The Dryden will screen Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (Ashutosh Gowariker, India 2001, 220 min., 35mm, Hindi, Awadhi, Urdu w/subtitles) as part of the Stories of Indian Cinema series.

One of the biggest sensations of modern Indian cinema, Lagaan is an epic tale of love and power (and sports!) set in a small village under British occupation. In the year 1893, a rebellious young farmer rallies his community to oppose the tax imposed by the foreign oppressor. An English captain challenges the protesters with cricket, a game then completely unknown in India. The stake is nothing less than the villagers' lives. A triumph of romance, choreography (in the exhilarating musical numbers), and heart-stopping action, Lagaan displays the genius of the Bollywood style at its very best.

[source: George Eastman Museum, 2018-Jan-22]