Rating: 
Summary: One of India's best
Review: "Sach Aur Sahas Hai Jiske Maan Mein, Aanth Mein Jeeth Ussi Ke Rahe".
Literally translated, this means "He who has truth and courage on his side is the winner in the end"
This is the main message preached by Lagaan. Lagaan is not a movie about cricket. Lagaan is a movie about the triumph of human spirit. It is a movie about unity of people of all races, genders, religions, and classes. It is a movie about a war without bloodshed. Though Lagaan may be a product of India, it is a film with universal appeal. Lagaan is not only a meaningful film, but it's also a great entertainer. Referring to the dvd itself, it is a bit disappointing for such an excellent film. Breaking it down into subsections: Video Quality: Excellent. Compared to other Indian dvds, this is truly excellent quality. One really gets the true feel of Champaner. Audio Quality: Exclellent. The 5.1 surround sound is great quality, and is really noticable udring the songs. Extras: Above-average. This is where the disappointment sets in. The only true extra on the dvd is a deleted scene. That itself is wonderful to watch, but that's all there is, along with some written filmographies. No interviews, no award ceremonies, no other deleted scene, no commentary, nothing. Additionally, the menus are boring and static. Lagaan truly is a movie that all should see. While the dvd may not be perfect, it still is a great opportunity. Those who haven't seen Lagaan, especially non-Indians, should grab this opportunity, and rent a copy as soon as possible. Not an experience to be missed out on.
Rating:
Summary: Lagaan...this movie touched my heart very deeply
Review: This movie touched me more than I can express with words. My great-grandparents left India and came to Trinidad as Indentured Workers around the same time, the 1890's. Because of the conditions in which they left India, much of that history was lost. I always wanted to understand what life was like for them back in India. Why did they leave and was life better for them in Trinidad and for so many other Indentured Workers? So many unanswered questions...but, Lagaan gave me a glimpse of that history...of how hard their lives were...of how hard they had to work under very harsh conditions. Some of the little that I know of my great-grandparents is that they were farmers in India, probably very much like the farmers depicted in Lagaan. What I do know now is that my grandmother dresses up to today very much like Bhuvan's mother. We are still a very religious hardworking people. Thank you Lagaan. You have touched my heart very deeply.
Rating: 
Summary: Rousing Film
Review: Okay, I won't go into the plot, since I'm sure it has been posted here many times, but I will review the film and DVD. The story is simple, but enjoyable. The performances, especially of Aamir Khan and Paul Blackthorne are excellent. Aamir Khan, who is the producer of the film, is good at acting as a simple villager and Blackthorne is just a hair shy of being a cartoonish villain. There are many emotional points in the film and while you may think you know the outcome of the film, Ashutosh Gowariker's script and direction often make you question your prediction. And of course, A.R. Rahman's music is excellent. Well shot, well acted, well written and directed, Lagaan is worth your time. Now, onto the DVD. Lagaan is almost four hours long. Unfortunately, Columbia has chosen to squeeze the whole thing, plus about 10 minutes of cut footage, onto one dual layered disc. There are some compression artifacts, such as pixxelation, as a result. Some digital noise reduction has been added, which results in the image blurring when the camera moves (and the camera moves often) or when there is fast movement. I saw green flashes during some of the splices, and the print, at the beginning, has a few dirt and lagging hair problems. The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is very powerful, rendering the dialogue and music well. About 10 minutes worth of a deleted scene have been included, and it is easy to see why it was cut. Select filmographies round out the disc. My verdict? I loved this film. No, it isn't the most complex story, but it touched me without resorting to corniness or oversentimentality. The DVD is much better than other Hindi DVDs. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Indian croucing tiger
Review: This is THE Indian crossover film.Indian films generally cater to niche audiences of expatriates.Filmmakers like Satyajit Ray do have an audience in USA but then again due to the themes of his films they remains "art-house".Commercial Hindi films have never made it big in USA.The main reason being the Indian-ness of the plots which make it difficult for non-Indians to grasp the motivations of the characters. Lagaan is unique in the sense that it does not sacrifice the integrity of the Indian characters for the sake of effecting a crossover. It is more "Indian" than many of the trash that are Indian films today.And despite maintaining a very Indian look and feel, it is a movie with an universal message,which is about the triumph of the human spirit.It also is a movie about non-violent struggle,something very relevant in the world today.It has a message without getting preachy.And it is never boring despite its length. I dont think it will win the Oscars.But that is not because of the quality of the film...far worse will be taking home the Oscars this season. It is because this will lose out in lobbying because it is not backed by any of the major American studios. This DVD is a must-buy....because such films come along only once upon a time...
