Lagaan (English: Land Tax) is a 2001 Indian epic sports drama film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. Aamir Khan, who was also the producer, stars with Gracy Singh in the lead roles; British actors Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne play the supporting roles. Made on a then-unprecedented budget of ₹250 million (equivalent to ₹540 million or US$8.6 million in 2015), the film was shot in an ancient village near Bhuj, India.
The film is set in the Victorian period of India's colonial British Raj. The story revolves around a small village whose inhabitants, oppressed by high taxes, find themselves in an extraordinary situation as an arrogant officer challenges them to a game of cricket as a wager to avoid the taxes. The narrative spins around this situation as the villagers face the arduous task of learning the alien game and playing for a result that will change their village's destiny.
In the small village of Champaner, (in the State of Gujarat, in western India) during the height of the British Empire in India in 1893, Captain Andrew Russell (Paul Blackthorne), the commanding officer of the Champaner cantonment, has imposed high taxes ("lagaan") on people from the local villages which they are unable to pay due to a prolonged drought. Led by Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), the villagers beg Raja Puran Singh (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) to help them. He tells them that much to his regret, he is also bound by British law.
Clasificación [ CM DVD 00629] Disponible en DVD, 4 Piso BJB)