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Movies / On DVD / Lagaan
Lagaan

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Lagaan (2001)

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Reviews Counted:19

Fresh:19

Rotten:0

Average Rating:7.9/10

Consensus: Lagaan is lavish, rousing entertainment in the old-fashioned tradition of Hollywood musicals.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for language and some violence

Runtime: 3 hrs 44 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:May 8, 2002 Limited

Synopsis: Considered to be a modern classic of Indian cinema, LAGAAN is a musical drama which tells the story of a central Indian farming village in 1893. The village waits for the monsoons to come and rain... Considered to be a modern classic of Indian cinema, LAGAAN is a musical drama which tells the story of a central Indian farming village in 1893. The village waits for the monsoons to come and rain on its crops, but the ground remains dry and infertile. Meanwhile, British ruler Captain Russell (Paul Blackthorne) demands lagaan--or double normal taxes--from the villagers. When it becomes clear that they can't pay, Russell challenges the villagers to a game of cricket, a game they know nothing about. Teaching the villagers about the game falls on the shoulders of farmer Bhuvan (Aamir Khan). As they begin to learn, the villagers are inspired to go up against Russell, with tax negotiation as the stakes for the game. Full of choreographed musical numbers and climaxing in a pulse-pounding cricket match, LAGAAN is a fun, heartwarming British/Indian production that should have no difficulties translating across other national borders. [More]

Starring: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne

Starring: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne, Suhasini Mulay, Kulbhushan Kharbanda

Director: Ashutosh Gowariker

Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Screenwriter: Ashutosh Gowariker, Sanjay Dayma, Kumar Dave
Producer: Aamir Khan
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Dec 18, 2001

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Lagaan

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1 - 18 (sorted by date)
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An involving, easily digestible hunk of pure entertainment that could be the trigger for Bollywood's long-awaited crossover to non-ethnic markets.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/24/08
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Few recent American musicals are this fluid or engaging.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/26/07
Mark Peranson
Mark Peranson
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

After having seen this Cinemascope extravaganza in a theater, on DVD and video, I still think the big screen experience is worth it.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
07/20/02
Monica Eng
Monica Eng
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An enormously entertaining movie, like nothing we've ever seen before, and yet completely familiar.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
06/07/02
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[I]t is long, but it never sags.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
06/03/02
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
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A rippingly good, old-fashioned movie epic that takes the best of Bollywood cinema ... and elevates it for an international audience.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
05/31/02
Edward Guthmann
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle
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A one-stop shopping experience in the cinema of the subcontinent.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
05/31/02
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
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An old-fashioned crowd-pleaser that charms you into forgiving any of its shortcomings.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
05/31/02
John Monaghan
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If you haven't sampled India's indigenous cinema, this is a great place to begin.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
05/30/02
Glenn Lovell
Glenn Lovell
San Jose Mercury News
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Manages to be both hugely entertaining and uplifting.

comment Comment
05/17/02
Aseem Chhabra
Aseem Chhabra
Boston Globe
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If you've never experienced a Bollywood musical before, seeing Lagaan will be like watching Gone With the Wind without ever having seen a Hollywood movie.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
05/12/02
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
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An affectionate homage to a popular genre that raises it to the level of an art film with fully drawn characters, a serious underlying theme, and a sophisticated style and point of view.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
05/09/02
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's been made with an innocent yet fervid conviction that our Hollywood has all but lost.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
05/09/02
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
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In some ways, Lagaan is quintessential Bollywood. Except it's much, much better.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
05/08/02
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
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If you can swallow its absurdities and crudities Lagaan really is enormously good fun.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
05/08/02
Jonathan Foreman
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post
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This is a movie that knows its business -- pleasing a broad, popular audience -- and goes about it with savvy professionalism and genuine flair.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/08/02
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
New York Times
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Elegantly produced and expressively performed, the six musical numbers crystallize key plot moments into minutely detailed wonders of dreamlike ecstasy.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
05/07/02
Ed Halter
Ed Halter
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Does point the way for adventurous Indian filmmakers toward a crossover into nonethnic markets.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
02/06/02
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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