The film Lagaan is still remembered for its story, music, and strong performances. But apart from what was seen on screen, there were many interesting moments behind the scenes that people are still learning about. In a recent conversation with Just Too Filmy, Aamir Khan shared one such incident from the set. Even though he was the lead actor and also the producer, he was treated like everyone else when it came to following rules.
Talking about the experience, he said, “Lagaan had so many actors, and she was the second AD. She had to plan all the timings—about who would come at what time, who would have breakfast when, etc. They used to keep 15 minutes for breakfast, and I eat slowly, I do everything slowly, so I told them to call me 15 minutes earlier. She scolded me and said, ‘For you, the whole hair and makeup team will not come 15 minutes earlier’.”
The assistant director he mentioned was Reema Kagti. Aamir explained that she did not hesitate to speak strictly, even to him. He said, “I’m the producer and she is scolding me. I said, ‘It takes time for me.’ She said, ‘I don’t care, you have to come…’ She spoke to me very harshly. I felt hurt. So I said, ‘From now on, I will not have breakfast.’ It didn’t affect her; she said, ‘Very good, you can be ready on time then.’ After a week, exhausted, I went back to having breakfast there again.”
This shows how seriously discipline was followed during the shoot. Director Ashutosh Gowariker made sure that everyone stayed on schedule.
Filmmaker Apoorva Lakhia also shared another incident in an interview with Friday Talkies. He explained how strict the rules were, even for Aamir. “There were clear instructions that the bus would leave at a fixed time, with only a three-minute grace period for anyone running late. On the third day, Aamir was late. Ronit Roy was handling security, and everyone was already seated on the bus, waiting for him. Everyone was looking at me, wondering what I would do. I was nervous, but I knew I had to set an example,” he said.
He further added, “I told the driver to leave Aamir behind, but he refused. Ronit was standing at the door of the bus, waiting for Aamir. At one point, I just kicked Ronit. He fell out, and I grabbed the driver by the neck and told him, ‘I will break your neck if you don’t start driving.”
Despite the situation, Aamir understood why such strict rules were needed for a big film like Lagaan. Released in June 2001, the film became one of the most well known films in Indian cinema. It was nominated for the Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category and won eight National Film Awards.