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Lagaan is one of the most iconic films in Hindi cinemaoften regarded as a pivotal moment in the industry’s history. In a recent conversation, Aamir Khan, who not only played the lead role but also bankrolled the massive project, revealed how the film’s budget shot up to twice the original estimate. Speaking to Komal Nahta on his YouTube channel Game Changers, Aamir said, “I can’t make films on budget. Lagaan’s budget was Rs 12 crore, but it exceeded Rs 25 crore.”
Aamir also recalled his experience shooting the epic period sports drama when director Ashutosh Gowariker asked for 1,000 more background actors after already being provided with 2,000 extras that he had initially demanded. However, on the day of the shoot, Gowariker realised he needed even more people in the frame. Aamir admitted that the production team was upset with him for siding with the director, mainly because they still had to pay the 2,000 extras for the day despite not using them.
He explained, “We couldn’t shoot on that day as we needed more people, and Reena (Reena Dutta, Aamir’s ex-wife) asked me, ‘What do we do today?’ I told her, ‘Let’s play cricket. ‘ I asked her to do some other scene, but still we lost half of the day.”
Sharing why he is never able to shoot a film under budget, Aamir said, “My decisions lie towards the creator. I am unable to stick to a budget. That’s one of my weaknesses because other producers are strict, and they tell them to stick to the budget no matter what. But till today, I have never been in budget. Now, Aparna Purohit has taken over Aamir Khan Productions and she is handling all of this.”
Aamir also revealed that he turned producer out of necessity and compulsion rather than choice. He explained that he wanted to make Lagaan, his first production venture, exactly how Ashutosh Gowariker had envisioned it and did not want another producer interfering with the filmmaking process. He also shared how he brought new technology and production practices to Hindi cinema with Lagaan. “I would work how I always wanted to work. I brought the assistant director system in Hindi films with Lagaan. Walkie-talkies weren’t used on the sets of Hindi films at that time. But we used them in our film. We brought the communication system. We shot the film in one schedule and we got sync sound which was never used in mainstream cinema before.”
He added, “I remember there never used to be security on set and junior artistes would be asked to man the set. But during the making of Lagaan, I called Ronit Roy for the security of the film set. We had 150 security guards during filming of Lagaan. Because I was the producer, I could do things that I believed in.”
