39. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (#249)




The 250 show

Summary: Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, The 250 is a fortnightly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every second Saturday at 6pm GMT, with the occasional bonus episode between them. This week, the pair are joined by Babu Patel and Giovanna Rampazzo, with thanks to Siraj Zaidi and The Indian Film Festival of Ireland. This time, Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. During British rule, a small Indian village comes together to play a cricket match against the local British regiment. In a season without rain, the stakes are high. If the villagers win, they will be spared taxation for three years; if the villagers lose, they will have to pay triple tax. It is all to play for. At time of recording, it was ranked the 249th best movie of all time on the Internet Movie Database.