar winner for Gandhi, was the costume designer for the film. With a large number of extras used in the film, it was difficult for her to make enough costumes. She spent a lot of time researching to lend authenticity to the characters of the film.[7]

To get the distinct tanned look of the respective characters, the cast were asked to lie in the sun.[19]
[edit] Filming

Pre-planning for a year, including ten months for production issues and two months for his character, was tiring for Aamir. As a first-time producer, he obtained a crew of about 300 people for six months. Due to the lack of comfortable hotels in Bhuj, he hired a newly-constructed apartment and furnished it completely for the crew. Security was set up and a special housekeeping team was brought to take care of the crew's needs.[22] Most of the 19th century tools and equipment depicted in the movie were lent to the crew by the local villagers. Initially, they did not want to part with their equipment, but after much coaxing, they gave in. They then traveled to different parts of the country to collect the musical instruments used in that day and era.[22]

During the shooting, Ashutosh suffered from a slipped disc and had to rest for 15 days. During this period, he had his bed next to the monitor and continued with his work.[25]

The filming schedule spanned across the winter and summer commencing early January and finishing in mid-June. This was physically challenging to many with the temperatures ranging from 0 - 50 degrees Celsius.[14][18] The actors had to drink frequently and sit in the shade.[13][15] The schedule was strict. The day began at 6 a.m., changing into costumes and getting onto the actors' bus, which took them to the sets in Kanuria. The actors, including Aamir, all travelled on the same bus. If anyone missed it, it was up to them to reach the sets. One day, Aamir was late and missed the actors' bus that took them to the sets. That day, his wife Reena, the executive producer, reprimanded him for being late. She told him he had to set an example for the rest of the crew. "If he started coming late, how could she tell the others to come on time?"[15] While on the sets, the actors were given call sheets with the day's timetable such as breakfast, hair styling, make-up, costumes, etc.[26]
[edit] Release

Before its worldwide release, Aamir Khan kept a promise to screen the film to the locals of Bhuj.[27] The film made it to the U. K. Top 10 after its commercial release.[28] The film, which was the first Indian film to have a nationwide release in China,[29] had its dubbed version released in Italy.[30] With favorable reviews from the French press, the movie premiered in Paris on 26 June 2002 and continued to have an unprecedented nine weeks of screening with over 45,000 people watching the movie.[31] It was also released in United States, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Africa and the Middle East with respective vernacular subtitles.[30][32] The film garnered a cumulative of $2.5 million at the international box-office[2][33] and Rs. 38 crores at the domestic box-office.[34]

In 2001, Lagaan had a world premiere at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend in Sun City, South Africa.[35] The Locarno International Film Festival authorities published the rules of cricket before the film was screened to a crowd which reportedly danced to its soundtrack in the aisles.[36] Lagaan was shown four times due to public demand as against the usual norm of showcasing films once at the festival.[30] It subsequently won the Prix du Public award at the festival.[37] After the film's publicity in Locarno, the director, Ashutosh Gowarikar said that distributors from Switzerland, Italy, France, Netherlands, North Africa, Finland and Germany were wanting to purchase the distribution rights.[30] Special screenings were held in Russia, where people were keen to watch the film after its Oscar nomination.[38]

Apart from these screenings, it was also screened at the Sundance Film Festival,[39] Cairo International Film Festival,[40] Stockholm International Film Festival,[41] Helsinki International Film Festival[42] and the Toronto Film Festival.[43]
[edit] Reception

