Movie Review of "Lagaan"

Hello readers,

On the auspicious day of 15th August 2018 Film Screening Committee organized Movie Screening of the movie "Lagaan" at the Department of English MK Bhavnagar University. Generally, we watch movies for the sake of entertainment, but as a students of English literature we have to watch movie with the help of various literary theories, approaches and different perspectives.

• A'Lagaan': Once upon a time in India is an Indian epic sports drama film directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar. The film is set in the Victorian period of India's colonial British Raj. The story revolves around a small village whose inhabitants, burdened by taxes, find themselves in an extraordinary situation as an arrogant officer challenges them to game of Cricket as a wager to avoid the taxes. The narrative spins around this situation as the alien game and playing for a result that change their village's destiny.

• So, this is archetypal story similar to other movies. There are many archetypal symbols like temple, Rain, Myth, love story, etc. But here we can try to understand or will interpret through the various literary theories, approaches and different perspective like:

• Post Colonialism
• Nationalism
• Indianess
• Patriarchy
• Cricket as metaphor
• Subaltern
• Rural India
• Teamwork and Leadership

• Teamwork and Leadership:   teamwork and leadership is main aspects of this movie, we can say that this is major factor of this film. Leadership is not an easy task, leadership is both a research area and a practical skill encompasses the ability of an individual or organization to lead or guide other individuals and teams. Similarly, Bhuvan also tries to buildup team for the betterment of the village so he tries everything to make unity in the team for the battlement.

• Rural India:  
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•                        India ranks second worldwide in farm output, more than 80% of population live in the rural area, and rural farmers helps a lot to growth our GDP. The real India live in villages. So, The entire setting of the movie in the village, not a single scene of the urban area shown in the movie. So, here  the director tried to show the real India through the villages, how the condition of the people in the village, their farm, everyday life, tension about rain for food grain and  Britisher imposed the high  taxes(Lagaan) on farmers, they unable to pay because of a prolonged drought. Furthermore, we also see the family structure like joint family, gender role, culture and religious atmosphere all the things show the real Rural India.

Subaltern:  

                   

                 Subaltern means marginalization in caste, gender, race, etc by hegemony of power. Power position and elite class are discourse maker and other are inferior. This little beat concept about subaltern. So, in this movie we can see various aspects like gender, caste, culture through subaltern study. Through caste base, First there is one marginalized character his name is Kachra belong to lower class. Further, when Bhuvan elect Kachra in the village team then teammate deny to take him as team member because he is untouchable. Second subaltern in the gender role, gauri's character is marginalized. When Bhuvan looking for to make team then Gauri wants to play a game but her father ask her to do household work, and also all the women characters are passive in the movie. And third one is cultural marginalization. Here we can compare two women character one is Elizabeth is teaching the rules of cricket to win the bet for lagaan and otherside Gauri worship to God for victory. So, here we can say that movie portrayed Indian Culture and psychology inferior to British culture and psychology. fourth living manner and styel between both cultures also make superiority and inferiority.

Cricket as Metaphor:

This movie is very unique one than other patriotic movies. Generally, Patriotic movies use atom bomb, Machinegun, sword, spears to fight with national enemy, but here director use Cricket as metaphor because cricket is a Britisher's game and India also very powerful in this game in 21st century. So , here very good used of this game to make critical thinking and also to make it entertaining. According to me that may be director thought may be was that we can not defeat Britisher with atom or else things but we can do it with cricket because now we are master in cricket. So, It can be possible that the intention of the movie maker to use cricket as metaphor.

Patriarchy:  

As we all know that many Bollywood movie are based on patriarchal ideas. This movie also follow the tradition of our movies. If we talk about the patriarchal elements in the movie we first see the marginalization of women in the character of Gauri, Elizabeth, Arjan's wife and sister, Bhuvan's Mother all are passive and voiceless. When Gauri wanted to play cricket then her father told her to do household work and said this is not women's work. second is Elizabeth, when he tries to help Indian cricket team and her brother come to know about that matter he also scold her and to made her aware to do not go to village. Third are Arjan's wife and sister who not come out outside from the home when the villagers dances outside because of Arjan's restrictions. And at last Bhuvan's mother also a voiceless even she is veteran and has power to handle all thing and give good suggestions to Sarpanch but patriarchal ideology never accept.

Indianess: 

The entire movie is about Indianess. There are many aspects are portrait Indianess like:

Religious activities

Dance form

Food

Clothes

Game

Profession

Gender role

Caste system

Nationalism cum Regionalism:  

                         I don't think so that the movie is about nationalism or patriotism. It can be  the different thinking of director to represent nationalism through regionalism. But, according to me it is only about regionalism, Bhuvan's concerns only for his region or village not stand for entire country's sake. Movie is about the taxes(Laggan) imposed by Britisher on the farmers and farmers unable to pay so Villagers raise their voice fore the sake of their farm and economical condition not for the betterment or freedom from British Raj. I think you see the movie as a patriotic but what is the out come of the is? beyond the cricket game, there is a love triangle between the main characters Bhuvan, Elizabeth and Gauri that's it. 

Post-Colonialism: 

I cant apply Post colonial theory in this movie because movie's setting is in Pre-colonial India. So, there is points from the perspective of director we can say postcolonialism is that the game of cricket in today's Infia.  The game of cricket is belong to Britisher but today we India much powerful in cricket than Britisher. Hence, we can say that India follow the and use British game as our own and mindset as well.