Lagaan broke all rules

Aamir Khan's blockbuster Lagaan was released 10 years ago on June 15. We celebrate the film.
Satyajit Bhatkal, who made Madness in the Desert a national award winning documentary on the making of Lagaan, shares his experience of being part of this landmark movie with Abhishek Mande and Sonil Dedhia.

How did you get involved with Lagaan?

I was a lawyer and I'd seen people at their most vulnerable moments.

So after practicing for 10 years, I realised I had a story to tell.

Besides I had reached a stage in my life where wanted to do something different.

I was trying to figure out if I could express all my experiences creatively. At the time I had written three episodes (of a show that would become) Bombay Lawyers. I'd read it out to Aamir (Khan) who'd promised to produce it.

But at the time Lagaan was taking off so we decided to drop it and take it up again afterLagaan.

At that point they (Aamir Khan and co) were struggling to put together a good production team.

So Aamir asked (his then wife) Reena (Datta) to speak with me. I was not sure but Aamir convinced me that it would help me to be in a learning environment where I'd be watching a film being made.

I started shooting (the documentary) soon after. Everything on the set was new to me (because I had nothing to do with filmmaking before this).

As I began shooting interviews with the cast and crew -- and I even interviewed people who cleaned toilets and those who cooked food - I realised that everyone wanted to be in films. And that was a fantastic revelation.