Lagaan

Lagaan (full title "Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India") is a 2001 Indian epic period sports drama written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. Aamir Khan both stars in and produces the film, which became the maiden project of his company Aamir Khan Productions. Set in 1893 in a village in the Champaner region of Central India under British colonial rule, the story follows villagers crushed by years of drought and heavy land taxes. An arrogant British officer offers them a perilous wager: if they win a cricket match, their taxes are waived for three years; if they lose, they pay triple.

Led by the young farmer Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), the villagers must learn a game utterly foreign to them, with their only ally being the officer's sister Elizabeth. The cast includes debutant Gracy Singh alongside British actors Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne, while A. R. Rahman composed the music. The most expensive Indian film of its time at release, Lagaan won eight Filmfare Awards and became the third Indian film ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.