Twenty-five years after Lagaan became one of the most popular films in Indian cinema, the British actor Paul Blackthorne The impact of his character, Captain Andrew Russell, continues to amaze viewers. During a recent visit to Mumbai, the actor opened up about revisiting the film, his friendship with: Aamir Khanand why saying yes to Lagaan remains one of the best decisions of his life.
“People still recognize me as Captain Russell ‘
Blackthorne admits that over time she sometimes finds it difficult to recognize her younger self on screen.“I look in the mirror today and you have a feeling. You go, ‘Who is this guy? When did this happen?’ And then watching the movie the other night, I was looking at the screen going, ‘Who the hell is that guy? I don’t recognize that guy,'” he told Just Too Filmy.While he was always able to move unnoticed, recognition finally caught up with him.“If I sit somewhere … people are trying to work on it and then they go, ‘Captain Russell.’ And you go, ‘Oh, hi. How are you?’ It’s so funny.”
“Lagaan is one of those “say yes to life” moments”
Looking back on how he got the role, Blackthorne said he never imagined the film would become a global phenomenon.“You read a script and either you have an answer or you don’t. I had an answer. I thought, ‘My God, this is epic. This is amazing. This is completely different from anything I’ve ever experienced before.'”Calling it a defining moment of his career, he added, “I think it was one of those ‘say yes to life’ moments. So many people don’t take that chance and then they regret it. I recognize that it could have been a unique experience.”
To play a British officer during colonial India
The actor said that he did not hesitate to portray a representative of the British Raj, despite being aware of the painful history associated with colonialism.“Knowing tyranny for what it is – the British Raj and colonialism – I’m very happy to point it out and show it,” he said.Blackthorne praised Lagaan’s handling of the subject. “It’s shown, not told. It shows the context of that time without preaching. I had the opportunity to have fun being a dastardly representation of that.”
“I was nominated for a negative role and I don’t understand it”
The actor laughed while recalling his nomination for Best Actor in a Negative Role.“I was told, ‘It’s the Indian Oscars and you’ve been nominated for Best Actor in a Negative Role.’ I thought, ‘That doesn’t sound good. What?'”He joked that he was disappointed that he didn’t win. “I didn’t get it. I was so sad. I was like, ‘How negative do I have to be to get this award?'”
Watching Lagaan after nearly two decades
Blackthorne recently watched the film again after nearly 20 years and found himself experiencing it from a completely different perspective.“It was the most objective viewing I’ve ever had because of such a distance from the last time I saw it and didn’t really recognize the guy on the screen,” he said.One sequence, in particular, continues to move him deeply. “The scene at Kachra … it makes me go every time. The power of that scene just goes through every pore of my body. It’s amazing.”He was also attracted by the humor in the film and the tension created during the cricket match. “The intensity as the cricket match develops, the camera angles, the tension – it’s brilliant directing, brilliant cinematography, brilliant execution of everything.”
Learn Hindi for Captain Russell
Playing Russell required months of preparation, especially since Blackthorne had to perform in Hindi.“Aamir put me up with a great teacher in London and I spent about four months exploring these lines,” he revealed.The actor explained that acting itself is challenging enough, but doing it in another language adds an extra layer of complexity. “It’s a double leap of faith to expect Hindi words to come out.”
The funny story behind ‘Lagaan pasta’
One of Blackthorne’s favorite memories from the shoot involves what the cast later called “Lagaan pasta”.After the British actors casually mention that they eat a lot of Indian food and don’t mind some variety, the production arranges a pasta meal.“We walked in and someone yelled, ‘It’s pasta! Pasta!’ Everyone is taking it. Then we realized it was a curry pasta,” he laughs.The experiment was mostly successful, though not without consequences. “One time I had the worst experience of it cooking inside of me and expanding and expanding. I honestly felt like I was going to explode.”
‘Aamir: Khan: lead by example’
Blackthorne credits Aamir Khan’s good demeanor and commitment to motivating everyone on set.“If this were Hollywood, the star would be kept in an air-conditioned trailer somewhere. Aamir is under an umbrella like the rest of us, drinking chai like the rest of us.”The actor recalls seeing Khan actively interacting with thousands of extras during big scenes. “When you see that kind of spirit, you just shut up and go about your business. It doesn’t matter if you have a blister on your foot.”
A friendship that lasted 25 years
What began as a professional collaboration eventually turned into a lasting friendship.“Aamir has been incredibly generous to me over these 25 years,” Blackthorne said. “Even this weekend, to be invited to come here is awesome. I’m so grateful for it.”Reflecting on the unexpected journey that Lagaan embarked on, the actor admits that he never imagined that he would still be talking about the film in Mumbai after a quarter of a century.“If someone at the end of 1999 had said that I would be sitting in Mumbai experiencing this 25 years later, I would have been myself. I feel very lucky. It was an incredible experience.”