tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265307513666706251.post8664102754871964714..comments2024-02-20T11:29:02.535-05:00Comments on The Dark Time: Film: Lagaan, Once Upon a Time in IndiaElgin Bleeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08417587392887691664noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265307513666706251.post-79983440720477607192016-05-26T04:30:41.054-04:002016-05-26T04:30:41.054-04:00I'll make a note of this one though I'm us...I'll make a note of this one though I'm usually not too keen on films this long.col2910https://www.blogger.com/profile/06422138069939709043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265307513666706251.post-89691660911610829122016-05-05T10:23:48.838-04:002016-05-05T10:23:48.838-04:00Prashant – Thanks for the comments and for recomme...Prashant – Thanks for the comments and for recommending LAGAAN. My review could have been four times as long and still not covered all the good things in this film. And even though I know nothing about cricket, the movie made it easy to follow the game and to get swept up in the suspense of it. Elgin Bleeckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08417587392887691664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265307513666706251.post-5286575874144810112016-05-05T08:02:18.260-04:002016-05-05T08:02:18.260-04:00Terrific choice, Elgin! I absolutely enjoyed your ...Terrific choice, Elgin! I absolutely enjoyed your review of a film I watched more than a decade ago. Incidentally, it was the last Hindi movie I saw in the theatres. I have no patience for films longer than an hour and a half and especially not for the hundreds of song-and-dance films that Bollywood churns out every year. No doubt, there have been some very good non-commercial or parallel cinema in recent years.<br /><br />LAGAAN, which means tax, was a big hit in India which was largely on account of cricket, a religion in my country. The story is loosely based on what could have been during the freedom struggle. Champaran, the village setting in the film, was a real village in the northeast state of Bihar where Gandhi, in 1917, fought for the rights of poor farmers caught between taxes and drought. Aamir Khan, often compared to Tom Hanks, is known for his dedication and intensity. <br /><br />Bhuvan's successful cricket team became a metaphor for the real Indian team which at the time wasn't doing well in the game. I liked LAGAAN mainly because of the various layers in the film, despair, hope, racism, casteism, unity, romance, all blending wonderfully in the end. <br /><br />Lest I forget, thanks for the mention, Elgin.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.com