Gowariker on How He Convinced Aamir Khan to Produce 'Lagaan'

In a chat with The Quint, Ashutosh Gowariker says, "Aamir Khan said he'll give me all that I need to make Lagaan".

In a chat with The Quint, Ashutosh Gowariker says, "Aamir told me he'll give me all that I need to make Lagaan."

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Lagaan completed 20 years on Tuesday, 15 June. The film starred Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh in lead roles, and director Ashutosh Gowariker managed to assemble an ensemble cast of his dreams.

The Quint caught up with Ashutosh Gowariker, who said he thought his directorial career was over before he set out to make Lagaan. "But", he said, "I knew I had to come to make a film like Lagaan."

Over the years there have been rumours that Shah Rukh Khan was the first choice for the film. However Ashutosh said, "Even when I was writing the film, I had Aamir in mind for the role. He was apt for the role of Bhuvan and for the film."

Talking about Lagaan, Aamir Khan said in a statement, “Lagaan was, is, and continues to be, an amazing journey for me. It has been a journey in which I have met exciting new people, made new friends, started relationships that have lasted over two decades, shared so much with these wonderful people, learnt so much, experienced so many emotions, experienced so much. This journey has shaped me in so many ways. And in this journey, I want to thank Ashu, the entire team of Lagaan, all the different teams that took it to the various audiences across the world, and all of you who have seen the film. We have all come together in this journey, some early, some later as we went along, but all of us are fellow travellers. I want to thank all of you for being my fellow travellers, and for making this journey so unique and fulfilling for me. Thank you for your time, your love, and your generosity of emotions.”

Watch the video to find out more.

Video Editor: Veeru Krishan Mohan