Ashutosh Gowariker’s classic Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India will complete 24 years tomorrow. To mark the occasion, Bollywood Hungama got talking exclusively with the film’s associate director and co-screenplay writer Kumar Dave. For the first time, he has candidly gone deep into creating the film from scratch. Right from including cricket in a period film to sharing the history of cricket to revealing what he bluntly told Aamir Khan after wrapping up the shoot, Dave told it all. He also shared why he initially made efforts to stop Gowariker from making the film.

24 years of Lagaan EXCLUSIVE: “I initially stopped Ashutosh Gowaiker from making this film,” reveals associate director and writer Kumar Dave for the FIRST time; also shares how women invented overarm bowling and why there wasn’t any left-handed player in both the teams in the film

We had just finished Baazi, which Ashutosh directed and I was the chief assistant. Aziz Mirza was making Yes Boss. He was supposed to do another film with Nana (Patekar). I was to be the associate director in that. But unfortunately, that film didn’t get made. As usual, I used to sit with my director. I was known to be blunt if I didn’t like anything. Once, Aziz Mirza suggested to me to write my own screenplay. I said, “What are you talking? I can’t write a letter to anyone.” But he said that I will be able to write. I told him that since he has more trust in me than myself, I will try my level best.

I have close friendship with Ashutosh Gowariker. I did Pehla Nasha and Baazi with him. When Ashu narrated the story of Lagaan to me for the first time, I told him, don’t do this as he won’t get a producer here. I said, this is an international subject and we needed someone who could understand that. Even after writing, we didn’t get a producer for five years. So, I was right for five years. I told him that he needs someone who believes in this story as much as he does. I once told in my first interview that if Aamir hadn’t produced Lagaan, the film would have never been made.

When Ashutosh had pitched the story to Aamir for the first time, he told me that Aamir said there is no screenplay or songs. I told him I don’t know how a screenplay goes but I can promise you six songs, out of which one is a bhajan. He said, “What are you talking?” I said I am confident. So, he said let’s write.

My initial thinking was that I should save Ashu from making his third flop (after Pehla Nasha and Baazi). To stop him, I said we can write this film only in a village because here there will be a lot of disturbance with mobile phones and all. I thought now he won’t make it as I felt I suggested something impossible. But one fine day he said, “Let’s go to Karjat”. I said, “What Karjat? Where is this?” He said it’s his friend’s farmhouse.

So, I tried another reason to stop him by saying that when I discuss a scene, someone needs to write it down, otherwise I forget. But he brought one junior guy and said, “Yeh likhega!” I then thought I have no way to avoid this. So, I had to go to Karjat. But once I decided to take the project, I decided to give him the best. The only mode of entertainment over there was a radio. There was no mobile tower. There was nothing to distract us. There was a caretaker who used to make food. We had an old carom board on which we used to plau. From 8 am to 10 pm, we used to write. That’s how in the first 22 days we finished the first draft.

Ashu and me first got talking on choosing the period and the village. Champaner is a Gujarati word. You might not find Champaner anywhere in Awadh. But our story is based in central India, so the language is Awadhi. But he liked the name Champaner. So, we went ahead with it as everything is fictional. But we had given a realistic approach to the fictional film. We then had to decide the period, based on which the story about cricket can be thought of. Cricket actually was started by women from England, not men. And the overarm bowling action was also introduced because women used to wear skirts and play. If they bowled underarm, their hand used to hit the skirt. That’s why they started bowling overarm. That’s how the bowling action came into being.

Also, the ball in the initial days wasn’t red. We also had to think when did they start wearing pads. So, we had to think of the year. During the Mutiny of 1857, the mindset of the people was different. So, I couldn’t go anywhere near 1857. We decided to begin our story in 1893. The British flag used to change every 10 years in terms of thickness. Hence, we used the flags that were used in that period. We also decided that in this story nobody from the village knows about cricket. And a boy from the village (Bhuvan) tells the British that we will defeat you in cricket! He had an impossible task in front of him.

To achieve this, we had to show someone teaching cricket to the villagers. We earlier decided to include a man from the village who was in the British military, so he knew cricket and he would teach the game. But we then thought that if that is the case, the villagers would know about cricket already. So, we dropped that idea. So, we thought let’s have a romantic triangle and let Elizabeth, the sister of the villain, teach them. And when her brother will not let her teach the villagers, we will introduce the sardar and he will take over. So, that was the entire plan and then the scenes started taking place.

