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Lagaan - Once Upon a Time in IndiaRating:
Release Date: 22 January, 2002 Retail Price: $26.95 OUR Price: $19.99 You SAVE: $6.96! Cast: Complete Cast (6 total) |
Lagaan - Once Upon a Time in India Reviews
Great movie
Don't let this movie's running time (325 minutes; almost 4 hours), the fact that it is not in English, or that it's about cricket, put off any potential viewers.
This is not an action film, nor is it a high-suspense thriller. It doesn't have any special effects, no blood, no gore. And yet for some reason, the story catches you up and you find yourself caring about what happens. Personally, I found that the four hours whizzed by.
I don't know more than a couple of words in Hindi, so I can't say how accurate the subtitles are, but they are certainly good enough to me informed. I especially appreciated the subtitles for the musical numbers, which you rarely find.
As an American, I find cricket to be rather mysterious. So I didn't understand the finer details of the cricket match, but I definately got wrapped up in the tension and suspense, even if I didn't know why. Which, if you think about it, is a good reccomendation!
The acting is great; Aamir Khan is very charismatic, intense, and down right handsome. I appreciated Gracy Singh's acting as well; she could have really camped up her jealousy scenes, but instead came off adorable; how could Bhuvan (Kahn) not have been in love with her?
I wonder how long it took the British actors to learn their Hindi lines, or if they were doing them phonetically.
I digress. If you have even a passing interest in India, Indian history, the Bollywood style of movies, or even that peculiar game called cricket, then you will enjoy this film immensely.
The sun hasn't set, but it rained anyhow when the British lost their game of cricket.
This is an epic of a movie, and has something for everyone. Such as people who are intrigued by the power and might of the British Empire as they cast their ruthless pall on India. Such as people who believe in the power of numbers and that it takes a village to challenge and defy a formidable foe. Such as people who cling to the hope for humanity despite oppression, adversity, or in spite of material prosperity. Such as people who love a hero who never flinches from his commitment to defy the odds at the cost of the economy and lives of the entire village. And for people who like to see the hero being the object of affection of two women from two entirely different backgrounds. And lastly, for people who love a little dose of a perfectly crafted musical video depicting an Englishwoman totally in love with an Indian man, as if we were watching an over-the-top soap commercial.
Although direction, editing, and cinematography are well-done, and so is the acting, not to mention the well-choreographed Bollywood musical scenes, the movie could use more trimming, especially the cricket scene. As the timing of the intermission suggests, you need to brace yourself for another equally long moment of movie-watching, again especially as the three-day cricket game commences. Unless you are a fan of the game, giving almost every Indian player equal camera time and his share of triumph and failure was a little too much to bear, even in the comforts of your living room. I was glad to know, however, that the movie did not end with yet another song and dance. The rain being predictable notwithstanding, at least the movie did not give us innumerable endings as "The Lord of the Rings: Part 3" did.
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