Hindi
Aamir Khan to open IFFM with Lagaan’s 25th anniversary screening
Melbourne curtain raiser on 9 July precedes 17th edition of festival from 13 to 23 August
MUMBAI: Some innings never end, they simply find a new audience. Aamir Khan will travel to Melbourne on 9 July to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Lagaan, opening the festivities for the 17th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) with a special screening of the landmark film.
The event, to be held at ACMI Cinema in Melbourne, will serve as the official curtain raiser for this year’s festival, more than a month before the main event begins. The 17th edition of IFFM will run from 13 to 23 August, featuring film screenings, premieres, conversations, masterclasses and cultural programmes.
Released in 2001 and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India remains one of Indian cinema’s defining films. Set in a drought-hit village during British rule, the story follows farmers who challenge colonial officers to a high-stakes cricket match, with their land tax hanging in the balance. The film starred Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne.
The sports drama also etched its name into cinematic history by becoming the third Indian film to receive an Academy Award nomination in the category then known as Best Foreign Language Film, cementing its place among India’s most influential movies.
The Melbourne event forms part of a wider global celebration of the film’s silver jubilee. Khan is also expected to participate in a separate Lagaan-themed event during the 17th London Indian Film Festival later this month.
Backed by the Government of Victoria, IFFM has evolved into one of the largest international showcases of Indian cinema, welcoming stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, A.R. Rahman, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Ram Charan, Vijay Sethupathi, Vicky Kaushal, Vijay Varma and Keerthy Suresh, alongside acclaimed filmmakers including Rajkumar Hirani, Zoya Akhtar, Shoojit Sircar, Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, Anjali Menon, Rima Das, Onir and Kabir Khan.
By opening this year’s festival with Lagaan, IFFM is revisiting a film that continues to resonate a quarter of a century later proving that some stories, much like a memorable cricket match, remain timeless long after the final over.
