Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

LAGAAN is a vibrant, entertaining, and exciting story set in the colonial period towards the end of the 1800s.

Musical performance and conversation

The vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and film composer Tejaswinee Kelkar opens the evening by performing an exciting soundscape set to the film, followed by a conversation about the film with Minister of Culture Lubna Boby Jaffery and Kelkar.

There will be a 20-minute break during the screening.

Om filmen:

It follows the basic rules of a Bollywood film and tells the story of the triumph of good over evil. It recounts a struggle without bloodshed, fought by a group of unlikely heroes. A group of farmers, living in one of India’s remote provinces, are struggling with both drought and high taxes. The film’s title plays on this: Lagaan means tax in Hindi. The only possible salvation comes in the form of a challenge. The English colonial officer, Captain Russell, challenges the farmers to a cricket match, a sport that at the time was reserved for the English. If the farmers win, the taxes for the next three years will be lifted. If they lose, the taxes will be tripled. In their fight to save their land, self-respect, and ultimately their lives, they must not only learn to master an unfamiliar sport but also defeat those who invented the rules.

Lagaan’s Oscar nomination in 2002 helped bring attention to Bollywood, the world’s largest film industry. Over 900 films are produced here annually, several hundred more than what Hollywood delivers. These vibrant multi-genre films, which include romance, comedy, action, and fantasy — along with a healthy dose of song and dance — offer experiences rarely found elsewhere. One can draw a parallel to the classic old Hollywood musical to some extent. Both emphasize the classical Manichean universe, where good and evil forces battle each other, and where characters tend to break out into exuberant song and dance numbers.

Bergen Filmklubb

Heritage – Our Place in History

In connection with the event, the Historical Museum is displaying a case on the 2nd floor of Cinemateket featuring a Banam instrument from the Santal community in India. In the exhibition HERITAGE – Our Place in History at the Historical Museum, you can see more Banam instruments and learn about the importance of musical heritage as a cultural expression for the Santal people.

Read more about the exhibition here.

Director

Ashutosh Gowariker (b. 1964) is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter best known for Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001). Gowariker's educational background is in chemistry, and he made his film debut in Holi in 1984. Since then, he has acted in several movies, including Naam (1986), West is West (1987), Gawahi (1989), and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993). After many years as an actor, he shifted his focus to direction and screenwriting, making his directorial debut with Pehla Nasha in 1993.

This film is part of