Best Movie Ever Made in Indian Cinema
In ?Lagaan? parallel cinema meets with main stream bollywood masala stuffed cinema. It is neither an art film nor a masala film it is a film with perfect mix of the merits of both these kinds of films. A new classy concept presented commercially. Why can?t be a film both classy and massy? Yes it can be and Lagaan is one such. The movie has everything to entertain the audience mother sentiment, songs, heroism, triangular love, struggle, victory, deals social issues like untouchability, patriotism, betrayal, power of disabled persons, sacrifice, spiritualism, thrilling moments, comedy, action, and above all it features the most enjoyed and worshipped game of India - Cricket for 1.5 hrs. But all mixed in right proportion delivers a traditional food that has a universal taste. Let me not review the movie and it is too late to review the movie as it has received all the curses and praises from viewers all over the world.
Now let us take the Oscar issue and analyse
Why ?Lagaan? lost Oscar?
1. Song sequences
They would have felt the song sequences are illogical and they are far from reality. No people would sing and dance in the streets in joy for the rain to come. No people would sing and dance to convince people to join their cricket team to struggle against English. No lovers would sing duet and dance on the deserts. No people would prepare for the match along with singing an energetic song in-groups.
2. One man show
From the first scene till the end, the movie portrays Bhuvan as the only young man having guts in the village to oppose the English and who takes decision on his own and finally bears all the pain and carries the whole movie on his own shoulders and also ends the match with his winning shot etc., all which make one feel that the movie is a one man show and exaggerates the heroism to its extreme and additionally the illogical Elizabeth?s love for bhuvan confirms that.
3. Cricket
The inclusion of the game Cricket that is supposed to the biggest strength of the film may be the big drawback mainly because of the length of the match. As the Americans may not be aware of this game at all and they may not understand the thrill and uncertainty attached with the game. Plus are these cricket rules were there in the 19th century?. They cannot understand the minute details of the game visualized. Can we watch a 3-hour movie, which features 1.5 hrs soccer/baseball game? It may be boring to watch the game those who don?t understand it. Even though they understand how can all the aspects of the game can happen in a single match.
4. Better Competitor
When it was nominated it had a tough competition with ?No man?s land?. The winner ?No man?s land? is a realistic portrayal of boundary problems between two countries which seems to be the most universal problem at present. But Lagaan is an imaginative story and even though it has a universal theme, those type of struggle for independence are not currently prevailing.
Why the movie got a nomination?
- Song Sequences
Even though they are illogical the songs are the unique features of Indian cinema, they are Indian?s unique way of presenting any script and making the screenplay more interesting. The songs of this movie are different from those of usual other bollywood masalas in the way, there are no group dancers dancing in a duet behind the lead pairs, no dream songs, instead all the songs are situational and carries the story with it. For example, ?mitwa? song replaces the scenes needed to convince other villagers to join the team. It would have bored if Bhuvan goes and talks to each and every one to convince them to join the team but this song alone does all those necessary eliminating some dragging scenes in the screenplay and also doesn?t bore the audience.
?Oh palanhare? song portrays the ultimate belief that we Indians have in God. And such bajans are sung in temple in reality even now. No song distracts the pace of the movie. ?Ghanan ghanan? song is also to say loudly the villager?s longing for rain. Every song is aptly used at right places in the screenplay. And more over, the songs are picturised well close to reality. In ?Ghanan? song almost all of them in the village sings and dances from small kids to old people, if picturised like the lead characters alone dancing and others in the village are watching then it is cinematic but that is not the case in this song. See how much care they would have taken to choreograph for this song because for one shot some 100 people should be dancing and not all of them doing the same steps., All such pain gives a realistic picture of the village and equally all other songs are also picturised with best possible realism in it. So, song sequences are not its drawback.
- One Man Show
Yes it seems to be a one-man show but all the characters (even small characters) in the film have been given equal importance. In recent past I have not seen any movie which gives due importance to all characters that appears on screen. When you come out of the theatre you remember all the characters and have your own opinion about each of them. Each and every character make their presence felt in some way. A single scene is enough for a cameo to make his character unforgettable but that happens rarely when movies that have a good script with a tight knit screenplay in which each and every frame is important and one such movie is ?Lagaan?. And when compared to lot of Hollywood scrappy flicks of Bond and others, the heroism in Lagaan is negligible. So, those Americans who watch bond movies can?t state this as a reason for neglecting the movie.
3. Cricket
India?s most important entertainment are Movies and Cricket and even politics (sometimes). Indians would die for both these. They are sentimental towards cricket and cinema, which one can notice by cinema heroes becoming political leaders in Indian scenario and all international companies using cricket players as their product ambassadors. So, it is a very innovative idea of merging these two entertainments into one. I have not seen a movie in the theatre with audience shouting like as if they are in real stadium watching a match. Moreover it is game that often wakes up our patriotism. And voters? ignorance with the game has nothing to do with the quality of the movie. So, this point is also ruled out.
4. Indian Masala with International theme
The movie has a lot of underlying themes to say about. The power of hard work and aggression of poor villagers, strength of untouchables, strength of physically disabled persons, strength of unity in diversity, patriotism, poetic one side love of Elizabeth that crosses all boundaries (even though illogical), pain of draught, pain of slavery etc., All blended well with the screenplay.
And if I continue to write about Positive aspects of the film, I can continue writing analysing each and every frame of the movie. So, I will stop with this.........
Personally I feel Lagaan is the best deserving Indian movie to get an Oscar.
Debates are welcome.