Lagaan's Bagha, Amin Hajee, says Aamir Khan-starrer ‘destroyed’ his career, reveals he struggled to get work after it
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
While actors often speak about how box-office flops can affect their careers, Amin Hajee has opened up that, in his case, it was a smash hit that left him struggling to find work. The Lagaan star of late recalled how starring in the acclaimed 2001 movie made it difficult for him to accept other roles, as he felt the scripts that came his way failed to match the experience of working on Ashutosh Gowariker ’s classic.
Adding to this, Amin Hajee played the role of Bagha in Lagaan. Amin Hajee says Lagaan destroyed his career Amin Hajee opened up that his wife, Charlotte Whitby-Coles, was upset with him for stopping signing films after Lagaan. According to him, the roles that were offered to him were either "mute characters" or other insignificant parts. The star and writer shared the scripts simply failed to entice him. His wife told him, "After Lagaan, whenever a role came, he would say, ‘This role is rubbish,’ or ‘That’s no good,’ and so on. So I told him, ‘What are we going to do? You have to work. You have to take up some work."
Meanwhile, Amin added, "To be honest, Lagaan was a unique script. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I was fortunate enough to get Lagaan, but whatever offers or narrations I received after that were zero compared to it. So I was destroyed after Lagaan, because I simply couldn’t work after that. Actually, you can say that they gave me a Taj Mahal like Lagaan; they gave me an opportunity like Swades to write. They gave me a friend like Aamir Khan. What could I have done after that?"
Notably, Helmed by Ashutosh Gowariker, Lagaan is a sports drama starring Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne, and Suhasini Joshi in key roles. In the movie, Amin Hajee played Bagha, the mute drummer. Set in colonial India, the movie follows Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), a young farmer from the village of Champaner, who challenges the British to a game of cricket after they impose an oppressive tax, or lagaan, on the villagers.
As per the latest buzz, Lagaan emerged as a major critical and commercial success following its rollout in 2001. It received widespread acclaim and became only the third Indian movie to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Movie. It also won the National Movie Award for Best Popular Movie Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
In further updates, Amin Hajee is an Indian star and writer best known for his work in Hindi cinema. Apart from gaining widespread recognition for Lagaan, he has also been part of films such as Mangal Pandey, My Friend Pinto, Aankahee and Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena. Alongside acting, he has worked as a screenwriter and assistant director. He collaborated with Gowariker on films including Swades and Jodhaa Akbar.
On top of that, Hajee later stepped into filmmaking as a director with Koi Jaane Na (2021), a psychological thriller starring Kunal Kapoor and Amyra Dastur. His association with Lagaan, however, remains one of the most recognisable highlights of his career.
Riya Sharma is a content producer at Hindustan Times who lives and breathes entertainment. If there’s gossip making noise in Bollywood or a reality show moment breaking the internet, chances are she’s already writing about it. She loves digging out the juiciest stories, spotting widely shared pegs and turning it into easy-to-read content. A journalism graduate from IP University, Riya began her career as a social media executive, where she learned the art of grabbing attention in a scroll-heavy world. But her love for showbiz soon pulled her into entertainment journalism, because for her, it’s always been entertainment, entertainment and more entertainment. An artist at heart, Riya has a deep passion for acting, music and dance, which shapes how she watches and writes about films and reality shows. She loves sharing her views and reviews, especially when something excites, surprises or completely disappoints her. A hardcore reality show fan, Riya enjoys tracking every twist, task and meltdown, and breaking them down for readers who can’t get enough of high-voltage drama. Movies are equally close to her heart, whether it’s a big theatrical rollout or a binge-worthy OTT series, she’s always watching, and analysing what’s worth the time. She loves talking to celebrities, asking questions that go beyond the usual. When she’s not working, she’s either glued to a new web series, hunting for underrated thrillers on OTT platforms, or rewatching iconic Bollywood moments. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times