Twenty-five years after Lagaan became one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated films, the British actor Paul Blackthorne Still amazed at the impact his character, Captain Andrew Russell, had on audiences. During a recent visit to Mumbai, the actor opened up about his friendship with him, about the film’s revision Aamir KhanAnd saying yes to Ken Lagan was one of the best decisions of his life.
‘People still know me Captain Russell ‘
Blackthorn admits that over time, it’s sometimes difficult to recognize her younger self on screen.“I look in the mirror now and you have that feeling. You go, ‘Who is this guy? When did this happen?’ And then watching the film the other night, I’m looking at the screen, ‘Who is this guy? I don’t recognize that guy,” he told Just Two Filmies.While he can often walk around unnoticed, recognition eventually catches up with him.“If I’m sitting somewhere… people are trying to make it and then they go, ‘Captain Russell.’ And you go, ‘Oh, hi. How are you?’ It’s pretty funny.”
‘Lagan was one of those “say yes to life” moments’
Looking back on how he landed the role, Blackthorne said he never imagined the film would become a global phenomenon.“You read a script and either have a reaction or you don’t. I had a reaction. I thought, ‘My God, this is epic. This is incredible. This is completely different from anything I’ve experienced before.'”Calling it a defining moment in her career, she added, “I think it was one of those ‘say yes to life’ moments. So many people don’t take that moment and then they regret it. I recognized that it could have been an amazing experience.”
He played the role of a British officer in colonial India
The actor said that despite being aware of the painful history associated with colonialism, he had no hesitation in portraying a representative of the British Raj.“Being aware of the tyranny of the British Raj and colonialism – I was very happy to point the finger at it,” he said.Blackthorne praised Lagan’s handling of the matter. “It was shown, not told. It showed the context of the time without being preachy. I had a lot of fun doing the damn thing.”
‘I was nominated for a negative role and didn’t realize it’
The actor laughed while recalling his nomination for Best Actor in a Negative Role.“I was told, ‘It’s the Indian Oscars and you’re nominated for Best Actor in a Negative Role.’ I thought, ‘That doesn’t sound very good. What is it?'”He joked that he was disappointed not to win. “I didn’t get it. I was so upset. I thought, ‘How negative do I have to be to get this award?'”
Lagaan is watching after almost two decades
Blackthorne recently watched the film again nearly 20 years later and finds himself experiencing it from a completely different perspective.“It was the most objective viewing experience because I saw it last time and didn’t really recognize the guy on the screen.”One sequence, in particular, moved him deeply. “The raw scene… it makes me go every time. The power of that scene goes through every pore in my body. It’s incredible.”He was also struck by the film’s humor and the excitement it generated during cricket matches. “The intensity of the cricket match, the camera angles, the tension – it’s great directing, great cinematography, great execution of everything.”
Learning Hindi for Captain Russell
Playing Russell required months of preparation, especially as Blackthorne had to act in Hindi.“Aamir set me up with a great tutor in London and I spent about four months looking at these lines,” she revealed.The actor explained that acting itself is challenging enough, but doing it in another language adds an extra layer of complexity. “It was a double leap of faith that hopefully the Hindi words would come out.”
Interesting story behind ‘Logan Pasta’
One of Blackthorne’s favorite memories from the shoot is what the cast later nicknamed “Logan Pasta”.After the British actors candidly mentioned that they eat a lot of Indian food and wouldn’t mind some variety, the production arranged for a pasta dish.“We walked in and someone yelled, ‘It’s pasta! It’s pasta!’ Everyone was scooping it up. Then we realized it was curry paste,” he laughed.The experiment was mostly successful, though not without consequences. “Once I had the most unfortunate experience that it was cooking inside me and expanding and expanding. I really felt like I was going to explode.”
‘Amir eat Lead by example
Blackthorne credited Aamir Khan’s work ethic and commitment to motivating everyone on set.“If this was Hollywood, the star would be stuck in an air-conditioned trailer somewhere. Amir was under an umbrella like the rest of us, drinking tea like the rest of us.The actor recalled Khan actively engaging with thousands of extras during large-scale scenes. “When you see a spirit like that, you just shut up and take your stuff. It doesn’t matter if you have blisters on your feet.”
A friendship that has lasted 25 years
What started as a professional collaboration eventually turned into a lasting friendship.“Amir has been incredibly generous to me over these 25 years,” Blackthorne said. “Even this weekend, to be invited to come here is a bummer. I’m very grateful for that.”Reflecting on the unexpected journey that Lagaan embarked on, the actor admits that he never imagined that he would still be talking about the film in Mumbai a quarter of a century later.“If someone had told me in late 1999 that I would be sitting in Mumbai 25 years later experiencing this, I would have pinched myself. I feel very lucky. It’s an incredible experience.”
