58 out of 99 people found the following review helpful:

A golden duck

mozdoz from London, 19th July, 2004

I find the rave reviews of this overlong (3 hours plus!) and painfully predictable film mystifying. If, like me, you are a moderate cricket fan, you are better off watching a real game. If you were hoping for a fresh take on British imperialism in India, forget it. True, there are some decent Bollywood song and dance set pieces, but this is not enough to overcome the tedium. As for the outcome of the life-or-death match, the film’s dramatic centre point, anyone over the age of 10 would have guessed before it had even started. That’s particularly disappointing after wading through the lumbering plot and mind-numbingly dull stereotypes (brave but downtrodden Indian villagers/ nasty pooterish British).

The cricketing action is absurd, an overblown mix of sub-Murali bowling actions, swash-buckling slogging, dropped catches, pompous umpiring and OTT celebrations on the fall of a wicket. There was even a match commentator, despite the game taking place in 1877! The six-off-the-final-ball climax, with the future food supply of an entire Indian province hanging in the balance, should have been nerve-jangling. Instead it was lame in the extreme. I much preferred the recent British film, Wondrous Oblivion, which, despite the cliches, convincingly shows how cricket, and therefore all sport, can help overcome prejudice and build bridges between different peoples.

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10 out of 12 people found the following review helpful:

The shortest 4 hour film I've ever watched

Robert from London, 1st March, 2004

Just when you think you're watching an Indian remake of some Leone film in comes a totaly OTT song and dance number. The heros are heroic the villains are villainous. A knowledge of cricket and Indian culture/history will help explain some of the deeper messages but don't let that put you off. Its great fun and a cut above much of Hollywoods' output

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9 out of 9 people found the following review helpful:

Bollywood cricket

kevinF from London, 13th September, 2004

A beautifully filmed story of revenge against the dastardly colonial British.

The story is somewhat trite but none-the-less satisfying in a Sound of Music sort of way.

The singing, dancing and Indian life are really uplifting. The British are two dimensional card board cut out, Punch and Judy Villains. The basic plot is the magnificent 11 and the cricket match could have been made a little more realistic.

But great escapist fun and interesting insight into Indian film.

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8 out of 8 people found the following review helpful:

It will knock you for six

kavieboy from surrey, 23rd April, 2004

This was my first Bollywood film and I really enjoyed it. It is a story of love, oppression and rebellion all told with a large helping of singing and dancing. The soundtrack is really catchy too.

The film is very long but don’t be put off by this, just find some time to sit down and be prepared to be absorbed!

Also the topic of cricket may further put people off, but don’t be. There is a large part of this film devoted to the 'big game', but my girlfriend, who hates the sport, was just as riveted to the ending as myself.

Great entertainment all round.

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Lagan

Niaz from , 6th February, 2010

Lagan a story based on a indian villagers prior to independance. The story is about the courage of a villager and his motivation which lead other villagers to get their respect and land back. this story is about a discrimination on wealth and power basis and withholding of poor right and treating them unfairly. this story also have a touch of love, emotion ans sencierity, also the believe on unity is strength. In this film all the charecter had played their role extreemly well, the learn how to play cricket and the rolls of the game. In this story it is high lighted regardless what disabilities and diseases someone have,they are human being and must be treated equally.

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decent

Randomfilmbuff from , 28th June, 2009

this is quite entertaining but it didnt need to be 3 hours and 40mins!

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Indian epic that hit me for six!

Luke512me from , 18th May, 2009

This film provides a voice for the subcontinent on the repression of the empire in India, that neatly captures the issues of the period. . . Captain Russell actions succinctly symbolise the arrogance of the English empire. Driven by a confidence in pseudo-scientific aryan racial theories and an unquenchable financial greed. . . While the villagers although are somewhat caricatures, their relationships depict the relevant tensions felt by peasants in India. Religious rivalry, subjection to the Raj and Rajajih, and the interminable problem of just surviving. The stasis of social mobility is touched upon, although perhaps a little dreamily through Bhuvan's epic speech concerning the teams star bowler. . . Furthermore a neat love triangle that discusses the power of the widowed mother, the taboo of interracial love and the importance of marriage within Indian villages. A catchy song by Gauori about the sexual frustrations of women in these villages highlights a topic notably absent from historical discussions in a progressive and light-hearted manner. Furthermore we also see the benevolent English in this triangle. In opposition to the usual stereotypes of the mems, put forward most famously by Kipling, we see Eliza who genuinely wants the best for the Indian people but is unfortunately silenced by the Raj. . . All in all Lagaan, is a beautiful, fun, interesting film that highlights interesting historical issues while being extremely watchable and ultimately extremely fulfilling. . . As an aside - for those of you expecting a 'cricket film', perhaps this isn't for you. If you are looking for a film about social issues concerning the empire in India, seen through a bollywood tint - rent, rent, rent!

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cricket is a long game, this is a long film

A Customer from London, 24th March, 2009

Enjoyable, but long film, one to have at home when you're off sick and really can't do anything else.

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