Lagaan - Its Still A Winner. Review on Lagaan

Hello Reader,

I can't believe that I saw the same movie.I saw 'Lagaan' just before the oscars and had the best time at the movies in a very long time. I had heard some buzz about the movie but had gone with no pre-conceived notions. Just wanted to sit back and let it flow over me. Not only was I not disappointed but I had a great experience.

The movie is one of those things that after it happens, you wonder why no one ever thought of it before. Combining the two favourite Indian pastimes - movies and cricket - was sheer genius. Sure Aamir's played a cricketer before (in that movie with Dev Anand and Aditya Panscholi called Avval Number)but this is head and shoulders above that or any such movie.

It is very difficult to find fault with the movie as a whole - the acting, the dialogues, the clothes, the songs, the dances, the overall production - was as flawless as you can get.

Sure, there are a couple of mistakes in the movie but they don't affect the overall story.

The creativity in the movie especially with regard to the

cricket match were interesting. Neutral umpires, bodyline bowling, the bowler effecting a run-out before delivery and short, result-oriented matches would be completely out-of-place in 19th century cricket. But they add a lot of excitement to the situation.

The enthusiastic and interactive crowd probably helped me enjoy the movie. The theatre was packed - something that rarely happens. And there were catcalls, whistles, cheers, all through the movie. It was all great fun.

I don't know what caused the people to believe so strongly that it was a 'period' movie. Sure, it was based in 1893 and used that to setup the background and the story. But it was never meant to be a historical documentary. It says so at the start. I did not expect it to educate me in the day-to-day life of that time nor did I expect it to be a lesson in contemporary politics.

It was a story. And it was told in a damn fine way. That's it.

Regards,

• Showman.