Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
Southeast Asian Premiere
Ashutosh Gowariker India 2001 224 min PG
Set during the British Raj, the people of a small, drought-stricken village in Central India wager on a game of cricket against their ruthless colonial rulers in order to avoid paying high taxes.
In the town of Champaner in Central India, Bhuvan, a farmer, hastily assembles eleven players to form a cricket team before the season commences. His unorthodox recruitment process soon puts together a ragtag team, with the commanding officer’s sister as their coach who teaches them the game rules. Their hope is to beat the British team in order to avoid paying the high taxes (lagaan) levied on them. But before the first ball’s bowl, suspicion and sabotage threaten to unravel Bhuvan’s team.
Ashutosh Gowariker stages the three-day match as a sweeping ensemble piece, following each player’s redemption through interpersonal strife. These range from rekindled rivalries to caste prejudice which threaten to splinter the team. By the end of the games, individual wins are celebrated as communal triumph in this classic sports epic.
Synopsis Writer: Ryan Pagdanganan
Landmark, Special Presentation, Q&A
23 Oct, Fri 6:00PM / 224 min
Golden Village VivoCity
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Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
Ashutosh Gowariker
India
2001
Hindi
English
224 min
PG
Southeast Asian Premiere
Ashutosh Gowariker
Ashutosh Gowariker is an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor and producer known for his dramas that span various genres in Hindi cinema, such as Swades (2004), which explores social issues, and Jodhaa Akbar (2008), a historical war romance. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India was nominated for Best International Film at the 2002 Academy Awards.
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