 |
| LAGAAN (2001) |
About a half hour into the four-hour epic “Lagaan,” the cast suddenly breaks into the first of several spirited, infectious, hook-laden musical production numbers filled with great singing and choreography.
But this isn’t Hollywood. It’s Bollywood. “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India” is a typical, Hindi-language melodramatic film, the type that will pack thousands of movie goers into air conditioned cinemas across India.
And it’s all incredibly enjoyable.
“Lagaan,” an Oscar-nominated drama, is set in Victorian period of India’s colonial British rule. The film is about a small village whose residents are struggling with a severe drought and also with oppressive, unfair taxes levied by the evil ruling British authorities.
Like most Hindi films, “Lagaan” includes many conventions common to Bollywood films; They feature popular Indian stars, melodramatic stories, over-the-top acting, clearly defined good and bad characters and lavishly staged musical numbers.
