It's been 22 years since Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan hit the theatres on June 15 and went on to claim several accolades. The film, which stars Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Yashpal Sharma and British actress Rachel Shelley in the lead roles, not only won eight National Awards at home but also earned an Oscar nomination in 2002. Its story which is based in the pre-independence era is still loved and appreciated by movie buffs. So, when the official Instagram handle of Aamir's production house shared some BTS (behind the scene) photos from the sets of the 2001 film, it was bound to go viral. On Thursday, Aamir Khan Productions dropped some “nostalgic throwback” pictures of the cast and crew making Lagaan “an iconic part of Indian cinema.” The caption read: “A nostalgic throwback to Lagaan as we celebrate its 22-year milestone, reliving the moments that made it an iconic part of the Indian cinema. (red heart icon).”
The album starts with a photo of Aamir Khan posing with director Ashutosh Gowariker, as well as co-stars Aditya Lakhia, Yashpal, Rajendranath Zutshi and Daya Shankar Pandey, among others. They are all seen dressed in their costumes. The following snaps show Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne, Suhasini Mulay, Pradeep Rawat and Akhilendra Mishra chilling in between the shots. The impressive cast of Lagaan also had thespians such as Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajendra Gupta, Raghubir Yadav and Rajesh Vivek.
Take a look:
Lagaan, which was shot in Gujarat, shows the story of a small village burdened not just by drought but also by the heavy taxes imposed on them by the British Crown. When given an opportunity to get out of the tax spiral, the villagers agree to play a game of cricket with British army officers as a wager.
Aamir Khan featured, in the film, as a dedicated and enthusiastic Bhuvan, who motivates his fellow villagers to participate in the game and get rid of the taxes. Gracy Singh played his love interest Gauri while Rachel Shelley featured as Captain Russell's sister Elizabeth, who had an unrequited love story with Bhuvan.
Lagaan was one of the biggest hits of Bollywood in 2001 and is still considered as one of the most iconic films in the history of Indian cinema. At the 49th National Film Awards, Lagaan won in the following categories: Best Music Direction (AR Rahman), Playback Singer (Udit Narayan for Mitwa O Mitwa), Lyrics (Javed Akhtar), Choreography (Raju Khan), Art Direction (Chandrakant Desai), Audiography (H Sridhar and Nakul Kamte), Costume Designer (Bhanu Athaiya), and Most Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.