It has been 20 years since Sunny Deol-starrer Gadar and Aamir Khan’s Lagaan released in theatres to an amusing response. Also Netflix India’s YouTube channel is planning to stream a ‘Lagaan reunion’. While social media is full of messages for the teams of both the movies, the cast and crew of Lagaan and Gadar expressed about the experience of making the period dramas.
Lagaan’s journey
Lagaan, which released 20 years ago on June 15 in 2001 and was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, is one of the epic sports movies made in Bollywood. Lagaan: The film was nominated under the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in 2002 and won 8 National Film Awards back home.
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Check out the recent tweet praising and congratulating the crew and team for 20 years of Lagaan.
20 GLORIOUS YRS OF LAGAAN
Remember watching #AamirKhan 's #Lagaan in LA.. Was blown-away by the universal appeal of the movie.. Glad it made it to #Oscar short-list..
Remember #Aamir 's campaign there.. Wish he makes another movie like this and wins#MyLagaan @AKPPL_Official pic.twitter.com/O4f10JA74N
— Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) June 15, 2021
Aamir’s movie both as a producer and an actor
Aamir Khan revealed that Lagaan was his first film as a producer, he “couldn’t prepare as an actor” for the film. He also mentioned that how fulfilling his role as a producer on set impacted his performance as an actor in the film, Aamir Khan told the publication-
“I think my lack of prep in Lagaan; I can honestly blame it on my work as a producer. Itna kaam tha as a producer ki main as an actor prep nahi kar paaya.”
Further adding he said-
“Also, it was the first film I was producing, and I was paying more attention that nothing goes wrong. So, Lagaan is probably my most unprepared performance, as a result.”
On 20 years of Lagaan, Aamir Khan also shared that he “struggled with his diction” in the film and he “would literally learn his lines on a day before the scene was to be shot.” Lagaan, set in the pre-independence era, showcases the story of a small village, whose inhabitants challenge the British Army officers to a game of cricket to avoid paying high taxes imposed on them. It was filmed in Gujarat.
Aamir Khan’s production twitter page was active all through the day, as they kept reposting and thanking the ones, who were actively posting under #20yearsofLagaan, Check out few tweets.
That painting is truly amazing! Your sister is so talented! Thank you for sharing this beautiful piece of work on #Lagaan with us. Grateful. #MyLagaan #20YearsOfLagaan https://t.co/qbi7iH9A5k
— Aamir Khan Productions (@AKPPL_Official) June 15, 2021
These are some splendid memories revisited. We're glad you finally managed to get the ticket & watch the film, else how would we get your insightful observations. Thank you so much for loving our film & sharing your thoughts. #MyLagaan #20YearsOfLagaan https://t.co/n151Dod0cV
— Aamir Khan Productions (@AKPPL_Official) June 15, 2021
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Awards won by the blockbuster period drama
Lagaan turned out to be a box office hit and sold their shows houseful during the era. The film was nominated under the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in 2002.
Lagaan won eight National Film Awards – Best Choreography, Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Best Music Direction, Best Playback Singer – Male, Best Audiography, Best Lyricist, Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction.
Sony Music India also shared snippets from BTS of Lagaan’s soundtrack making.
What went behind the making of the iconic #Lagaan soundtrack? We have some snippets for you! #BTSLagaan – Part 1@AshGowariker @iamgracysingh @AKPPL_Official @uditnarayan_ @Sukhbir_Singer @Shankar_Live @singer_shaan @mangeshkarlata @ashabhosle @PaulBlackthorne @arrahman pic.twitter.com/gsyH83vRQr
— Sony Music India (@sonymusicindia) June 15, 2021
Netflix India planning ‘Lagaan Reunion’
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the blockbuster Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, the cast and crew of the period sports drama are coming together for a reunion special. The reunion is titled ‘Chale Chalo Lagaan – Once upon an Impossible Dream’ will soon start streaming on Netflix India’s YouTube channel.
They also informed about the upcoming teaser through a tweet, check it out here.
O Mitwa, Sun Mitwa!
Lagaan ka beeswa saal hai, kuch special aa raha hai re. Tu aaja re! #ComingSoon #ChaleChaloLagaan #LagaanTurns20 #20YearsOfLagaan pic.twitter.com/CGQdXgS1kt— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) June 15, 2021
What the director had to say about ’20 Years of Lagaan’
Celebrating the huge milestone, the director of the film, Gowariker said that-
“My ultimate dream was to create something which will linger in the audience’s mind. That it would be appreciated 20 years down the line is something that is unimaginable. It is overwhelming for me as well as the entire team of the film that this dream became a reality.”
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Gadar: Ek prem Katha, turns 20 year old too
The blockbuster, which released on June 15, 2001, completes 20 years today. Director Anil Sharma said that-
“I still feel it was just yesterday when we were shooting Gadar in Punjab, Rajasthan, or the train sequences.”
Further adding he also said that-
“The reactions that came in even before the anniversary are amazing. Rarely do people get to be a part of such a milestone, and I feel so proud.”
What was Gadar all about?
Gadar was set during the Partition of India in 1947. Starring Sunny Deol in the lead role of Tara Singh, the period drama depicted his life from being a truck driver in pre-independence India, to him saving a Muslim girl during the cruel Partition, their love story and him pacing to Pakistan to bring her back when her family refuses to recognise her alliance with Tara.
Director Sharma recalls the instance and shared that while then newbie Ameesha Patel played Tara’s wife Sakeena, the film had an ensemble starcast of Amrish Puri, Vivek Shauq, Lillete Dubey, his son Utkarsh Sharma and others. He also adds and says that-
“Ameesha was new and we cast her after her screen test. When all the actors share the common interest for the good of a film, everything gets managed.”
Both of the lead actors expressed their overwhelming emotions on Social media
The lead actor Sunny Deol posted a tweet on how grateful he is for Gadar completing 20 year anniversary and is still ruling hearts.
In the tweet he quoted that, “We made a film, you made it an event! #20yearsofGadar, I express my gratitude to everyone who made our film historic.@ameeshapatel9@anilsharma_dir @zeestudiosofficial #Gadar #Anniversary #Reels #ReelsInstagram #ReelsIndia.”
Check the tweet here
We made a film, you made it an event! #20yearsofGadar, I express my gratitude to everyone who made our film historic.@ameeshapatel9 @anilsharma_dir @zeestudiosofficial#Gadar #Anniversary #Reels #ReelsInstagram #ReelsIndia pic.twitter.com/0VtiIRidR2
— Sunny Deol (@iamsunnydeol) June 15, 2021
Actress Ameesha Patel also shared a BTS snippet from the climax of Gadar, in the caption she wrote, “GADAR .. behind the scenes of the most iconic interval point of the most the most iconic film that Bollywood has seen till date .. thank u for all the love .. 20 years of GADAR .. #GADAR.”
Check her post
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