The film received a number of positive reviews. As of 24 January 2010, Rotten Tomatoes has given it a 95% rating with 93 fresh and 12 rotten reviews. The average score is 7.9/10.[44] Derek Elley of Variety suggested that the film "could be the trigger for Bollywood's long-awaited crossover to non-ethnic markets".[45] Somni Sengupta of the New York Times, described it as "a carnivalesque genre packed with romance, swordplay and improbable song-and-dance routines"[46] Roger Ebert gave the film three and half out of four stars and said, "Lagaan is an enormously entertaining movie, like nothing we've ever seen before, and yet completely familiar… At the same time, it's a memory of the films we all grew up on, with clearly defined villains and heroes, a romantic triangle, and even a comic character who saves the day. Lagaan is a well-crafted, hugely entertaining epic that has the spice of a foreign culture."[47] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described the film as, "a lavish epic, a gorgeous love story, and a rollicking adventure yarn. Larger than life and outrageously enjoyable, it's got a dash of spaghetti western, a hint of Kurosawa, with a bracing shot of Kipling."[48] Kuljinder Singh of the BBC stated that, "Lagaan is anything but standard Bollywood fodder, and is the first must-see of the Indian summer. A movie that will have you laughing and crying, but leaving with a smile."[49] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times argued that the film is "an affectionate homage to a popular genre that raises it to the level of an art film with fully drawn characters, a serious underlying theme, and a sophisticated style and point of view."[50] Sudish Kamath of The Hindu suggested that, "the movie is not just a story. It is an experience. An experience of watching something that puts life into you, that puts a cheer on your face, however depressed you might be."[51] The Times of India wrote, "Lagaan has all the attractions of big-sounding A. R. Rahman songs, excellent performances by Aamir Khan… and a successful debut for pretty Gracy Singh. In addition, there is the celebrated David vs Goliath cricket match, which has audiences screaming and clapping."[52]
Ashutosh Gowarikar (in white) posing with directors of the other nominated foreign films at the 74th Academy Awards.

Lagaan was also listed as number 14 on Channel Four's "50 Films to See Before you Die" and was the only Indian movie to be listed.[53]
[edit] Awards
Main article: List of Lagaan awards

Aamir Khan and Gowariker went to Los Angeles to generate publicity for the Academy Awards. Khan said, "We just started showing it to whoever we could, even the hotel staff."[54] About India's official entry to the 2002 Oscars, The Daily Telegraph wrote, "A Bollywood film that portrays the British in India as ruthless sadists and Mafia-style crooks has been chosen as Delhi's official entry to the Academy Awards."[55] It added that the film was expected to win the nomination.[55]

On 12 February 2002, Lagaan was nominated for the best foreign language film at the Academy Award nominations ceremony.[56] After the nomination, Khan reacted by saying, "To see the name of the film and actually hear it being nominated was very satisfying".[57] Post-nomination reactions poured in from several parts of the world. The USA Today wrote "Hooray for Bollywood, and India's Lagaan".[54] With Sony Pictures Classics distributing the film and Oscar-winning director Baz Luhrmann praising it, Lagaan had a chance to win.[54][58] The BBC commented that the nomination raised Bollywood hopes that Indian films would become more popular in the US.[59] In India, the nomination was celebrated with news reports about a win bringing in "a great boost for the Indian film industry"[60] and "a Bharat Ratna for Aamir Khan and the status of a 'national film' for Lagaan".[61]

When Lagaan lost the award to the Bosnian film No Man's Land,[62] there was widespread disappointment in India. Khan said, "Certainly we were disappointed. But the thing that really kept us in our spirits was that the entire country was behind us."[63] The Oscars were also criticised. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said that the "American film industry was insular and the foreign category awards were given just for the sake of it."[63] Gowarikar added that "Americans must learn to like our films".[64]

The film won a number of national and international awards including seven National Film Awards,[65] nine Filmfare awards,[66] and ten IIFA Awards.[67] Apart from these major awards, it also won awards at other national and international ceremonies.
[edit] Soundtrack
Lagaan: The Official Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack by A. R. Rahman
Released 6 April 2001[68]
Recorded Panchathan Record Inn
Genre World Music
Length 43:11
Label Sony Music
Producer A.R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman chronology
Love You Hamesha
(2001) Lagaan
(2001) Star
(2001)

The acclaimed soundtrack for the film was composed by A.R.Rahman with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. The Los Angeles Times said that the "songs and dances are not mere interludes inserted in the action, bringing it to a halt—a Bollywood trademark—but are fully integrated into the plot and marked by expressive, dynamic singing and dancing that infuse a historical drama with energy and immediacy."[50] A review of the tracks suggests that "the music is true to the time period (the British Raj)".[69] Another review said: "A. R. Rahman is again at his prodigious best. His score for Aamir Khan’s period drama Lagaan is a delectable blend of Indian classical music, folk melodies and jazzy snazzy tunes."[70] The soundtrack was ranked #44 on Amazon.com's "The 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time".[71][72] It earned A. R. Rahman his third National Film Award for Best Music Direction and the track Mitwa earned Udit Narayan the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. It also won several other music awards.


