hansdass

Now that Lagaan has been nominated for the Oscars, there's absolutely no doubt that Bollywood movies are happening and are here to stay. Lagaan is a truly impressive picture that does away with all the stereotypes and displays the new-age Bollywood film-making technique that is all set to conquer the world. It isn't the usual story of good-versus-evil. It is a war of egos, a war of fates, a war to protect one's identity, a war to protect one's land and one's existence. Bhuwan, the simple village youth who has never even heard of the game cricket which is so much popular with his colonial masters, takes on the angry Capt. Andrew Russell in this alien game, only in order to save his village, as-well-as the other villages in that province, from the almost impossible task of paying taxes during a prolonged drought period, when there's hardly any food for anyone.

Aamir Khan, who can easily be named the best actor in Bollywood, has dared to make a brilliant film on an unconventional theme. Bollywood, despite having such a great mass-appeal, has always been very reluctant in handling unconventional, unusual themes. But Khan, a pure perfectionist that he is, just went ahead, and along with Ashutosh Gowariker, a film-maker who had so far been under-estimated, made a Lagaan which will stand as an example for other producers and directors.

Everything about Lagaan is worth-watching. Aamir Khan as Bhuwan and his ten comrades, played by actors of calibre like Raghuveer Yadav, Sri Vallabh Vyas, Amin Haji, Raj Zutshi, Pradeep Rawat and others are matchless. Debutante Gracy Singh is wonderful as the village-belle Gauri who loves Bhuwan. She is a natural actress and more than that a wonderful dancer. Her's is one of the best debut performances that Bollywood has seen. However Gowariker should be praised for his terrific handling of the British cast. Paul Blackthorne as the tyrant Capt. Russell is absolutely convincing. Rachel Shelley as the memsaab Elizabeth Russell looks stunning, and her Hindi is good. The sets are very rustic and very real and A. R. Rahman's music gels with the narrative.

A shouldn't-be-missed movie. An epic production.

"Qayamat se Qayamat Tak" is an unforgettable picture. It wouldn't be wrong to call QSQT a landmark movie in the history of Indian cinema. A love-story, the type of which can hardly be made again. I t was released in the 80s, when there was a deluge of similar-looking action and formula films. QSQT came in as a real breath of fresh air. It was the ultimate love-story. A story about two warring families, stubborn parents, and despite all this the children of these families fall in love with each other. Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla were relaunched after making respective debuts in "Holi" and "Sultanate", and I don't remember having seen anybody else fresher than these two. Their pair was amazing. Actors and actresses now lack that innocence. There was no sex and no violence, and yet the film had such a wide appeal. Actually, the simple and the innocent approach of the film was it's greatest plus-point. Another big thing contributing to the timeless appeal of the film is it's music. The late Majrooh Sultanpuri's unforgettable lyrics ("Papa kahte hain...", "Aye mere humsafar...", "Ghazab ka hai din..." and all the songs) and col tunes composed by the Anand-Milind duo (why don't they do something like this once again) were matchless. In a nutshell "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak" is a movie no true movie-lover should miss.