LAGAAN immortalised the villagers of Champaner defeating their British rulers in a high-stakes cricket match, but the fictional victory didn't sit well with the film's English cast, who demanded a real-life "grudge match". In his book The Spirit of Lagaan, Satyajit Bhatkal, a production executive on the movie, describes how the behind-the-scenes contest turned out be one-sided. The match between the English and the Indian cast members was set for a day after the crew wrapped cricket sequences for the 2001 period drama, which celebrates 25 years of its release on June 15. While Aamir Khan's character ‘Bhuvan' famously seals victory with a lastball sixer in the film, the off-screen contest proved far less dramatic as several members of the British cast were experienced club cricketers. "The script forces the Brits to lose and they know there isn't a thing they can do about it. This has injured their vanity. Now they want revenge - off screen," Bhatkal writes. The British actors had long demanded a real match because the script required them to lose in the film. Production repeatedly postponed the match due to concerns over exposing actors to severe heat and exhaustion after weeks of shooting under harsh conditions in Gujarat. However, as filming of the cricket sequences neared completion, the much discussed "grudge match" was finally scheduled. Aamir assembled a team comprising technicians, members of the art department, lightmen and actors.The British side, meanwhile, featured many of the performers who played the colonial cricketers in the film. The British team was short of players because of sickness and injuries, prompting the Indians to loan them actor Aditya Lakhia, who played 'Kachra' in the film. The move drew playful cries of "traitor,traitor" from the Indian camp.

 

"When c a p t a i n s Aamir and Chris England (who played the menacing fast bowler 'Yardley' in the movie), go out for the toss, the atmosphere is electric. It could well be England versus India," Bhatkal writes in the book. The match, played on March 26, 2000, generated considerable excitement on set, complete with commentary, a scoreboard and enthusiastic spectators. However, the contest turned out to be onesided. "The Brits are regular club players, some have even played at the county level, whereas the Indians are novices at best," Bhatkal writes. After the British side won, the Indian team responded with a standing ovation. According to Bhatkal, the daylong match ultimately helped strengthen bonds between Indian and foreign cast members during the gruelling shoot of seven months near Bhuj. Cricket was not the only sport that brought the unit together. Cast and crew members also participated in a table tennis tournament organised by Barry Hart, one of the British actor-cricketers. The competition, played over two weeks, featured 16 doubles teams, each comprising one Indian and one British player. Every night after shooting, unit members gathered to watch the matches and cheer the participants. The final saw Aditya Lakhia and Chris England take on Aamir Khan and Charlotte, one of the British actors. Lakhia's experience as a statelevel table tennis player from Gujarat proved decisive, according to the book.

 

Away from the sporting contests, another pastime gained popularity among the cast. Actor Rajendra Gupta, who played the village headman, introduced many of his colleagues to nightly card sessions. According to Bhatkal, actors would gather after shooting for games that often continued late into the night. The players jokingly named the group the "Lagaan Playing Cards Club," or LPCC. Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and produced by and starring Aamir Khan, Lagaan told the story of a group of villagers who challenge their colonial rulers to a cricket match to avoid paying an oppressive land tax. The film, whichalso starred Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley,Paul Blackthorne, Suhasini Mulay, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Rajendra Singh, received widespread acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Featuring music by A R Rahman, including songs such as Ghanan Ghanan, Mitwa, Radha Kaise Na Jale, and O Ri Chhori, the film remains cinema's celebrated productions. As part of its 25th anniversary celebrations, Lagaan is being rereleased in select theatres from June 12. ■