This was tricky. But there are some subjects blessed by destiny. You can’t say how it happened. If I say I did it, it would be false. Me and Ashutosh were not agreeing whether the match should be of five days or three days. We then decided that we shouldn’t give it a modern-day one-day cricket feel. At the same time, we didn’t want to show the test cricket of that era as that would get boring. We thought we need to keep the feel of an ODI but not give an exact ODI. Hence, we took a middle path and decided that it won’t be one-day but one inning match, which goes on for three days. If we had shown a five-day match with two innings, it would have been difficult to remember the scores for the audience.

We then decided that Kachra will bowl first and he will get hit around because he is not a cricketer. He (Bhuvan) doesn’t think that a spinner shouldn’t be given the ball first; he thinks that his ball turns, so he is brought in. But he gets hit around with the new ball. Later, when the ball gets old, they realize that he is able to turn again. So, he gets a wicket and gets a hattrick and you get a magic moment out of it.

Like the Indian team, we had also worked out the entire British team. I had also created a field set up for each bowler from their side. Hence, there won’t be any continuity jerk. In the match, we initially showed that the British mercilessly smash their opponents. It is an error and learning process for Bhuvan. But he somehow takes the wicket and they get all out. We included all the methods of getting out that are there in real cricket in the film, except handling the ball as there is no fun in it.

We had decided to give a shock to the audience. We wanted to show that Bhuvan loses but then they get to know that he actually wins, which makes the audience jubilant. If you would have seen the film in theatre, you should have also seen the audience reaction. Indian audience is very sentimental about cricket and cinema. We provided a mix of both. (The below sketch of the poster of Lagaan is created by Kumar Dave)

There were 2 scenes which we felt were getting too serious, so we left them out. We had prepared 12 drafts. As a producer, Aamir fulfilled all my demands. (But) there were two things I couldn’t do for this film. I wanted a storyboard but there was no time for it. And I wanted a bowling machine. I felt a bowling machine would be better as you can control the speed, instead of just throwing balls at the batters. But we couldn’t do that as our Indian players hadn’t played cricket much, so they could have got injured.

We were shooting in Bhuj for five months but we took holiday on all Sundays, although we got paid for that day. It was such a long schedule, so if we don’t give a break, everyone would get mentally tired. Aamir agreed for that too. It’s a big deal. He also ensured that we had Bisleri water in Bhuj. Even the tea was made with that water.

As an associate director, I used to handle the second unit. Ashutosh was with Apoorva Lakhia and gang, I had Reema Kagti and gang. All the fielding shots were taken by me at a different ground (laughs).

I was only focussed on what I am saying and how. My job was to ensure that the film is sensitive and entertaining. I was working with human emotions, not the technicalities. That was secondary for me. From the cast we had, I can’t tell anyone to play left-handed if they are right-handed. From the British team, more than half of them played county cricket in England. They all are also right-handed, so I can’t ask them to play left-handed.

On the last day when we wrapped up the film, Aamir asked me, “Kya lagta hai Kumar?” He knows my opinions are blunt; that’s why he asked me. I said, “Abhi wrap kiya hai. Ghar toh jaane de. Baad mein poochh.” As he insisted, I told him that the day this film releases, it can have two results – either people will forget it or they will celebrate it. I said ya toh itihaas mein naam karegi utni badi flop hogi, ya itihaas mein naam karegi utni badi hit hogi. There will be no middle ground.

We took so much care while shooting; then why would we reveal everything? We had also strictly warned our artistes that there should be no photography. We decided we won’t tell the world what we made. We will directly show the film. That’s why there is no inclusion of bat or ball on the poster. So, people had that curiosity as to why have they made Aamir Khan wear pagdi and dhoti (laughs). We did all this for the magic, which worked.

Is se chhoti nahin ho sakti thi. The first cut was very long. In today’s times, people would have said, let’s release season 2 of it (laughs).

I don’t remember things that I don’t wish to remember. It’s pointless. I didn’t know one day you will ask me this question (laughs).

More Pages: Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India Box Office Collection , Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India Movie Review

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