Aamir Khan Opens Up On Lagaan’s Oscar Run (Photo Credit: IMDb)
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20 years ago, this day history was made as it saw the release of Aamir Khan starrer Lagaan. The Ashutosh Gowarikar directorial that hit the big screen was a period drama like no other. The film was lapped up by the audience and critics in unison. Every aspect of it, from the performances to the sets to AR Rahman’s music was appreciated by one and all.
All of that appreciation did not go unnoticed from the eyes of the globe. The movie that managed to win hearts in its homeland, went ahead to conquer the world as it was nominated for the Oscars. Lagaan achieved a massive feat with the nomination itself but did not come out as the winner. But that doesn’t affect the love everyone has for the film. Aamir Khan has now decided to talk about losing at The Academy Awards and how he felt then. Read on to know what Aamir has to say.
Talking about Lagaan not making it as the winner at the Oscars, Aamir Khan, in conversation with Bollywood Hungama, said, “A lot of people have asked me this question, and they ask ‘How disappointed were you when Lagaan didn’t win?’. Of course, I was disappointed, and we would have wanted to win. A lot of people have asked me, ‘What could you have done differently in Lagaan?’ So that it could have won. Was it because it had songs? Was it because it was too long? And I’ve been telling people over the years, which I don’t think people have got yet, so maybe y’all can explain it to them.”
Aamir Khan also shed light on the complexities of even getting nominated at an event like The Academy Awards. “At the Oscars, it is such a difficult process to even get nominated; it’s so difficult. If you are nominated, the members of the foreign language committee, 80%-90% or a huge percentage of them, out of all the films that came out that year, have loved your film. They have loved it so much that you are in the Top Five. In Los Angeles, they believe that if you are a nominee, you are coming and standing at the finish line. So, all are equally good. One is told to come and take a step ahead and they become the winner but the other four are just one step behind. So, what we failed to appreciate is that the members and everyone in the foreign language committee actually loved our film. Because, if they wouldn’t have loved our film, we wouldn’t have reached the Top Five,” The Lagaan actor said.
With that, Aamir Khan also addressed the improvements people had then suggested in Lagaan to win the Oscars, but he doesn’t back those. Khan said, “So, that means there was nothing wrong in the film – the songs, the length, the musical aspect of it, the cricket aspect of it – all that was loved by the members and only then it got nominated. So, you have to understand that the film was highly appreciated, so you don’t look at it negatively, look at it positively. The fact that you reached the Top Five is a very big thing.”
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