Bollywood
Aamir Khan revealed how it did feel right when he rejected 'Lagaan' and kept thinking about other actors who defied the norms and did roles out of their comfort zones. He then called Ashutosh Gowarikar again to narrate the script in front of his parents.
Updated : Sep 10, 2024, 12:19 PM IST | Edited by : Riddhima Kanetkar
'Lagaan' is one of Aamir Khan's best films. It was not only a box office hit but is also considered one of the superstar's best films to date. Now, in a recent interview, Aamir Khan revealed how he did not agree to work on the film in one go. Aamir Khan revealed that when he heard 'Lagaan', in five minutes of its narration, he rejected it. He told the director, Ashutosh Gowariker that, as per him, it was a story of people who were unable to pay 'Lagaan' as there was no rain and they played cricket with Britishers.
However, later something significant happened that Aamir Khan agreed to do the film and it proved to be a superhit. In a video shared by ViralBollywood’s YouTube Channel, Aamir Khan said, "I told Ashutosh that your script is unbelievable but I don’t have the courage to do your film. This is so different, it is breaking so many rules of mainstream cinema but I don’t have the courage to do this. I also wondered who would produce this. I couldn’t imagine a producer who would do this sincerely. Go to England, find all the British actors, and give this the scale that it needs."
Aamir Khan further revealed how it did feel right when he rejected the film and kept thinking about other actors who defied the norms and did roles out of their comfort zones. He then called Ashutosh Gowarikar again to narrate the script in front of his parents.
Aamir Khan said it was his parents' reaction that gave him the confidence to work in 'Lagaan'. "They were crying throughout. My father said that I don’t know if this will work or not but I know that when you make a film, it should be a great story and this is it. Mother said you should do this and it gave me confidence."
'Lagaan' went on to become one of the biggest hits of Aamir Khan's career. It was also nominated at the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category. At the 49th National Film Awards, 'Lagaan' won eight awards.