Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in IndiaMovies like Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
- Key Features:
- Underdog story, Historical drama, Colonialism, Cricket, David vs. Goliath, Community, Triumph over adversity, Cultural clash, Romance subplot, Musical, Period piece, Teamwork, Charismatic protagonist, High stakes, Redemption, Friendship, Sacrifice, India, British Empire
- Tone:
- serious, dramatic, earnest
- Target Audience:
- History buffs, Sports enthusiasts, Fans of underdog stories, International cinema viewers
- Emotional Arc:
- Hope → Despair → Triumph
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

In 1890s India, an arrogant British commander challenges the harshly taxed residents of Champaner to a high-stakes cricket match.
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
Events in India's history — from the Emergency and the famous Cricket World Cup win to the Punjab riots — unfold from the perspective of an innocent Sikh man Laal Singh Chaddha, a person with a low IQ but high optimism. Laal is able to achieve everything under the sun but his childhood love continues to elude him.

On the 25th of June 1983, the Lord’s Cricket Ground witnessed one of the biggest underdog stories in the history of sports. Fourteen inspired players - led by a man's self-belief and conviction - fought against all odds and orchestrated India’s greatest sporting triumph by beating the two-time World Champions West Indies.

A tale of two gangsters from the eras of past and present, whose lives enter parallel paths as they struggle to survive within Bombay's criminal underworld.

An aimless, jobless, irresponsible grown man joins the army and matures into a battlefield hero.

After his career fails to take off, a gifted cricketer in his mid-thirties decides that he’s not ready to give up quite yet.

A period drama set in the 1970s, KGF follows the story of a fierce rebel who rises against the brutal oppression in Kolar Gold Fields and becomes the symbol of hope to legions of downtrodden people.

Veera, a fire-cracker of a girl who lives in a small village but dreams of playing cricket in the big league. Rohan is an accomplished captain of a county cricket team in England. Rohan returns to India to captain his father's cricket team which has been losing for the last 8 years. In a Village where girls don't play Cricket, Veera has to put on a put on a turban & beard to live her dream.

Parghat Singh 'Gattu' Kahlon is a middle aged shopkeeper who secretly practices bowling at night in order to keep his dream of playing for England alive. Even though his family members despise him for giving up his dreams only due to his father's wish, they find a ray of hope and convince him to play for England while they plan to hide the truth from his father.

This is all about chasing your dreams, no matter what the obstacles. The story involves a young deaf and dumb boy who is crazy about cricket.

After the British company’s officer Clive takes over the kingdom of Mirza, Princess Zafira and Khudabaksh aka Azaad form a band of rebel pirates who swear to defeat the English officer and win their freedom back. The British Company in return, hire the wily thug Firangi track Azaad’s gang and thwart his plans.

Sanjay, a carefree young man, experiences mental and physical transformation to compete in an inter-collegiate bicycle race after his elder brother is unable to participate due to an injury.

Chitti Babu begins to suspect his elder brother's life is in danger after they team up to lock horns with their village president and overthrow his unlawful 30 year old regime.

A sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a Mughal emperor and a Rajput princess.

After a group of friends graduate from Delhi University, they listlessly haunt their old campus, until a British filmmaker casts them in a film she's making about freedom fighters under British rule. Although the group is largely apolitical, the tragic death of a friend owing to local government corruption awakens their patriotism. Inspired by the freedom fighters they represent in the film, the friends collectively decide to avenge the killing.

Both Dhanraj Singh and Randhir Singh are two bitter and old time enemies. They faced a disastrous situation when their children, Raj and Rashmi fall deeply in love. They openly declare their hatred for one another and will do anything in their power, even kill - but they will not accept their children's choice. But Raj and Rashmi are dedicated to their love and are not willing to accept the fact that their fathers are mutual enemies.

Based on the life story of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and his journey to being the world cup winning captain of the Indian cricket team.

The ageing wrestler Sultan Ali Khan decides to try his luck on the mat again; to do this, he wants to represent his country at the Olympic Games, but first has to overcome personal issues.

A successful Indian scientist returns home to his village to take his nanny back to America with him, and in the process rediscovers his roots.

Born in British India, Bhagat Singh witnesses numerous atrocities during his childhood and grows up to become one of the most fearless freedom fighters in the country.

