Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India (2001)

In 1893, a small Indian village suffering from severe drought is devastated when their taxes to the British Raj is doubled. When a young villager (Aamir Khan) leads his village and protests, the commanding officer (Paul Blackthorne) of the British cantonment offers him a wager in the form of a game of cricket. If the villagers win, no taxation for three years but if they lose, they pay triple taxes! Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, this is a wonderful piece of entertainment. Combining the musical with a sports movie, the film manages to fuse colorful and melodic singing and dancing with a real nail biter of who will win sports film. It's such an exhilarating film that its near four hour (with intermission) running time zips by. The song score is by A.R. Rahman who seven years later would win two Oscars for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. It's unique in that it seems familiar to those of us who grew up on Hollywood musicals and sports films yet extremely fresh in its telling at the same time. The cast is enormously appealing and if Blackthorne overdoes the British villainy, Rachel Shelley as his sister brings a gentle comeliness as the lass attracted to to Khan. With the charming Gracy Singh as the romantic interest, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Raghubir Yadav, Rajesh Vivek, Yashpal Sharma and Amin Hajee.