Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

The year is 1893.

Champaner...

A small village in the heart

of India.

The people of Champaner

depended on agriculture...

...like those in thousands

of other villages.

A British Cantonment bordered

the village.

Two miles south,

beyond the Cantonment...

...was the fort of the Raja

of this province.

The British protected

the Raja's domain from attacks...

...by neighbouring rulers.

They also promised the other Rajas

protection from this Raja!

Thanks to this double-dealing,

the British collected a tax...

...from the Rajas - which was paid

by every farmer in the country.

Lagaan...

The submission of a portion of

the farmer's harvest...

...to the Raja as tax.

Every Raja collected Lagaan

from villages under his rule.

The Raja would keep one share

and give the rest to the British.

In this way,

the British fist grew iron strong.

Like thousands of villagers

across the country...

...the farmers toiled

day and night on empty bellies...

...and paid taxes to the Raja

year after year.

Last year it rained...

but very little.

And this year,

there has been no rain so far.

Parched eyes scan the sky.

You're standing there again, Mai.

What are you gazing at?

When will the sky darken

with clouds!

How I long to see it...

A month of the rainy season is gone by.

Not a drop of rain yet!

I'm coming...

By God's grace, we have

drinking water at least.

Or we'd be parched to the bone.

Such are His ways...!

That's true, Mai.

But the fields are thirsty.

How'll the grain ripen!

Don't lose heart, Hari Bhai.

If the sky doesn't give water,

we'll dig deep into the ground.

We'll tear up the earth and get water.

It's what I told Bhuvan.

Where is he?

He went out in the morning.

It's time to eat.

Send him home if you see him.

Yes, Mai.

Stop! You little pests! Stop!

I'll wring your necks!!

Oh, no!

The Great Chicken War again!

Goli, you freak! See if I don't

ram you down a gun barrel!

Go to hell, Bhura!

Come here, I'll show you!

You just wait, I'm coming!

I'll thrash you so bad

you won't get up from bed for days!

How dare you hit my kids?

I'll hang them upside down

and burn chillies under them!

Hassle my hens, will they!

And you bleat once more

and I'll burn your slingshot!

Is that so, ha!

Oh, stop this daily ruckus!

You fight worse than cats and dogs.

But his boys tease my hens!

So? Are they hens or girls!

He acts like they've been molested!

Your hens aren't going to get

married, you know.

Look, Bhura, they are just kids.

And, Goli, control your boys.

Okay... Now tell me,

have you seen Bhuvan?

No. You seen him, Bhura?

No.

Why?

Left, right, left.

Left, right, left.

Scumbags!

Sons of unmarried jackals!

Strutting around

in the blazing heat!

One day you're going back

to your frozen little island...

...whimpering!

I see Saturn glaring balefully at you.

Hey, Guran. Why bother

reading their lousy fortune?

They won't even care.

Read my fortune, won't you?

Come on, tell me.

Will I get the Prince of my dreams?

Why not?

If you truly love him,

he'll give you your wedding bangle.

You'll be his bride.

Really? You heard, Jigni.

- Yes!

But...

- But what?

I see an obstacle.

What obstacle?

Tell me quickly, Guran.

Gauri!

- Later.

Read my fortune.

What is it, Kaka?

Was Guran telling

your fortune?

No... er... yes.

He's mad.

He's got no clue about the present

and just babbles about the future!

No, Hari Kaka. He's not mad.

Have you forgotten Aunt Durga?

She was childless for nine years

after marriage.

Then Guran said she'd have a son.

And wasn't Somu born?

Then there is Kesariya...

All right,

that lunatic is not mad.

Now tell me.

You saw Bhuvan anywhere?

I haven't seen him

but I know where he will be.

Amazing! Our little girl surely

keeps tabs on him, doesn't she?

Hey, Lakha! What is it to you?

I see! It concerns me and

I'm not to open my mouth!

Wear wedding bangles for me.

Lakha, what nonsense is this!

I really mean it, father.

Look. You've grown old

and our Gauri here doesn't care for me.

Here, look at this!

See how badly I am hurt.

Hurt?

It's my father you need, not me.

Bapu!

- What is it?

Lakha has a gash on his hand.

Well, Lakha. You seem to cut

your hand more than you chop wood.

What can I do, Isar Chacha!

I always seem to be wounding

myself... so badly.

Kaka, I'll go fetch Bhuvan.

Listen.

If you see him, tell him...

...Mai is waiting for him.

Yes, I'll tell him.

One...

Two...

Three.

Bloody hell! Missed again.

Quick! Before it disappears.

Over there!

Wesson, you go around.

Let's corner the blasted animal.

One...

Drop the stone.

Finally! Got the damn creature.

Good shot.

- Thank you.

Now for something a little bigger.

Arrest him.

Sir, this darkie was hiding

in the bushes...

...with this stone in his hand.

He'd been distracting

the deer all the time.

Now I understand...

...why I missed five times.

Protector of animals, eh?

He's a farmer, sir.

From Champaner.

Well, you must be

a very good runner.

Try saving this one.

Next time I will shoot you.

Captain Russell, sir.

Raja Puran Singhji is waiting

for you at the Cantonment.

Puran Singh!

What could he want now?

BHUVAN...!

BHUVAN...!

Why're you screaming

your head off?

I was looking for you.

Since I couldn't see you...

Was I lying dead somewhere!

- How should I know...

God! What am I saying.

But why are you so angry?

Oh, never mind.

What do you want?

I've got something special

to tell you.

What?

Sit down, won't you?

So tell me.

Guran read my fortune today.

So, what's the misfortune?

So mean! I won't tell you.

All right. Tell me.

Come on, tell me.

Guran said...

...I'll put henna on my hands

this year...

...I mean get married.

Wow! That's great!

Such happy news.

You'll be dancing with joy.

Who's the boy?

How would I know?

Guran didn't tell me that.

But Guran said for sure...

The house I marry into will have

a Neem tree in the courtyard...

A big field beside the house...

...two cows, a pair of oxen

and three goats.

Guran said my home

will be a little heaven.

How wonderful!

You're really lucky.

Lucky! You call this lucky?

Well, a little heaven of a home.

What more do you want?

God knows what'll become of me!

Well, Bhuvan, tell me one thing.

What kind of girl do you like?

I...

I will like only the girl

whom my Mai likes.

Whom Mai likes?

- Yes.

Oh, God!

- What happened?

Actually...

...I came to tell you that

your Mai wants you.

You tell me now

after all this time!

You sit here now.

I'm going.

Bhuvan, I am sorry!

Rajaji!

How did your hunt go?

The British are the best

when it comes to hunting.

The British Empire is

the best in the world.

Isn't that so?

- Absolutely.

But I am getting worried.

- About what?

When all the game in

the jungle is finished...

...what will your guns target next?

We're fortunate that

you came to visit us.

But I don't know the reason.

I've brought you a request

on behalf of my subjects.

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