A petty thief is put on trial for the attempted murder of a lawyer. Through a series of flashbacks, the intertwining lives of the thief, the lawyer, and the thief's defense lawyer are illustrated.

During the Indus valley civilization, an Indigo farmer strives for the justice and protection of the city of Mohenjo-Daro and its civilians from an evil politician.

In 1900s India, Calcuttan zamindar Devdas Mukherjee — unable to marry his lover — takes up alcohol and the company of a courtesan to alleviate the pain.

The true story of the "Flying Sikh" world champion runner and Olympian Milkha Singh who overcame the massacre of his family, civil war during the India-Pakistan partition, and homelessness to become one of India's most iconic athletes.

Shivajirao, a TV reporter, gets a chance to be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for a day after being challenged by incumbent Chief Minister Balraj Chauhan. After his one-day stint turns out to be a huge success, his life spirals out of control and he is embroiled in political intrigue.

A villager, Gurukant Desai, arrives in Bombay in 1958, and rises from its streets to become the biggest tycoon in India.

At a prestigious all-male university, three friends seek love outside of the school grounds; at the same time, a newly-hired music teacher seeks to befriend and loosen up the militantly strict headmaster.

In 1897, an army of 21 Sikhs battles 10,000 Afghans to prevent the Saragarhi Fort from being taken down.

Ran and Leela are passionately in love with each other. The only problem is that their respective clans have been enemies for 500 years.

Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh, a pilot in the Indian Air Force, rescues the stranded Zaara, a woman from Pakistan, following a bus accident, and their lives are forever bound.

A team of rag-tag girls with their own agenda form Team India competing for international fame in field hockey. Their coach, the ex-men's Indian National team captain, returns from a life of shame after being unjustly accused of match fixing in his last match. Can he give the girls the motivation required to win, while dealing with the shadows of his own past?

A vibrant, hopelessly romantic physiotherapist meets a handsome young Rajput prince who is the complete opposite of her – and is engaged to someone else.

A young Prince Asoka works to perfect his skills in battle and also deals with family conflict. During a struggle with one of his step-brothers, his mother urges Asoka to escape to stay alive. While away, Asoka meets Kaurwaki and falls in love, but must use his skills as a warrior to protect her. A dangerous and heartbreaking web of conspiracy follows, which leads Asoka to embrace a Buddhist path.

It's 1971, and 2000 members of the Pakistani Army—armed with tanks—are at war with just 120 men in a battalion of Indian soldiers based in the Longewala region of Rajasthan in India.

A young mute girl from Pakistan loses herself in India with no way to head back. A devoted man with a magnanimous spirit undertakes the task to get her back to her motherland and unite her with her family.

Story of Rani Lakshmibai, one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and her resistance to the British Rule.

Dangal is an extraordinary true story based on the life of Mahavir Singh and his two daughters, Geeta and Babita Phogat. The film traces the inspirational journey of a father who trains his daughters to become world class wrestlers.

A look at India's second confidential nuclear test series at Pokhran lead by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, during the time of PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure.

In the 1930s, during the British Raj, Analeesan "Eesa", a former soldier of the British Indian Army called Captain Miller, is on a mission to protect the people from the British after witnessing an atrocity.

Lovable goon Munna falls for a morning radio host by the name of Jahnvi, who also runs an elders' home which an unscrupulous builder seeks to attain. In order to gain Jahnvi’s attention, he cheats his way to winning a Mahatma Gandhi radio quiz. When Jahnvi consequently expresses interest in Munna, he and his best friend Circuit attempt to keep up the facade.

When India's top cricketer is kidnapped in the Middle East, a loose cannon and a rookie cop are tasked with finding him before the high-stakes match with Pakistan.

Two rival reporters team up to help prove the innocence of a man set to be hanged for the murder of a politician.

India, 1918. On the outskirts of Tumbbad, a cursed village where it always rains, Vinayak, along with his mother and his brother, care of a mysterious old woman who keeps the secret of an ancestral treasure that Vinayak gets obsessed with.

A fictional history of two legendary revolutionaries' journey away from home before they began fighting for their country in the 1920s.

