As ‘Lagaan’ marks 25 years, many stories from the making of the iconic film are resurfacing. At a special event to mark 25 years of Aamir Khan’s production, veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar shared a surprising confession – he was convinced the film would flop when he first heard the script.Today considered one of the landmark films of Indian cinema, ‘Lagaan’ went on to garner critical acclaim, becoming one of the biggest hits of 2001 and also receiving an Academy Award nomination. But according to Javed Akhtar, the project looked risky from all angles when it was first conceived.Recalling his initial reaction to the script, the lyricist said the film challenged many industry assumptions of the time. Conventional wisdom suggests that audiences were no longer attached to heroes in dhotis, period dramas were out of fashion, and cricket was considered too slow-paced to make for compelling cinema.Sharing what he told Aamir Khan at the time, Javed Akhtar recalls, “I said to him: ‘What are you doing? The film you are making will never work. The script is terrible.'” In other words, everything that shouldn’t be in the movie is in it. People say that films in which the hero wears a dhoti are no longer successful; Times have changed. We didn’t even allow that
Gabbar Singh
wear dhoti. People say period films don’t work. You’re making a period film. People say cricket isn’t cinematic at all, it’s a slow game.’”
He also recalled being puzzled by the song’s situations in the film, joking that the narrative revolved almost entirely around the uncertainty of rain.He said, “What is the situation of the songs in your film? The first situation is that it is about to rain. The second situation is that it might rain. The third situation is – when will it rain? The fourth situation is – what if it does not rain? These are your situations. Why am I supposed to write songs in all of this?”Despite the doubts surrounding him, Aamir Khan never wavered in his belief that the film would succeed.“But Aamir was completely unfazed. He said: ‘No, you’ll see, this film will be very good.’ After he left, I said to my friend: ‘Look, this film won’t do.’ But it didn’t matter to me, I had signed the songs, I will do my job properly. Let them do what they do,” Javed Akhtar said.But history has proven otherwise. Output
Ashutosh Gowariker
‘Lagaan’ emerged as a cultural phenomenon and remains one of the most iconic films in Indian cinema. Its music, composed by AR Rahman and lyrics by Javed Akhtar, continues to resonate with audiences. Songs like ‘O Palanhare’, ‘Ghanan Ghanan’, ‘Mitwa’ and ‘Radha Kaise Na Jale’ remain perennial favorites more than two decades after the film’s release.