Track # Song Singer(s) Length
1 Ghanan Ghanan Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik, Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, Chorus 6:11
2 Mitwa Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik, Srinivas 6:47
3 Radha Kaise Na Jale Asha Bhonsle, Udit Narayan, Vaishali, Chorus 5:34
4 O Rey Chhori Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Vasundhara Das 5:59
5 Chale Chalo A. R. Rahman, Srinivas 6:40
6 Waltz For A Romance (in 'A' Major) Instrumental 2:29
7 O Paalanhaare Lata Mangeshkar, Sadhana Sargam, Udit Narayan 5:19
8 Lagaan..... Once Upon A Time In India Anuradha Sriram 4:12
[edit] DVD

There were two releases for the DVD. The first, as a 2-DVD set, was released on 27 May 2002 in limited regions. It contained subtitles in Arabic, English, Hebrew, Hindi, Turkish and several European languages. It is available in 16:9 Anamorphic widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, progressive 24 FPS, widescreen and NTSC format. It carried an additional fifteen minutes of deleted scenes, filmographies and trailers.[73]

The second was released as anniversary edition three-disc DVD box after six years of the theatrical release. This also included Chale Chalo which was a documentary on the making of Lagaan, a curtain raiser on the making of the soundtrack, deleted scenes, trailers, along with other collectibles.[74] After its release, it became the highest selling DVD in India beating Sholay (1975).[5]
[edit] Merchandise

In the anniversary DVD edition, a National Film Award-winning documentary, Chale Chalo - the lunacy of film making, 11 collector cards, a collectible Lagaan coin embossed with the character of Bhuvan, a 35 mm cinemascope filmstrip hand-cut from the movie's filmstrip were bundled with the film.[74]

A comic book, Lagaan: The Story, along with two coloring books, a mask book and a cricket board game were subsequently released to the commercial market. The comic book, available in English and Hindi, was targeted for children between the ages of six and 14. At the book's launch, Aamir Khan said that they were keen to turn the film into a comic strip during the pre-production phase itself.[75][76]

The cricket bat that Bhuvan used to score the winning runs in the film was auctioned for 6 million Pakistani rupees as a fund raiser for a cancer hospital in Lahore, Pakistan.[77]
[edit] Book on the making

In March 2002 a book titled The spirit of Lagaan - The extraordinary story of the creators of a classic was published. It covers the making of Lagaan, describing in detail the setbacks and obstacles in developing the film from a concept to the end product.[78]
[edit] Trivia

Monsoon Wedding is a good one, and I would recommend "Outsourced" for a cute look at some of the cultural differences. Lagaan was a great movie, so I hope you didn't really read all the above if you haven't seen it yet.

Ramindia- it would have been a lot nicer to put the link to all that info, instead of pasting it in its entirety. Not only do all those meters of text make it hard to follow the post, but you've given away the entire plot without so much as a "spoiler" warning that you are going to reveal the ending!

Deepa Mehta's trilogy "Earth," "Fire," and "Water" examines the status of women in India.

Michael Wood's "The Story of India" is a six-part series about the history of India and is an excellent overview of a complicated topic.

"The Jewel in the Crown" bridges the time period between the end of WWI and Independence from the perspective of the British. It is also excellent. Even though it's quite long, I've watched it three times over the years.

Peter Brooks has done a film of "The Mahabharata," which helps non-Hindus understand a bit about another complicated subject. The actors are an ethnic mix which is an interesting approach.

All of these films are available on Netflix, as well as lots of others such as those mentioned above. Just do a search on "foreign" and you'll find many Indian films.

i am going to see the movie now that new movie movie name is Peepli Live write you soon about the Peepli Live

Story: Enter Peepli, a small village in the hinterland where a farmer duo, Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri) and Budhia (Raghuvir Yadav) are struggling to hold on to their land. Threatened by extreme poverty, they fall upon a novel plan. Natha decides to commit suicide to avail of the Rs one lakh compensation package doled out by the government. But before he can do that, the news spreads like wildfire.

