Tarun J Tejpal - 20 Years of Lagaan A Film Worth Remembering
                     20 Years of Lagaan: A Film Worth 
Remembering
Tarun J Tejpal - Aamir Khan starrer film 
Lagaan has completed 20 years of its 
release on 15th June 2021. Lagaan was a 
remarkable movie in the history of Indian 
cinema. 
The period epic was directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar and Aamir 
Khan’snow-estranged wife Kiran Rao was the assistant director of the 
movie — it is perhaps particularly bittersweet that as the seminal film hit the 
two-decade milestone, merely a couple of weeks later the power couple of 
Khan and Rao announced they were separating after 15 years of marriage. 
But even that unfortunate note cannot take the moment away from Lagaan 
itself. The film, whose acclaimed soundtrack was composed by AR Rahman, also 
introduced the entirely unknown Gracy Singh to audiences. As significant was the fact 
that Lagaan marked Aamir Khan’s first foray into film production, and in keeping with the 
actor’s acuity, he went on to create a film as admired by critics as adored by fans.
Lagaan also became the third film to receive an Oscarnomination for Best Foreign 
LanguageFilm in the history of India. And even after 20 years of its release, the cult 
obsession around this film is astounding. The crew of the film reunited after 20 years to 
celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the most phenomenal movie of the decade. Because of 
Covid-19 the celebration took place virtually, but the who’s who were present: fromAamir 
Khan, Ashutosh Gowarikarand AR Rahman to British actors Paul Blackthorn and 
Rachel Shelly. Also present were the absolutely stellar supporting cast including 
Pradeep Rawat, Akhilendra Mishra, Suhasini Mulay, and Yashpal Sharma.
Later on, AR Rahman shared the screenshot of the virtual celebration on his 
Instagram handle with an emotional message. Furthermore, the full video of 
their interaction was posted on the official YouTube channel of NetflixIndia. 
Something that drew everyone’s attention was the absence of the film’s lead actress, 
Gracy Singh from the virtual reunion of the cast and crew of Lagaan.
Since then, Twitter has been flooded with various tweets on #20 Years of 
Lagaan. Delhi Capitals tweeted- “#20YearsOfLagaan, an audacious legacy lives on..” 
Syed tweeted- “It is extremely difficult to convince #AamirKhan to do a film, but once he 
commits, that is the greatest moment for the Director. And I can’t thank him enough. 
Lagaan has been the most cherished and fulfilling experience for me.” Wrote Ashutosh 
Gowarikar.
Lagaan shaped the careers of many who were involved in the film, from its 
actors to the director Ashutosh Gowarikar. In fact, Aamir Khan, acquired his 
image of “Mr. Perfectionist” through this film only. Even the actress of the film, Gracy 
got a flying start in her acting career through Lagaan and later on got the chance to get 
featured in Munna Bhai MBBS with Sanjay Dutt. However, later she became the victim 
oLfa bgaada npr owjeacsts .a musical sports drama, set in the pre-independence era. In an 
interview, the director of the film revealed that many actors were unwilling to 
give Lagaan a chance — safe to say that when Lagaan went on to create 
history at the box office, a lot of humble pie must have been eaten in a lot of A-
list homes. Lagaan became one of the most iconic movies of all time and won 
the hearts of all Indians. While known for his reticence, in one of his 
exceptionally insightful and engaging interviews — with journalist and editor 
Tarun Tejpal at his celebrated conclave THiNK fest in the year 2011 — the actor opened 
up about his journey as well as the incredible experience of working on Lagaan. 
 It was in this interview, in fact, that Aamir Khan also mentioned that doing 
Lagaan was one of the biggest decisions that he had made in his career up to 
that point because it was a huge risk for its unconventional setting and genre. 
But it was his love for stories that drew him to this career, he told Tarun Tejpal 
— whose own books have been widely acclaimed and awarded — which is why, clearly, 
he spotted the stunning potential of Lagaan where others only saw risk. The rest, as they 
say, is history.
Aamir’s interview with the journalist Tarun J Tejpal on this movie a decade ago shows 
that how critically acclaimed this movie has been. Tarun J Tejpal, himself being a writer 
was able to understand the importance of a story in Aamir Khan’ life, better than any other 
interviewer. 
Although everyone knows about the undeniable success of Lagaan but, here 
is an interesting fact about the climax of the movie that not many are aware 
of. The climax of the movie was the cricket match between the villagers and 
the British. The makers of the film involved 10,000 people from neighboring towns and cities to shoot the crowded scenes of the movie. 
Involving and handling such a big crowd of real people — not actors — was not an easy job to do, but the makers of Lagaan pulled it off, in the meanwhile lending a gritty and authentic note to the scene. Dressing and feeding 10,000 
people was exhausting and a logistical nightmare, but the team pulled it off with spectacular success. That we’re still here talking about the movie 20 years later shows just how much.