Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[frances]

'Lagaan' started the concept of having a first assistant director as part of the crew for Bollywood. Farhan Akhtar suggested Apurva Lakhia's name to Khan. Lakhia eventually made his debut as a director with 'Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost'.

[ella]

Rachel Shelley, who didn't know a word of Hindi, memorized everyone's lines so she could understand the scenes better.

[javier]

Paul and Rachel weren't the only ones who struggled with their lines, though. Out of habit, Aamir found himself slipping into Hindi between his dialogues.

[lena]

A making of the film titled "Chale Chalo- Making of Lagaan" aas released in 2004.

[kyle]

In the film, Bhuvan scored the winning shot and was not out throughout the innings. In reality, while filming the climax, Aamir Khan admitted to have gotten bowled out once.

[ruby]

Sachin Tendulkar had the most interesting reaction while watching Lagaan. At a preview screening, Aamir recalls seeing Sachin look tensed during the final match.

[phyllis]

There were no compromises made in the production. Everything from hiring the British cast to constructing an entire village from scratch were all the original ideas of Ashutosh Gowariker.

[bessie]

Two of the British actors Jamie and Katkin were dating while they were filming 'Lagaan' and were eventually married off on the sets of the film which had a make shift temple in it. As it was done according hindu religion, Aamir and Reena performed the Kanyadaan ritual.

[edgar]

In 2010, the film was ranked No. 55 in Empire magazines "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema".

[veronica]

Aamir Khan initially wanted to keep moustache in the film as he felt that how could Bhuvan manage regular shaving in condition of drought. However, eventually he dropped the idea.

[manuel]

Channel 4 listed Lagaan at number 14 in its list of "Top 50 Films to See Before you Die".

[ruby]

Before the worldwide release of the film, Khan screened the film especially for the villagers of Bhuj, where the film was shot.

[jesse]

The film slightly follows the plot of "Naya Daur".

[sandra]

Preity Zinta, Sonali Bendre, Amisha Patel were all considered for the role of Gauri. Aamir thought Bendre looked to urban and modern for the character. Eventually the role went to TV actress Gracy Singh, who was a known face from her role in hit show 'Amaanat'.

[jim]

Aamir Khan had to face many balls on his body for the scene where Bhuvan gets injured from a bouncer.

[willard]

Sha Rukh Khan wanted his film "Asoka" to be India's official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. However, he later recognized that "Lagaan" was a better film for that.

[jamie]

The cast and crew members had to travel from their hotel to the location by bus at 5 AM, everyday. To ensure that shooting isn't delayed, Aamir laid down a rule that If you can't make it to the bus on time, you're going to get left behind. What he didn't foresee was the fact that he would become the victim too. One fine day, Aamir found himself stranded outside the hotel when he reached at 5:05 AM.

[miriam]

The cricket match was the most difficult segment to shoot. The game was scheduled to be shot in 3 weeks but it dragged on for over 8 weeks!

[bessie]

The film shows the British Officer cheating by pretending to bowl and then running the batsman out at the non striker's end. This low manoeuvre is called the "Mankad", after the Indian bowler who invented it,

[toni]

Aamir Khan personally invited cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali to a private screening of the film as he always first shows his films to Sachin. Unfortunately, they couldn't make it.