Ashutosh Gowariker recalls Amitabh Bachchan warning them before joining Lagaan: ‘Whenever I give a voiceover to a film, that film fails…’

Ashutosh Gowariker says that the first time they approached Amitabh Bachchan for Lagaan, he was hesitant to say yes.

New Delhi | April 28, 2025 08:09 PM IST

3 min read

Ashutosh Gowariker recalls Amitabh Bachchan warning them before joining Lagaan

Ashutosh Gowariker recalls how Amitabh Bachchan was hesitant to join Lagaan..

Few elements are as iconic to Lagaan as Aamir Khan’s character Bhuvan’s line “Sharat Manzoor Hai,” Kachra’s mind blowing hat-trick, the winning six, A.R. Rahman’s soundtrack — and Amitabh Bachchan’s voiceover that frames the story. But not many know that Bachchan was initially hesitant to lend his voice to the film. In a newly released behind-the-scenes video on Aamir Khan’s YouTube channel, director Ashutosh Gowariker revealed that convincing Amitabh wasn’t easy.

“The first time we wanted to approach him, there was this myth that he told us about,” Ashutosh said. “He said to Aamir that whenever I give a voiceover to the film, that film doesn’t work. The film fails… If you are willing to take that risk… then go ahead but be aware that I did tell you earlier.” Ashutosh recalled that Aamir laughed off Amitabh’s warning and decided to move forward anyway. “We made him watch the film, he liked the film… he understood the narration style, what kind of narration style was needed.” After that, getting Amitabh on board became a smoother process.

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Ashutosh Gowariker also recalled the first time he heard Amitabh Bachchan’s voice layered over the film’s opening scenes. “With his voice, I suddenly felt that the aspect of storytelling came alive… his voice became the entry point to the film… it became believable.” Indeed, it was his narration that ultimately played a key role in Lagaan’s enduring appeal, lending the period drama with a sense of gravity and timelessness.

In fact, Aamir Khan had previously spoken about how even lyricist Javed Akhtar warned him not to make Lagaan. In a chat with India Today, Aamir shared that Lagaan was a “very scary” film to make. His worries multiplied when Javed called him and asked, “Why are you making this film? This will not work.” Javed went on to list everything that would go against Lagaan. “He said sports films never work, cricket films never work. You are talking in Awadhi — who will even understand what you are saying? Everyone is wearing gorgeous outfits and shooting in Switzerland, and you are shooting in a village in a dhoti. One of his points was that you have gotten Amitabh Bachchan to narrate the film. So apparently, whichever film Mr. Bachchan has given a voiceover for, has flopped,” he recalled.

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