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Director Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan is a landmark film, not just for the members of its cast and crew, but in the larger landscape of Indian cinema itself. Only the third – and as of 2025, the last – Indian film to clinch a nomination for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film after Mother India (1957) and Salaam Bombay! (1988), the period musical sports drama gave many of its actors, who were awaiting a big break, immense recognition. For actor Daya Shankar Pandey, too, playing the role of Goli in Lagaan proved life-changing, with a slew of opportunities coming his way since then.
However, Daya was cast in the role only four days before the commencement of the movie’s shooting. In fact, he recently revealed that he even lashed out at Aamir Khan over the phone for not offering him a role. At that time, his wife was pregnant and Daya badly needed a job to make ends meet. Interestingly, Daya had previously worked with Ashutosh Gowariker in both his initial directorial ventures, Pehla Nasha (1993) and Baazi (1995), among which the latter also featured Aamir in the lead.
“I knew Aamir ji beforehand, and by then I had already done two films with Ashutosh Gowariker ji, whom I consider my friend too,” he said during a chat with Friday Talkies. Daya added, “My casting happened only four days before the film’s shoot began. Although I wasn’t associated with the project initially, I knew that the movie was set in a village in the countryside in the north. Hence, there was also a sense of anger coming deep from within me. In a fit of rage, I called producer Aamir Khan saab and said, ‘This film is based on villagers. And if I am not cast even in such a movie, who else is going to cast me? Will directors like Yash Chopra ji and Karan Johar ji, who make movies set against the backdrop of places like Switzerland, rope me in? You say I am a very good actor; then why are you not casting me?’ Hearing all this, he started laughing a lot and kept all this in his mind.”
Mentioning that he was facing significant financial difficulties at that time, particularly since his wife was pregnant, Daya noted, “I had no job then and was in a perpetual state of tension. One day, I was having dinner, and the landline phone rang. I even remember the exact date and time: December 26, 1999. When I picked up the phone, it was Aamir Khan on the other end. He asked me what I was doing these days, and I replied that I was working on one or two movies along with a few TV shows. He asked, ‘Will you do Lagaan?’ I immediately said yes. He told me to come to his office the next day and meet Reena ji (Aamir’s then-wife, Reena Dutta). Mentioning that he had a good role for me, Aamir also informed me that the schedule would be at least 4-5 months long. I kept agreeing to whatever he said.”
Recalling his meeting with Reena Dutta the following day, Daya remembered making a request to her during their discussions. He told her, “My wife is pregnant, and the entire household runs on the money I make. So, I might need some financial help in between.” To his surprise, Reena immediately asked Daya to give her phone number to his wife and tell her to contact her if any need arose. Furthermore, Aamir Khan Productions gave him a generous paycheck right at the beginning.
“The signing amount she gave me was so huge that the expenses for one month could easily be met with that. Reena ji then informed me that I, however, won’t have a makeup man or a boy (an assistant). I laughed a little, considering I don’t have such helpers even today. Interestingly, I was the only actor who didn’t do a workshop for Lagaan. Later, I found out that they had even kept a return ticket ready for me. If that first scene did not work out the way they envisioned, I would have been sent back quietly. But things worked out,” he added.
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