Rating:
Summary: British Colonialism from the Native's View
Review: Lagaan is a beautifully done film in every respect, cinematography, acting, directing, story, music and dance. I came to this film (and at this film) from a historical perspective while working on a project of films which can be used to teach about British colonialism in the 1800s. This film came at a perfect time. It's not often we find films about the era made by the people who had to live through it. In this film we see the British at both their best and worst. We also see the village people who dream of rain for their crops and food for their children go to vast extremes against the ruling commander to save themselves and their future. Although the length may scare people (224 minutes run time), it is well worth the time to view.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Hindi Productions!
Review: Lagaan is definitely a Hindi movie worthy seeing. Though non-Indian, I've been following Bollywood movies for quite some years. A lot of times I find the soundtracks more appealing than most of the stories. My Indian buddies and I used to joke that Hindi movies are pretty much about guys and girls trying to get married! (No offense...) ;-) However, Lagaan surely goes beyond the romance category. I feel it's more like an EPIC! It's about great human spirit that overcomes formidable circumstances!! I was so very touched by the story. I'm also very impressed by its cinemography. So much more sophisticated than any other Hindi movies. Plus the sweet and innocent romance doesn't appear cheesy at all!!! Although I feel it's a bit improper to compare what's between Radha and Krishna to the more one-way traffic between Elisabeth and Bhuvan... Just a thought. I'm glad to know Lagaan has been nominated for Best Foreign Film category of the Academy Award. Since the competition goes fairly strong, I don't really expect Lagaan to win. However, it's definitely a great start of quality Hindi productions! Kudos to Aamir Khan and all the crews.
Rating:
Summary: chock full
Review: If you liked the color, energy, and romance of Moulin Rouge!, but wished they'd slow it down a little so you could enjoy it; if you liked Gandhi, but wished they'd lighten up a little and maybe break into song periodically; if you liked Robin Hood, but thought it had too many
trees; if you liked 1776, but thought its babe quotient was too low; if you liked The Natural, but have had enough of great baseball movies and
think it's high time for the definitive cricket flick--have I got a show for you : Lagaan. This most expensive Bollywood musical of all time tells
the story of a spunky group of Indian villagers who play a cricket match against their oppressive British overlords in 1893 with their tax bill on
the line. If they lose they owe triple lagaan (land tax); but if they win they'll owe no taxes for three years. With drought having destroyed the
previous year's crop and little sign of rain in the current season, there's no prospect of them being able to cover their bet, so they are truly
playing for their lives. The leader of the group is Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), a brash and handsome young man who is goaded into the bet by the vile commanding officer
of the British cantonment, Captain Russell (Paul Blackthorne). Shocked at her brother's unfairness and more than a little smitten with Bhuvan,
the visiting Elizabeth Russell (Rachel Shelley) decides to help the villagers learn the game. The people of the village, Champaner, are initially
distraught at the predicament that Bhuvan has gotten them into, but as he slowly assembles a team--including a strapping deaf-mute; a crazed
holy man; a Muslim; a rather excitable chicken wrangler; and finally even a crippled untouchable--they are more or less shamed into embracing
the effort. The match itself, for those of you who aren't up on your cricket, is spread out over three days, and by the time all is said and done, the movie
has spread out over four hours. But I assure you, it's not one moment too long. Besides the already considerable plot elements outlined above,
there's also, despite Elizabeth's longings, a great love blossoming between Bhuvan and a lovely village girl named Gauri (Gracy Singh).
