Cast: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne, Suhasini Mulay, Kulbhushan Kharbanda 
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker 
Producer: Aamir Khan 
Music: A. R. Rahman 
                                         - Naveen



           What does it take to make a successful film in India? By no means an easy question, however, producer Aamir Khan seems to have hit upon the right answer -- a film that combines India's two great passions -- cricket and patriotism. Described by the producer himself as a story of a battle without bloodshed, Lagaan comes as a breath of fresh air in a world of endless mushy romances being churned out like so much popcorn.

The year is 1893 and India is reeling under oppressive British rule. In a remote corner of Central India is a village called Champaner where the rains are yet to come and the villagers are faced with the daunting prospect of paying dugna lagaan (double tax) to fill the British coffers. Set against an arid and barren landscape, Lagaan narrates the tale of Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), a young farmer who takes on the mighty British in order to save his village from the debt-trap. The battle, however, is fought not on a battlefield but a cricket pitch. The rest of the story has Bhuvan's rag tag team playing against the arrogant British officer Captain Russell's (Paul Blackthorne) team. Bhuvan, of course, doesn't lack female admirers right from Elizabeth (Rachel Shelly), Captain Russell's sister to Gauri (Gracy Singh) the village belle.

The film has many pluses, the first being A R Rahman's music that weaves through the film in perfect harmony. The perfectionist Khan's eye for technical detail and authenticity is visible throughout the film. Though Aamir is the backbone of the film, under the able direction of Ashutosh Gowarikar, the rest of the cast including the British actors and their Indian counterparts have given commendable performances.

However, in his zeal for playing to the galleries, Aamir seems to have forgotten the most important aspect of a film -- a good storyline. This lack tells heavily on Lagaan, which had the potential to go down in history as a path breaker.