Contrary to popular belief, this is not a story about Jet Li and his search for the best aloo gobi recipe in India. It's your typical underdog movie in the tradition of Mighty Ducks. It's Great Britain vs. India and the sport is cricket!Lagaan is set in 1893, when the Brits in control of India. There is drought across the lands, but still the ruthless Captain Russell doubles the land tax (called lagaan) on the farmers. The villagers of Champaner protests, and the bemused captain makes them a deal: if the Indians can beat his team in a game of cricket, the land tax will be repealed for three years - not just for Champaner, but for the whole province. If they lose, they'll have to pay triple tax.
Left with no other choice, Bhuvan (with the help of Elizabeth, who is Russell's sister) trains and rallies the villagers for the game of their lives.The movies clocks in a little bit under four hours, which includes a short course on cricket, some song-and-dance numbers, an imaginary sequence involving the love triangle, a lengthy team-selection process, then the actual match itself. The plot is well-thought out, the characters believable, the songs meaningful. Not your typical Bollywood movie.
loved this. great review
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