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Lagaan - Once Upon a Time in India

Lagaan - Once Upon a Time in India

List Price: $27.96
Your Price: $22.37
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Congratulations! You've discovered Bollywood!!
Review: Now that you've seen Lagaan, check out these Indian films:
"Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Kajol)
"Mohabbatein" (Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai)
"Ghulam" (Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee)
"Ishq" (Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgan, Kajol, Juhi Chowla)
"Judaai" (Anil Kapoor, Urmila Matondkar, Sri Devi)
"Chori Chori Chupke Chupke" (Salmon Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta) a small hint of "Pretty Woman" in here
"Awara Paagal Dewana" is like "The Whole Nine Yards"
"Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega" (Salmon Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta) is like "While You Were Sleeping"
"Bichhoo" (Bobby Doel, Rani Mukherjee)
"Pyaar to Hona Hi Tha" (Ajay Devgan, Kajol)
"Kabhi Kushi Kahbie Gham" (Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor)
"Mujhse Dosti Karoge" (Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee)

You've probably noticed that I am a Rani Mukherjee fan. Yes, I think she is probably the most beautiful actress in the world. I have about seven favorite indian actresses which are the core of my exploration of Indian films, it's like a hobby to seek these films out. You can start with Amazon's .com Movie DataBase.

I'm not Indian, but, I have to watch, at least, one Indian film, per week. The beautiful and charming actors and actresses, the beautiful fashion, the great music, and the intense detailed stories. American films are great, sure. But, Indian films offer a movie entertainment that Hollywood used to do. Bollywood film directors need to learn how to do better editing from scene to scene, from time to time, but if you'll allow yourself to see past this common flaw, indian films are just magical, enchanting, and all around great family entertainment. Remember when films used to entertain the WHOLE family? That magic is slowly diminishing here in America. See the films I've listed above, get to know some Indian actors and actresses and then venture off into your own desires in Bollywood entertainment. Aamir Khan from "Lagaan" has dozens of movies to explore.
All the above films are available for rent at any Indian store in your town or village. And these films that I have listed all have English Subtitles. If you like "Lagaan", than you've just opened the door to another whole world of movie entertainment.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: PC So Grotesque, It Defies Imagination
Review: You alreday knew that 'anglo' White Men aged from 21 to 40 are evil. Yes? Well... forget about cricket or songs. No one understands cricket and no one can stand Indian music anyway.

The point is this: the evil White Anglo Men, aged from 21 to 40 are defeated by a coaliation of... get this: normal Hindu peasant men, Hindu women, the Hindu Raj, a mentally slow guy, a physically crippled one, a Sickh, a Muslim, elderly Anglo men, a young Anglo woman and, of course, a child. In other words, all generations, sexes, age groups, people with various disabilities unite and, in the end, defeat those evil, cruel white men.

Due to the fact that this is an Indian movie, the director could not accomplish COMPLETE diversity. He could not include people of 'different' sexual orientations.

Enjoy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOW!!!
Review: What an amazing movie!! I am not a big cricket fan especially since I don't know the rules. But I learned a lot about cricket and appreciate it more. Aamir Khan has done wonders with this film. A beautiful movie. I recommend it to anyone.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good musical, but so-so drama
Review: This film has wonderful sceneries and music. The choreography of the dancing is second to none. The story, however, is weak and predictable. There are many good efforts by different actors, but there is not much of a story to tell. The audience know from the time the wager is made that the villagers will triumph at the end, despite the many obstacles they have to overcome. Because of that, the tension during the game seems superficial, although there are great images and characterization. The romance between Elizabeth and Bhuvan never develops and is totally unnecessary.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This Movie Is The Reason I'm Proud To Be Indian
Review: There are literally thousands of websites on the internet where one can go to find a movie review. I tend to stray from writing movie reviews on Amazon.com because it seems meaningless considering all the other opinions already floating around in cyberspace. However, for Lagaan, for this spectacular celebration of Indian patriotism and brotherhood, I have to make an exception.

The story centers around Aamir Khan's character and the rural Indian village in which he lives. The people of this village rely on farming and agriculture for their livelihood, but years of drought have left them poor and out of luck. The British, who hold tyrannical control of India during this time, demand that the people of this village pay the taxes (Lagaan) that were required of them. Having no means of raising money, the village people challenge their British tax collectors to a game of cricket in a double-or-nothing wager. This is where the real story starts. The heart of this movie is the way in which men of different castes, religions, and physical abilities unified as Indians in a team effort to beat the British at their own sport. There are also some intriguing sub-plots involving love, prejudice, social standing, and betrayal.

I'm Indian, and I don't deny my bias towards this movie simply because I can affiliate with it. But even as an objective critic, I must admit that this is one of the best Indian movies I've ever seen. India produces more movies than any other country in the world (including the United States), and it is sometimes difficult to sift through the hundreds of hastily made, sub-par Indian movies released every year in order to find the few that are truly worth watching. Sometimes I tolerate a movie simple because I like the songs in it. I guarantee that the viewer, regardless of ethnicity, will not be disappointed by the storyline. I also defy anyone to dislike the songs that are sung throughout the movie. I went out and bought the Lagaan soundtrack the day after seeing the movie. This movie is a must-see for any Indian who loves his/her motherland. Everyone else is sure to love it, too. I emphatically recommend this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Inspiring Epic
Review: Where there is oppression, there is rebellion. Lagaan is a simple story told so eloquently and beautifully with humor, romance, dance, music and... cricket. 4 hours went by as if it was only 2 and I'm neither Indian nor a big fan of either cricket or the bollywood dance and music. It's pure drama.

