Lagaan At The Oscars: When Ashutosh Gowariker Said The Nomination Would Give India Cinema New Recogn

Released in 2001, this epic period drama – that had cricket at its core – starred Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne and dozens more.

It’s a proud moment for India as The White Tiger – starring Bollywood talents like Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra and Rajkummar Rao – has earned itself a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Oscars 2021 nominations are here. As we rejoice in this win, we go back to the time Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan made it there too.

Released in 2001, this epic period drama – that had cricket at its core – starred Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne and dozens more. The film was so liked by audiences in India and abroad that it earned itself a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Oscar Awards.

Becoming the third Indian film to do so – after Mother India (1957) and Salaam Bombay! (1988) – the cast and crew of Lagaan were super excited. In a throwback conversation that we got our hands-on, Aamir Khan opened up the Oscar nomination to Lehren, saying, “Well, this one is for India.

Aamir Khan said, “I would to like thank all the Indians and everybody who put in their hearts for our film. You know with everybody’s prays it has reached so far. I would like to thank everybody for that.” He added, “I’ll like to say that the process of making the film was as enjoyable, if not more, than the success the film is getting.”

Director Ashutosh Gowariker also spoke about Lagaan’s nomination at the Oscars 2021 saying, “Bahot khushi ki baat hai. Yeh sirf mere liye, ya Aamir ke liye, ya Lagaan ke team ke liye, par mujhe lagta hai yeh bharat ke liye bohut hi garv ki baat hai. Humari film ko ek nomination mila hai jiske wajeh se ab Indian cinema ko ek nayi pehchaan milegi – antarraashtreey stahl par. (It’s really good news. This isn’t only a proud moment for me, Aamir or the team of Lagaan, but for the entire nation too. Our film has been nominated on such a level that Indian cinema will get recognition a new and that too on an international platform.”

We were all sad when Lagaan lost the race to the French-English film from Bosnia and Herzegovina, No Man’s Land. And so was the cast of the much-loved movie.

How excited are you for the upcoming Oscars 2021? Let us know in the comments. Get the latest updates on koimoi.com