Lagaan and Gadar Ek Prem Katha: 25 years later, have we become more violent?

Lagaan had a very unusual story that had never been explored on the big screen before. The film also had no recognisable stars or actors apart from Aamir Khan and veteran actor Kulbhushan Kharbanda. Gadar, a love story set in post-Partition India and Pakistan, had the colour palette and production values of 90’s Bollywood cinema and television. Its leading lady was a relative newcomer, Ameesha Patel, who had made her debut opposite Hrithik Roshan in Kaho Naa Pyaar Hain. Though they were written and directed very differently, they did have some elements in common. Both films were period dramas and had themes of patriotism, courage, the impact of colonial rule, forging human connections in trying times, and making difficult choices in the face of adversity.

Lagaan and Gadar both ended up being extremely successful at the box office and remain some of Bollywood’s most popular films of all time. I rewatched both films before writing this column, and it made me nostalgic for the days when Hindi cinema was more about entertainment than insinuating political allegiances. It was a time when a variety of films could get made without any worry about who would get offended and why. A time where we didn’t paint the enemy with broad brushstrokes or associate religious identity with a proclivity for violence or treason.

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Gadar especially deserves credit for this since it was made just two years after the Kargil War, which claimed the lives of so many brave Indian soldiers. In the film, Tara Singh (Sunny Deol) and Sakina (Ameesha Patel) meet in the midst of brutal sectarian violence that followed the Partition. Tara and Sakina have known each other in pre-independence India, and when their paths meet again, she is being chased by a group of angry Hindus and Sikhs who want to rape and kill her. Tara has also been a part of angry mobs like the ones chasing Sakina, seeking revenge for the death of his entire family at the hands of angry Muslim rioters. But when he sees the woman he has secretly been in love with, precariously close to being killed, he has a change of heart.

Tara rescues Sakina by symbolically applying blood on her forehead to marry her, and gives her shelter in his home. He fights against his neighbours and community to keep her safe, and when she reciprocates his feelings, he convinces his family to accept her. In a country where youngsters face honour killing even today for marrying someone from a different caste, it was incredibly progressive to show Tara and Sakina in a happy inter-faith marriage twenty-five years ago.

To be fair, the film had its fair share of jingoism, dramatic dialogues and some over the top hand pump wielding action. But it balanced Sakina’s father, Ashraf Ali’s (Amrish Puri) anti-India rhetoric, with moments of hope and emotional connection that transcended the simmering hatred of that time. Whether it is Sunny Deol’s parents and sisters who are heartbroken to say goodbye to their old Muslim neighbour as they leave their home for India, or Sunny Deol’s aunt, whose sympathy for Sakina’s loss overrides any feelings of hatred or anger she may have for other Muslim people.

We realise that Ashraf Ali, the film’s antagonist, has become a hardliner because he lost his home, business and young son during the partition. He is selfish and cruel, but it’s not simply because he lives in Pakistan or is a Muslim. In another well-written scene, Tara Singh empathises with Ashraf Ali’s rage and admits to killing people in post-Partition riots because the trauma had impaired his ability to think or feel. However, he adds, there comes a time when you need to let go of your resentment and rage to move on.

In Lagaan, there was a certain dignity even in battle, where the British, who otherwise imposed unfair taxes, brought unbiased umpires to ensure a fair cricket match. The senior British officers treated the Indian king with respect and punished their own officer for his reckless behaviour. Bhuvan’s team is helped by Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley), who goes against her brother, Captain Andrew Russel (Paul Blackthorne), because she feels his challenge of a cricket match is unfair and cruel.

Interestingly, Lagaan was as much about Indians overcoming their own internal strife and regressive biases as it was about defeating the British. The ruler of Champaner wants British help against his brother, the king of a neighbouring kingdom. Their infighting has allowed the British to arm-twist both kingdoms. Whether it was including a lower caste villager Kachra (Aditya Lakhia) whose handicapped arm could spin the ball impressively, embracing Lakha (Yashpal Sharma) even after he tries to help the Britishers, or including villagers irrespective of age or religion; the film’s message clearly said that no matter who you are, what occupation you follow, or which god your pray to, a nation’s strength lies in ‘paanch ungli’ (five fingers) becoming a ‘mutthi’ (a closed fist).

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Compare this to our most recent success, Dhurandhar, where an Indian spy lives in Pakistan for over a decade and goes on a murderous rampage against those funding and planning terror attacks in India. Let me add a disclaimer here that I am not in denial of the suffering we have endured because of cross-border terrorism and the precious lives lost to terror attacks executed by militant organisations who are supported and financed by Pakistan. Dismantling terror networks through military action, covert operations and diplomacy is crucial to our safety. But the film doesn’t pause to check in with Hamza (Ranveer Singh) or reflect on the emotional and psychological cost of living a double life for over a decade. Another thing I noticed was the complete lack of representation amongst the Indian intelligence officers or the good guys. There are no Indian Christians, Muslims or even people from other regions of India and just one token woman (Yami Gautam in a special appearance). Patriotism is a wonderful emotion to celebrate, but the problem arises when you try to insinuate that only members of certain religious faiths can truly feel it or genuinely care for their country.

On a separate note, it was wonderful to revisit the music of both films and remember the diversity and authenticity that Hindi film music had. Today it is hard to find a movie without one or more remixed songs in it, filmed on scantily clad women used as bait. Lagaan had a bhajan, a motivational/marching song, a love song, and a raas-leela-inspired folk song, among others. Gadar’s music too remains memorable after all these years with love songs like ‘Udd ja Kale Kava’, a song of separation ‘Musafir Jane wale’, and a fun ‘Main nikla gaddi leke’, which was symbolic of Tara Singh’s innocence that was lost to the Partition. Though the film was set in a time period that saw unimaginable acts of violence, the music was soothing and deeply rooted in love, longing and hope. There was such a strong emotional connection to Gadar’s music that the nostalgia over its songs alone drove audiences back to see the sequel that was released in 2023.

Perhaps Lagaan and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha became successful or remain popular because they were, at their core, inspiring stories of men and women who chose to be better and do more than those around them. Both films resisted stereotyping people and allowed for personal character to be separate from racial or religious identity. It was not as if we were not patriotic then or had not experienced terrorism twenty-five years ago. But instead of choosing to glorify violence, vengeance and bloodshed, Lagaan and Gadar expressed patriotism without posturing, and celebrated India without dividing it into them and us.