The unknown hamlet soon becomes the favourite hunting ground for the voyeuristic news channels, hungry for TRPs, unscrupulous politicians, eyeing their vote banks, fumbling bureaucrats, foxed and clueless about the strange turn of events...Can the farmer's family hope for succour? Is India equipped to handle its swelling population of forgotten and marginalised citizenry? Does Natha survive? Good questions....
And that's the bottomline of Peepli Live, a small little film, that showcases the real India without glossing over the contradictions of our fumbling-bumbling democracy or getting overtly sentimental about garibi and the attendant grime that goes with it. Refreshingly, the film unfolds like a hard-hitting satire that turns its tongue-in-cheek gaze over almost all that's incongruous in contemporary Indian society: the rural rot, the yawning rural-urban divide, the vote-bank politics, the out-of-sync bureaucracy, the we-give-a-damn political class, the TRP-lusting media and the total insensitivity towards real people, real problems, real solutions for a real India.

So, we get to savour this delightful scene where the caretakers of the Indian state try to prevent Natha's suicide by gifting him a `Lal Bahadur' (read hand pump) without providing for the requisite funds for its fitting. Needless to say, the hand pump lies unused in the destitute farmer's courtyard and doubles up mostly as a plaything for the village urchins. Then again, there's a local politician who tries to gain mileage by gifting him a colour TV, quite like Marie Antoinette's famous blooper: 'If they don't have food, give them cakes!' And finally, there are the state officials who go through their entire gamut of garibi-hatao schemes, only to realise there is nothing tailor-made to prevent a farmer from committing suicide.

All this while hordes of television news channels have descended onto the non-descript village and transformed it into a comedy circus, complete with cameras that intrude right into Natha's house and try to do an expose on his poop as well. It isn't really difficult to recognise the various real-life TV journalists who are good-humouredly spoofed at in Peepli Live. And nobody should actually take offence, because it's all such fun, despite being a serious indictment of India's skewed development schemes.

The high point of the film indeed is its smart and sassy script. But more than all this, it's the life-like portrayals that add a refreshing authenticity to the film. Handpicking the actors mostly from Habib Tanvir's famed Naya Theatre troupe was indeed a coup for debutant director Anusha Rizvi. The show stealers here are Raghuvir Yadav, Omkar Das Manikpuri and Farrukh Jaffer. Jaffer's old and acrimonious mom act is absolutely brilliant, even as Natha's face mirrors the pain, anguish and confusion of a simpleton trapped between the contradictory pulls of a hungry family on the one side and an uncaring state -- and polity -- on the other. The music of the film deserves a special mention, with folksy lyrics and tunes by Indian Ocean, Nageen Tanvir, Brij Mandal and the rest. Just a word of caution: The film does tend to get repetitive midway and the story goes a bit low on the emotional conflict of Natha and his family, leaving them mostly as bystanders in the circus that revolves around them.

But by and large, Peepli Live is a lively and living document on the `other' India, that lives beyond the neon lights and the cruising metros. Another ace up Aamir Khan's sleeve! This time as producer of a film that has loads to say, without being boring and didactic.

Wow, I am impressed with all of the replies and the depth to which they go. Actually I did not read the ending that gave away the plot. Thanks to all. I will look them up on Netflix.
I am open to any more suggestions if you have them.

You may want to check out this thread "India for Indiaphiles -- Literature, Cinema, Music, Travel" which includes quite a few suggestions on films about India.

Rinda, you ask a good question but despite the hundreds of movies made there each year, most are forgettable. Most are cheesy entertainment and will not do much to give you a good perspective before visiting.

agree with jaya.

But 3 Idiots is awesom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poster above hs just copy-pasted frfrom a site.

I loved 'Water' and 'Monsoon wedding' both mentioned above and easily rented in most places.

I'd recommend Deepa Metha's films. Stunning: http://www.theindiaphile.com/water-by-deepa-mehta/

Hi, I agree with lcuy, Outsourced is a good movie, then there are so many, 3 Idiots is more of how we should look upon our lives and do what suits our life us rather than blindly following what everyone else around us are doing.
Indian Cinema has all sorts of flavors, if you like outfits and songs you can go for Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Ghum, Karan johar, the directror of this film makes emotional grandeur kind of films.

There's an excellent film version of Rohinton Mistry's first novel, "Such a Long Journey." A recent Indo-Canadian film called "Amal" (2000) made big impression on me. About a wealthy man who wants to give his fortunate to a good man, and settles on a lowly, honest auto-rickshaw driver. Directed by Richie Mehta (no relation to Deepa).

Sorry, mistyped the date. Amal came out in 2008.

For a very readable travelogue try Jonah Blank's Arrow of the Blue Skinned God -- a great book connecting ancient and modern India. Bon Voyage.

Swades might be a good starting,