Ashutosh Gowariker Recalls Struggles Behind Shooting Ghanan Ghanan Song: Called All The Actors...

Aamir Khan starrer Lagaan was the most expensive Indian film at the time of its release in 2001. It faced multiple challenges during production and shooting but managed to vow the audience, winning eight National Film Awards, including Best Popular Film. One of the challenges director Ashutosh Gowariker faced was shooting one of the iconic songs.

How did Ashutosh Gowariker overcome the challenge?

On Thursday, Aamir's production house, Aamir Khan Productions, shared a behind-the-scenes video from the sets of Lagaan. In the clip, the director and team Lagaan can be seen working on the song Ghanan Ghanan. It is based on the drought situation, where the villagers are struggling and finally see hope in the form of dark clouds taking over the sky. To express their excitement, they start singing and celebrating. However, it passes, leaving the villagers disappointed.

To get that feel, the director had to struggle with the cast to learn the lyrics and show the emotions while dancing. He had to go through several takes to get a perfect shot. So what Gowariker did, he asked the whole cast to come together and made them sing the song.

“So, we were shooting. Take, after take, after take! It was endless. I decided that something had to be done. So that night, after dinner, I called all the actors down to the dining hall. And I asked them to sing the song loudly. Their confidence levels grew. The attention was now off the lyrics but into the dancing steps," he said.

Take  a look at the video below:

More about Lagaan

The film narrated the tale of a small village in Victorian India who put their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers to break free from the cycle of taxation. Apart from Aamir Khan, it also starred Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Suhasini Mulay and Paul Blackthorne, among others.