British authorities, none too pleased with Captain Russell's arrogance, have informed him that if he should somehow lose, he'll be headed to a
tour of duty in Central Africa. Unbeknownst to our heroic cricketeers there's a traitor in their midst. Oh yeah, and the whole cast periodically
breaks out into mammoth song and dance numbers. It's as if the folks who made the movie decided to cram the entire history of the cinema
into one film, and, believe it or not, they pull it off. Sure it's pretty improbable and the social history is fairly ridiculous--the scene where the untouchable is not only accepted as part of the squad
but invents the googly is particularly divorced from reality. But this is a movie after all, a big sprawling movie that's bent on pleasing the
crowd, and does, so we're more than willing to give it some historical leeway. And in its eagerness to please, the film provides scenes and
themes for viewers of nearly every persuasion to grab onto. My personal favorites are that the entire showdown is fueled by unjust taxation,
rather than the kind of racial mau-mauing that you'd expect in a modern movie. The filmmakers are also generous enough that, even though
Captain Russell and a few of his teammates are portrayed as real Simon Legrees, most of the British are eventually shown rooting for the
underdogs and the refereeing of the match is proper to a fault. But, for my money, the best scene has the entire village submitting to the will of
Lord Krishna and prevailing upon Him to help them in their time of trouble, even in the midst of this mighty effort where they've finally learned to take the initiative and help themselves. Topping it all off, the entire film re-enacts the ancient Hindu legend of Radha and Krishna, a tale of platonic love. When's the last time you saw a Hollywood movie where any of the love was platonic? With sweeping scenery, fabulous looking actors, and a thrilling blend of action, comedy, and song and dance, this is certainly the best musical
epic to come along since maybe The Sound of Music. In fact, it's one of the most enjoyable movies you'll have seen in a very long time. GRADE : A+
Rating:
Summary: A glorious invitation to the world, to come see India
Review: Undeniably the most important movie to come out of the world's largest film industry (Bollywood) in decades, Lagaan rewrites Indian cinema history. At the cost of sounding repetitive and borrowing from Pritish Nandy's review of the same movie in Mid-day (June 20, 2001), "Our cinema history will now have two eras...Before-Lagaan and post-Lagaan." A running time of over 3 hours and 45 minutes, a period drama set in rustic Gujarat of the 19th century, a largely unknown (at least hitherto not so popular) cast, an ordinary looking debutante leading lady, a two-flop director, no mushy romance, no sex, no violence, a leading star who appears in dhoti.....a sure-fire recipe for disaster? Think again. A sure-fire hit, a stunning spectacle of the triumph of the human spirit, and just about the finest statement made on behalf of Indian cinema...that's Lagaan for you. Some emotions are very basic. They cut across cultures, time zones and generations. Lagaan evokes those emotions. It touches and activates those basic nerve circuits that send an electric shudder of exhilaration through your body, that rush of blood in to your heart, those goose pimples on your skin. It makes you stand up and applaud, because it stands for everything that an Indian is proud of. In fact it stands for everything that civilization stands for. I always wondered if any movie churned out by Bollywood would truly capture the soul of India. I was disappointed for years, because despite the great movies (oh yeah there are too many Indian movie gems) India produced, there was hardly any movie that embodied the Indian spirit completely. I was also disappointed because the only movie that came close to capturing what India was all about, was Ricahrd Attenborough's Gandhi. A film made by a Britisher, that came tantalizingly close to symbolizing the Indian-ness that I was so proud of. Circa 2001, all that changed. Lagaan changed it all. It made sure I have something to cheer about. I watched Lagaan for the first time in Bombay's Eros cinema, in it's first week of theatrical release. When I saw ecstatic viewers run up in the aisles towards the screen, dancing and clapping, I felt the same thrill. I felt it then and there. This was a completely new style of cinematic Indian patriotism. Understated, yet strong. Stylistic, yet simple. Multi-layered, yet basic. For giving us this immense, unadulterated pleasure, Aamir and team take a bow! Lagaan is a glorious invitation to the world, to come see India, it's spirit, it's people. The DVD has high production values and is a relief when compared to the DVD quality of some of the greatest Indian movies. The extra features make it worth every penny of the [price]for the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Lagaan is better than Amelie...
Review: Having seen both Amelie and Lagaan i am in a good position to judge which one is better. Amelie is living in a world that is totally unreal it has been specifically targeted towards audience. Although the movie is set in 90's it gives an impression that we are seeing 50's world and tradition there. The plot is too thin. The lead character Amelie certainly doesn't know what she wants in life. So one can hardly call it an inspiring movie. The lead character sneaks into others room in the name of doing good, counts orgasms, hooks up shamelessly two people only to see them part later. It defies logic. On the other hand Lagaan is movie making at its best. It is an epic. It has struck a beautiful balance between plot development and character development where as in Amelie there is no plot to develop. Amelie can at best be called a good comedy movie. Certainly it is not oscar worthy. No Man's Land is better than Amelie.
Rating:
Summary: Fantabulous....
Review: certainly,one of the best movies ever to come out of india...have seen it thrice and can watch it again.....
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