At the Red Lorry Film Festival 2026, a captivating conversation unfolded between Aamir Khan and director Ashutosh Gowariker about their landmark film Lagaan (2001). When asked about the film’s Oscar journey and foreign press reactions, they addressed a report by The Daily Telegraph that described Lagaan as portraying the British as ruthless sadists.
The filmmaker Ashutosh clarified, “That’s not true. The film shows one eccentric Englishman trying to be harsh, but there are fair umpires, and senior officers who try to correct his mistakes. Plus, his sister is the biggest support for the villagers.” Aamir added, “That was never our intention. That writer’s take was more about his own insecurity.”
The duo was then questioned about inspiration from B.R. Chopra’s Naya Daur (1957). Ashutosh debunked the popular myth: “I wasn’t inspired by Naya Daur. I hadn’t even seen it back then. My inspiration came from childhood memories of visiting my hometown Kolhapur, observing farmers, and rural life.”He recounted screening Lagaan for B.R. Chopra, who was in a wheelchair.
“He loved the film, saying village life hadn’t been captured like this before. Only much later did I watch Naya Daur and saw that its famous truck vs. bullock cart race was a man-versus-machine plot, a different story altogether.”Then, Aamir surprised the audience by saying, “To me, Lagaan is more like an Asterix comic!”Ashutosh enthusiastically agreed, “It’s not just like Asterix, Lagaan is Asterix.
In Asterix, a small village resists the might of the Roman Empire. Here, a small Indian village takes on the British Empire.” Aamir added, “Plus, half the villagers bicker among themselves, like Bhura and Goli used to—making it even more like Asterix.”
The French comic connection seemed fitting, as Ashutosh noted, “Our film also did very well in France!” Stay tuned to know more about it and others only with us and if you have anything to share do comment below and share your thoughts.
