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Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

2001 · Movie · PG · 233 min · ★ 7.3 · 90% critics

AdventureDramaHistory

In 1893, a drought-hit village under British rule faces a crushing new land tax. When protests fail, the villagers accept a risky wager: learn an unfamiliar sport and defeat the occupying officers in a high-stakes match, or face even harsher demands.

Also known as Land Tax · Lagaan · Taxation: Once Upon a Time in India

IMDb

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Details
Original title
लगान
Years
2001
Release date
2001-06-15
Language
Hindi
Rated
PG
Runtime
233 min
Critic score
90/100
TMDB rating
7.3/10 (640 votes)
About

You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a big, heartfelt underdog story mixing sports tension, patriotism, and musical moments, similar in spirit to Swades or Like Stars on Earth; Not for you if long runtimes and frequent songs test your patience.

Pros: rousing underdog energy; memorable songs and dances; strong emotional payoff | Cons: very long runtime; broad, corny characters; some distracting subplots

Themes

  • countryside
  • sports
  • patriotism
  • village
  • musical
  • challenge
  • cricket
  • taxes
  • based on true story
  • period drama
  • colonialism
  • british colonial
  • +9 more

Awards & recognition

  • Filmfare Award — Best Film · 2002
  • Zee Cine Award — Best Film · 2002
  • Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 2002 · nominated
  • International Submission to the Academy Awards · 2002 · nominated
  • European Film Award — Best Non-European Film · 2001 · nominated

Cast & crew

Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker