1-World Festival of Foreign Films
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"Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India"
2001
Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker

This highly polished "Bollywood" musical (reportedly the most expensive Indian film to date) is loads of fun. It's a deliberately old-fashioned crowd-pleaser, set in British-controlled India of the late 19th century. The beleaguered residents of a small village must contend with a severe drought and an increasingly high lagaan (tax) demanded by their oppressive rulers. One heroic villager challenges the lagaan and earns the chance to free his people from the burden, but only if his team can win a cricket match against the Brits. Severely overmatched in a game they do not know, they try to achieve a seemingly impossible victory. Indian box-office idol Aamir Khan stars and also produced. A fast-paced entertainment that seems far shorter than its epic running time. Hindi and English with English subtitles.  224 minutes.