Aamir Khan’s Lagaan went on to become one of the most celebrated films of Indian cinema, earning an Oscar nomination. But behind its journey to the big screen was a heartbreaking tragedy that struck the very place where much of the film was shot.
The film was extensively shot in Kunaria village near Bhuj, in Gujarat’s Kutch district. The village was transformed into the fictional Champaner, where the story of Lagaan unfolded.
The team, including Aamir Khan and director Ashutosh Gowariker, had filmed extensively in Kunaria before disaster struck. On January 26, 2001, the devastating Gujarat earthquake hit the region.
The earthquake came just months before Lagaan was scheduled to release. A 2001 report of a leading publication noted that in parts of the area, very little remained of what the filmmakers had known, with only a banyan tree and a cracked village well still standing.
After the earthquake, Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowariker and other members of the Lagaan team returned to Kunaria to see the destruction themselves. Paul Blackthorne, who played Captain Russell in Lagaan, also went back to the earthquake-hit region. He photographed the devastation and later used those photographs for a London photography exhibition called “Bollywood Backpack”.
The exhibition was organised to help raise money for Gujarat earthquake relief, with proceeds from Blackthorne’s photographs going towards relief efforts.
Lagaan was finally released on June 15, 2001, less than five months after the Gujarat earthquake. The film would go on to earn an Oscar nomination but the tragedy that struck its shooting location became an unforgettable part of its history.
Something which nobody wants to remember….
