Aamir ready to give away Lagaan rights
THE ICONIC FILM LAGAAN TURNS 20 TODAY!
“Comparing films and choosing from them is a difficult thing. Choosing films is subjective, unlike in a sport — for example, if you are running a 100m race and you cross the line first, you are the winner; there is clarity and there is no confusion.”
—Aamir Khan, actor.
Aamir Khan is all set to give away the rights of his film Lagaan, which completes 20 years today — 15th June2021. “I feel there are so many brilliant actors who can reprise my role of Bhuvan — Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Vicky Kaushal are wonderful actors,” says the star of the epic film.
Speaking to the media on the 20th anniversary of the film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, and produced by him, Aamir said, “Ashutosh and I will be more than happy to give away the rights of Lagaan if anyone wishes to remake it.”
‘LET’S SEE WHAT THE YOUNGSTERS MAKE OF IT’
“Last time we faced so many problems. I would like it to be made by young actors. Let us watch how the young actors and makers interpret it now,” Aamir added.
The iconic Hindi musicalsports film also starred debutant Gracy Singh and had British actors Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne in supporting roles. It received widespread critical acclaim and many awards in international film festivals, besides winning several Indian film awards. It became the third Indian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign
Language
Film after
Mother
India (1957) and Salaam Bombay.
“I DON’T TAKE AWARDS SERIOUSLY”
Finally opening up about not attending most of the Award ceremonies here, Aamir said, “I don’t take them [awards] seriously, including Oscars. It’s for a simple reason — If Lagaan, 3 idiots, Taare Zameen Par and Dangal (I’m taking these names because they’re all my films) had been released in the same year, each of the jury members would look at a film and its characters differently. Some may like the story and the character from Dangal while others may prefer 3 idiots or Tare Zameen Par. So it’s difficult to decide. Comparing films and choosing them is a difficult thing. Choosing films is subjective, unlike in a sport — for example, if you are running a 100m race and you cross the line first, you are the winner; there is clarity and there is no confusion, as sport is not subjective. That’s why I don’t take film awards seriously. I am of the opinion that we should enjoy films and celebrate each other’s work.”
Elaborating on giving award ceremonies a miss, he says, “I attended two Award ceremonies — the Dinanath Mangeshkar Award ceremony and the Gollapudi Srinivas Awards, which is a very rare award from the South. For me, these awards have value, so I go there.”
‘A WINDOW OPENED FOR ME’
About Lagaan being nominated for Oscars he says, “What was the value of Oscars? It was nominated, and this opened a window for me. People all over the globe would watch it simply because it was an Oscar-nominated film. So my interest was that my audiences would multiply. For us, being nominated was equal to winning. I was very happy with this experience.”