Not currently on display at the V&A

Lagaan (2001)

Poster
2001 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Set in a farming village in central India at the end of the 19th century, this is a classic battle of good against evil. Lagaan means land tax, and the villagers are unable to pay this to their British rulers because there has been no rain and no harvest for three years. The British officer challenges them to a cricket match, a game which the villagers are unfamiliar with, and if they win the tax will be abolished, if they loose it will be tripled. The poster depicts the cricket team with their leader, Bhuvan, played by Amir Khan.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Lagaan (2001)
  • Once Upon a Time in India
Materials and techniques
Lithograph on paper
Brief description
Indian film poster.
Physical description
On the left hand side of the poster is a portrait of the hero (Amir Khan). The rest of the design is filled with the eleven members of the village cricket team around whom the story is based. They are set against the desert landscape of Rajasthan and the outline of a map. The title runs across the bottom.
Dimensions
  • Height: 74cm
  • Width: 105cm
Estimated dimensions
Production typeMass produced
Gallery label
Set in a farming village in central India at the end of the 19th century, this is a classic battle of good against evil. Lagaan means land tax, and the villagers are unable to pay this to their British rulers because there has been no rain and no harvest for three years. The British officer challenges them to a cricket match, a game which the villagers are unfamiliar with, and if they win the tax will be abolished, if they loose it will be tripled. The poster depicts the cricket team with their leader, Bhuvan, played by Amir Khan.
Credit line
Given by Amir Khan Productions
Summary
Set in a farming village in central India at the end of the 19th century, this is a classic battle of good against evil. Lagaan means land tax, and the villagers are unable to pay this to their British rulers because there has been no rain and no harvest for three years. The British officer challenges them to a cricket match, a game which the villagers are unfamiliar with, and if they win the tax will be abolished, if they loose it will be tripled. The poster depicts the cricket team with their leader, Bhuvan, played by Amir Khan.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
IS.91-2001

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Record createdAugust 30, 2001
Record URL
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