"Every Indian should have Lagaan DVD" - Aamir Khan
Features
-Staff
By Staff
By:
Faridoon
Shahryar,
IndiaFM
Monday,
June
18,
2007
"Every
Indian
should
have
Lagaan
DVD," said
Perfectionist
Khan,
Aamir
Khan
at
the
launch
of
DVD/
VCD
of
Oscar
nominated
film
Lagaan
and
the
making
of
the
movie
titled
Chale
Chalo
(directed
by
Satyajit
Bhatkal)
at
an
event
in
Mumbai
yesterday.
Aamir,
along
with
director
Ashutosh
Gowarikar,
Gracy
Singh,
Javed
Akhtar,
Satyajit
Bhatkal
and
other
members
of
the
Lagaan
team
watched
a
special
screening
of
Chale
Chalo.
"It
brought
tears
to
my
eyes
while
watching
Chale
Chalo
at
several
occasions,"
he
said.
Noted
scriptwriter
and
lyricist
Javed
Akhtar
summed
up
the
Lagaan
experience
succinctly.
"How
time
passes.
Seven
years
have
passed.
In
retrospect
I
have
learnt
how
to
write
a
script.
For,
here
is
a
film
that
breaks
all
norms.
When
Ashutosh
Gowarikar
came
to
me
first
and
narrated
the
script,
I
had
tremendous
sympathy
and
compassion
for
him.
Here
was
a
man
planning
to
commit
suicide.
I
sent
an
SOS
to
Aamir
sahib
stating
the
same.
A
film
with
a
rural
background,
hero
wearing
a
dhoti,
rural
folk
music,
heroine
wrapped
in
a
sari,
cricket
was
a
poison
for
box
office....this
film
was
exactly
the
opposite.
But
after
Lagaan
I
have
realized
that
there's
no
formula,
no
law.
Only
law
is
instinct,
passion
and
love
for
cinema.
What
is
admirable
is
the
passion,
the
junoon
that
went
in
making
this
film.
Hats
off
to
Aamir
and
his
team
for
the
junoonthat
is
a
rarity
these
days," Akhtar
said.
Aamir
on
his
part
as
a
producer
clarified
that
he
couldn't
release
the
DVD
for
six
years
after
the
release
of
the
film
as
he
was
under
a
contract
which
stated
that
he
can't
bring
out
the
DVD
of
the
film
in
the
market
for
five
years
after
the
release
of
the
film.
"People
say
that
I
take
a
lot
of
time
in
taking
decisions....Log
kahte
hain
ki
abhi
tak
soch
raha
hoga....but
it
was
nothing
of
that
sort,"
Aamir
said.
And
why
did
he
choose
Excel
Home
Videos?
"I
chose
Excel
because
I
wanted
high
quality.
I
also
realized
Excel
can
give
me
commitment,
care
and
passion."
Releasing
the
DVD
after
six
years...Any
apprehensions
how
the
commercial
fate
would
be?
"Sach
aur
sahas
hai
jiske
mann
mein...anth
mein
jeet
usi
ki
rahe,
"
Aamir
said
in
a
dramatic
pose
with
Lagaan
fist
pointed
towards
the
journo
who
asked
the
question
while
the
rest
of
them
bursting
into
a
loud
clap.
"We've
had
record
bookings.
Lagaan
may
turn
out
to
be
the
largest
selling
DVD,"
said
Muslim
Kapasi,
Managing
Director,
Excel
Home
Videos.
Aamir
also
clarified
that
Chale
Chalo
is
not
for
promotional
purposes.
"It's
about
the
experiences
that
went
in
making
a
film
like
this.
I
asked
Mr
Kapasi
to
get
all
the
buyers
and
show
them
Chale
Chalo,"
Aamir
said.
Kapasi
added,
"All
the
buyers
were
wondering
what
the
film
would
be
like.
Aamir
had
asked
me
to
tell
them
that
he
would
be
there
during
the
screening
as
well
which
would
at
least
keep
them
in
the
theatre.
But
I
didn't
do
that.
Everybody
sat.
The
response
was
overwhelming."
Aamir
further
said
that
the
success
of
any
film
depends
on
word
of
mouth.
"One
person
sees
it,
he
will
tell
ten
other
people."
Director
Ashustosh
Gowarikar
on
his
part
said,
"Making
Lagaan
was
one
thing.
Watching
the
Making
of
Lagaan
is
a
wonderful
achievement.
A
big
round
of
applause
for
Satyajit.
Cheers
to
all
the
lovers
of
Lagaan."
Bhatkal
reiterated
what
Javed
Akhtar
had
said
earlier.
"It's
all
about
Junoon.
Filmmaking
is
about
abandonment
of
pragmatism.
I
kept
shooting
in
an
unplanned
manner.
And
then
we
realized
we
had
the
rushes
to
make
this
movie."
While
it
was
a
very
very
special
day
for
Gracy
Singh
as
she
met
her
Lagaan
team,
Javed
Akhtar
had
the
last
word
when
he
narrated
a
funny
anecdote
during
the
making
of
the
song
Chale
Chalo
(on
which
The
Making
of
Lagaan
is
named).
"Music
directors
tend
to
give
dummy
words
for
their
compositions.
Rahman
sahib
who
doesn't
have
an
enviable
grasp
of
Hindi
Urdu
had
given
the
dummy
words
as
Nasha
Nasha.
If
I
wouldn't
have
given
the
words
Chale
Chalo,
this
making
would
have
been
called
Nasha
Nasha,"
the
wordsmith
said
amidst
peals
of
laughter.
Well....it
may
be
Chale
Chalo
that
is
creating
waves....but
the
true
spirit
of
Lagaan
lies
in
the
line...Sach
Aur
Sahas
Hai
Jiske
Mann
Mein
Ant
Mein
Jeet
Usi
Ki
Hi
Rahe...Wonder
in
an
era
when
multi
crore
deals
are
the
order
of
the
day,
a
film
that
unites
the
nation
with
good
humour,
mellifluous
music,
pertinent
message
and
Retreat
to
Victory
ecstasy
will
ever
be
made
in
the
near
future.
What
do
you
say!
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