Paul Blackthorne: “I was happy to point the finger at the British Raj”; He recalls Aamir Khan’s commitment to the film Lagaan (Image Credit: Instagram)
Twenty-five years after Lagaan became one of the most iconic films in Indian cinema, British actor Paul Blackthorne is still surprised by the impact his character, Captain Andrew Russell, continues to have on audiences. During his recent visit to Mumbai, the actor spoke candidly about revisiting the film, his friendship with Aamir Khan, and why saying yes to Lagaan remains one of the best decisions of his life.
People still recognize me Captain Russell ‘
Blackthorn admitted that the passage of time sometimes makes it difficult for him to recognize his younger self on screen.“You look in the mirror now and you have this feeling. You say, ‘Who is this guy? When did this happen?'” Then I watch the movie that night, and I look at the screen and say, “Who the hell is this guy?” “I don’t know this guy,” he told Just Too Filmy.While he often manages to move unnoticed, recognition eventually catches up with him.“If you sit somewhere… people are trying to solve the problem and then they say, ‘Captain Russell.’ And you say, ‘Oh, hello. How are you?’ It’s very funny.”
Lagaan was one of those “Say Yes to Life” moments.
Considering how he landed the role, Blackthorne said he never imagined the film would become a global phenomenon.“You read the script and you either have a response or you don’t. I had a response. I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is epic. This is incredible. This is completely different from anything I’ve ever experienced before.’
Calling it a defining moment in his career, he added, “I think it was one of those ‘Say Yes to Life’ moments. A lot of people don’t take advantage of that moment and then regret it. I realized that this can be an amazing experience.”
About the role of a British officer during colonialism in India
The actor said that he did not hesitate to play a representative of the British Raj, despite his knowledge of the painful history associated with colonialism.“Given my awareness of the tyranny that it was all about – the British Raj and colonialism – I was very happy to point the finger at him and show that,” he said.Blackthorn praised the way Lagan handled the subject. “It was shown, not told. It showed the context of the time without becoming preachy. I had the opportunity to have a lot of fun while acting out the treacherousness of that.”
“I was nominated for a negative role and I didn’t understand it.”
The actor laughed as he recalled being nominated for Best Actor in a Negative Role.“I was told: ‘These are the Indian Oscars, and you have been nominated as Best Actor in a Negative Role.’ “This doesn’t look very good,” I thought. What is this?”He joked that he was disappointed not to win. “I didn’t get it. I was very upset. I thought: How negative can it be for me to get this award?”
Watch Lagaan after almost two decades
Blackthorne recently watched the film again after nearly 20 years and found himself experiencing it from a completely different perspective.“It was the most objective viewing I’ve ever had because of this distance from the last time I saw it and not really getting to know the man on the screen,” he said.One scene, in particular, continues to affect him deeply. “The sight of Kachra… gets me going every time. The power of that sight goes through every pore in my body. It’s unbelievable.”He was also struck by the film’s humor and the tension created during the cricket match.
“The intensity that builds as the cricket match builds, the camera angles, the tension – it’s great direction, great cinematography, great execution of it all.”
Learn Hindi by Captain Russell
Playing the role of Russell required months of preparation, especially since Blackthorne had to perform his part in Hindi.“Amer placed me with a great teacher in London and I spent about four months revising these lines,” he revealed.The actor explained that acting in itself was challenging enough, but doing it in another language added an extra layer of complexity.
“It was a double leap of faith that we hoped the Hindi words would come out.”
The funny story behind “Lagan Pasta”
One of Blackthorne’s favorite memories from the shoot involves what the actors later called “laggan noodles.”After the British actors casually mentioned that they were eating a lot of Indian food and wouldn’t mind some variety, the production arranged a spaghetti meal.“We walked in and someone shouted: ‘It’s pasta!’ It’s pasta!” Everyone was scooping it up.
Then we realized it was curry pasta.”The experiment was mostly successful, but not without consequences. “One time I had the most unfortunate experience, where it was simmering inside me and expanding and expanding. I really felt like I was going to explode.”
‘Amer Khan For example”
Blackthorn praised Aamir Khan’s work ethic and commitment for inspiring everyone on the set.“If this were Hollywood, the star would be hiding out in an air-conditioned trailer somewhere.
Amer was under the umbrella like us, drinking tea like us.The actor recalls seeing Khan actively interacting with thousands of extras during the large-scale scenes. “When you see that kind of spirit, you just shut up and keep doing your stuff. It doesn’t matter if you have a blister on your foot.”
A friendship that lasted 25 years
What started as a professional collaboration eventually turned into a lasting friendship.“Amer has been incredibly generous to me over 25 years,” Blackthorne said.
“Even this weekend, inviting me to come here is outrageous. And I’m grateful for that.”Reflecting on the unexpected journey that Lagaan embarked on, the actor admitted that he never imagined that he would still be talking about the film in Mumbai a quarter of a century later.“If someone had said at the end of 1999 that I would be sitting in Mumbai reliving this 25 years later, I would have pinched myself too. I feel very lucky. It has been an incredible experience.”
