Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

LAGAAN (4+ outta 5 stars) Years of subjugation and unfair taxation by the British Empire come to a head and the inhabitants of a small Indian farming community face off against their evil oppressors... in a cricket match??? This may... Full review

You can add the name of Ashutosh Gowatrikar to the list of the new generation of Indian Film Directors. An amazing list with the likes of Aditya Chopra (Mohabbatein, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge), Farhan Akhtar (Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya), Karan... Full review

This was my first full-fledged trip into Bollywood and I couldn't have asked for a better entry. While there were some inconsistencies in sound, overall I loved the picture. Some of the songs and dances were breathtaking and emotionally charged.... Full review

In 1893, India was a colony of England. The starving native farmers had to pay an imposed tax to the British soldiers for the protection of their lands, delivering most of their harvest to the British Queen. In those years,... Full review

I initially gave this movie a miss after I was totally disappointed by "Asoka". The latter was hugely advertised but I don't find it good at all.I finally saw "Lagaan" after a friend told me that this movie was actually... Full review

This movie not only opened my eyes to the beatuies of india but also the hearts of India. I fell in love with this movie at once and I feel very close to all of the characters I know them... Full review

1893. In a small farming community in India stands a British cantonment commanded by the cruel Captain Russell. When the Raja refuses to bow to his demands to eat meat he doubles the tax that the community must pay –... Full review

Okay, I am not from India, not even close. I am from Scandinavia. Before Lagaan I had never watched any Hindi movies of any kind. I know about 3 words from the hindi language. And I don't like musicals much.... Full review

Initially I was warned about the length of the movie-3hrs and 50 mins.But believe me, its worth it.There is a refreshing Indian-ness about the movie,which is welcome after a recent bout of Hollywood remakes in Hindi that have become such... Full review

Sony Entertainment's Lagaan is more an experience than a movie.Indian actor Aamir Khan's home production is a cinematic experience which highlights Indian cinema to the hilt, while weaving a tale set in Champaner during the time of the British Empire's... Full review

I can't vouch for the die-hard Bollywood fans, but I doubt anyone could deny the movie's rich pleasures. Now Ashutosh Gowariker's terrific Lagaan , subtitled Once Upon a Time in India , opens today at the Lumiere in a kind of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fashion; it's a slightly bigger-budget package with higher production values designed to be a breakthrough without betraying its origins. ... Full Review

What's genuinely fascinating is how director Ashutosh Gowariker follows the basic, linear structure of a Hollywood film while incorporating the stylish and often rhapsodic musical numbers of Bollywood musicals. Lagaan's" visuals are absolutely stunning: the compositions evoke the wide panoramas of Fox' classic CinemaScope productions; a rich panorama of earth tones, reds, and fiery amber - beautifully photographed at day or night - soothes the eyes; the film's $6 million budget also means every... ... Full Review

On top of that, the film is a quintessential Bollywood production, meaning all those opulent song and dance numbers are in heavy supply. How shameful it is that it took an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film to get Sony to see the light and give a theatrical release to the rousing and delightful Indian import "Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India," which they had already consigned to the direct-to-home-entertainment market back in January. ... Full Review

LAGAAN: ONCE UPON A TIME IN INDIA Rated:PG For movie details, please click here . The film includes a half dozen expansively choreographed songs, the best among them a sort of rain dance that careens through the dusty village. ... Full Review

Ashutosh Gowariker's glorious "Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India" is to the Bollywood musical epic what Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was to the period martial arts action adventure: 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

I went to see this movie on a big screen television hooked to a DVD player over at the University of Wyoming last week.The screening was sponsored by a foreign students association. ... Full Article

L agaan: Once Upon a Time in India is a historical romantic film that deals with the time of the English Raj, the Victorian period when the British Empire ruled over India. The story centers on Bhuwan, his beloved Gauri, ... Full Article

Som Chivukula in New York W hat were the chances of a nearly four-hour Bollywood film being nominated for an Oscar? If you were to ask director Ashutosh Gowariker and actor-producer Aamir Khan, they would say the chances were pretty... ... Full Article