The DVD quality is also commendable. It's very impressive to squeeze 4 hrs of essentially artifact free anamorphic video and crisp DD 5.1 audio into one single disc. It looks/sounds awesome on an HDTV with input from a progressive scan dvd player, in fact better than most DVDs I've seen.

A must have.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It got an OSCAR nomination for a reason
Review: Just read through thr 90-odd reviews on this site from Britons, Indians, Americans, French etc.. This is easily one of the best movies around. Enjoyable for everyone. A rare "must own"!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: SPECTACULAR!
Review: This movie produced and acted by Amir Khan, is the pride of Bollywood along with Devdas. This movie is nothing like you have seen before from Bollywood.

Amir Khan just keeps getting better. This movie has everything besides violence and sex. If you can watch a movie without the latter aspects, then you will love it. Beautiful music, beautiful story, Beautiful cinematography, beautiful dialogues, beautiful songs, and beautifully acted. Everything is in place. Yes, it is a bit long but they didn't want to trim it because they wanted it that way. Why? because I think if they trim it, some quality of the movie will be lost for sure. If you have time to watch it, you will just appreciate the movie.

Amir Khan is just mind blowing. The movies he has appeared in are all meaningful and A HIT ofcourse. Right when all India was loving him after Lagaan hit the theaters, he came with Dil Chata Hai which basically made him the unbeatable bollywood actor - Always good! He is the PERFECTIONIST. In Lagaan, His performance can't be performed by anybody else. Just amazing.

Gracy singh, opposite Amir, is pretty and cute and does very well for her first film. She acts well, and dances beautifully. Applaud to her.

A.R.Rahman is a big asset. His music moves the movie. His songs make you love the movie. His music for this movie is original and you can't forget. You will listen to the soundtrack again and again and even if you don't listen, you will remember his music - his signature. Just Awesome.

The Director, Ashutosh Gowarikar, comes as a breakthrough director. He establishes his status. Just great. I just love his direction.

Although Amir Khan, Gauri, A.R. Rahman, and The director are the most important, every actor in this movie is an asset to the whole movie. The british actors perform very well. Without them, the movie wouldn't make sense at all. So, they are very important and all of them, perform very well.

In fine, This is a MUST see movie whether you are Indian or not. I am not Indian myself. So, you better watch it..or you are missing big time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: entertaining, loooooooooong, and symbolic
Review: Most certainly one of the best picks of "Bollywood" (India's Hollywood) movies and was the Indian nominee for the Oscars. It was one of the shortlisted movies for the "Best Foreign Movie" category. Despite the length of the movie,a fairly easy flowing script and a simple narrative style makes the movie interesting.
The story (purely fictional) centers around characters in Bristish-India era involved in making a rag-tag cricket team to take on the "foreigners (Bristish)" team with a simple proposition - If the Indian team win, they can excape from paying a particular "tax". The plot then revolves around the making of the team. Viewers not familiar with the social structure in India and some of the religious overtones underlining the politics may not be able to fully appreciate the symbolism in the movie..bringing together of Muslims and Hindus "upper" and "lower" caste....all to face a common "enemy" - the British. A simple allegory to India's independence struggle where people from all religions, castes, social background united to oust the British.

Told over a game of cricket (not sure how many viewers can relate to the game - something like baseball, lets say for now), and mixed with a generous dose of music videos (a must for all mainstream commercial movies in India), romance, and some amount of melodrama the movie does manage to keep one glued to the screen for the entire duration. The cast is packed with some of the better known names in Hindi film world and also has one of the living legends of Hindi film worls as a narrator. The script also manages to keep a fair view on the British - not all of them were power-hungry and some could even empathise with the Indians, and helped them.. A well-scripted movie with plenty of plenty of symbolism to India's independence struggle..

The subtitles do full justice to the dialogues, though does a poor job for the music videos (and understandably so). The extra features on the DVD are also worthwhile.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lagaan- A Bollywood film to Watch
Review: Oh, thank God it's here! I can't wait to own it! I have seen this film, the middle, begginning, and end at least three times and each each time i have i love it even more! This film is so much better than those other "love triangle" Hindi films I have seen. The music will sweep you away, the cinamatography is enchanting, and, as one viewer noted, the hero Bhuvan is both handsome and endearing! His songs with Gauri are so beautiful I nearly cried! His "gung-ho" attitude to rally his friends is inspring and infectuous! It made me long to be in the game with them, or at least on the side line cheering them on! The songs are also marvelous. It is too bad I do not speak Hindi, with this film, you find yourself wanting to join in! My favorite ones are "Let's Walk Ahead" and "Why Is Radha Jealous." For those of you who want a good old fashioned epic film, this is the one you CANNOT MISS! Namaste to all you Bollywood lovers out there and enjoy!


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