Abbas Ali (Abhishek Bachchan) lives in Chandni Chowk, New Delhi with his sister Sania (Asin Thottumkal). They are legally fighting for an ancestral property— land case. But the odds turn against them and they lose. Their well wisher, Shastri Chacha, advises and convinces them to migrate to his village Ranakpur where he assures Abbas that he will get him a job at his owner's place. The owner being none other than the powerful Prithviraj Raghuvanshi (Ajay Devgn). Abbas enters Ranakpur village and while saving a child trapped inside a temple, he breaks open the lock of an ancestral temple but fate plays an important twist in Abbas' life as the whole village including Prithviraj's step-brother Vikrant opposes Abbas' actions but Prithviraj arrives and handles the situation.

At the cusp of India's birth as an Independent nation, a family makes an arduous journey to freedom at a cost. A young boy Bharat, makes a promise to his Father that he will keep his family together no matter what.

Set in late 19th century Canton, this martial arts film depicts the stance taken by the legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung against foreign forces' plundering of China.

A man falls in love with his childhood friend, but her sister is the one who reciprocates his feelings.

At Léon Blum High School in Créteil, France, a history teacher decides to have her weakest 10th grade class participate in a national history competition.

When Aurangzeb recruits his trusted soldier Udaybhan to control the Kondhana fort, Shivaji's military leader Tanhaji Malusare and his army of Maratha warriors set out to recapture the fortress.

A heroic true story of Major Mukund Varadarajan, an Indian Army officer who displayed extraordinary bravery during a counterterrorism mission in Kashmir’s Shopian district. The film captures his courage in protecting his nation and the devotion of his wife Indhu Rebecaa Varghese.

Years after his father disowns his adopted brother for marrying a woman of lower social standing, a young man goes on a mission to reunite his family.

The film begins in 1857, when India was ruled by the British East India Company. Mangal Pandey is a sepoy, a soldier of Indian origin, in the army of the East India Company. Pandey is fighting in the Anglo-Afghan Wars and saves the life of his British commanding officer, William Gordon. Gordon is indebted to Pandey and a strong friendship develops between them, transcending both rank and race.

Mita and Raj Batra, an affluent couple from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, are grappling with getting their daughter admission into an English medium school. But there is one big problem. Their zubaan is Hindi, and the elitist snobs won’t let the Hindi speaking hoi-polloi fit in.

Upon returning to his industrial hometown, a young man must decide whether to follow his own dreams or acquiesce to his father's plans for his future.

Cultural mistrust and false accusations doom a friendship in British colonial India between an Indian doctor, an Englishwoman engaged to marry a city magistrate, and an English educator.

Raj is a rich, carefree, happy-go-lucky second generation NRI. Simran is the daughter of Chaudhary Baldev Singh, who in spite of being an NRI is very strict about adherence to Indian values. Simran has left for India to be married to her childhood fiancé. Raj leaves for India with a mission at his hands, to claim his lady love under the noses of her whole family. Thus begins a saga.

Rajputana, India, 13th century. The tyrannical usurper Alauddin Khilji, sultan of Delhi, becomes obsessed with Queen Padmavati, wife of King Ratan Singh of Mewar, and goes to great lengths to satisfy his greed for her.

In the 16th century, when Prince Salim falls in love with a beautiful courtesan named Anarkali, Emperor Akbar's disapproval leads to a battle between father and son.

A small-town boy needs to break through the class divide to gain acceptance from his childhood sweetheart who is in love with big city ideals.

While fighting for the political supremacy of their respective families, a Hindu man and a Muslim woman share a forbidden romance.

Ethan, a magician rendered paralyzed in an accident, sets off a furor when he makes a petition to the court to end his own life.

A grumpy boxing coach takes on a young, rebellious woman under his wings and starts training her for the world championship. But their biggest battle has to be fought outside the ring.

Duped and sold to a brothel, a young woman fearlessly reclaims her power, using underworld connections to preside over the world she was once a pawn in.

A newly-wed man discovers that his wife is in love with another man and decides to unite them. Ignoring the ridicule he might have to face for this, he takes his wife to Italy in search of her love.

After being turned down by the ruling Britons, the rightful heir to a famous dynasty inspires local villagers to build a dam themselves. A small-time thief reforms after learning about the role played by his grandfather in building a dam.

Four friends from a sleepy little village in Punjab share a common dream: to go to England. Their problem is that they have neither the visa nor the ticket. A soldier alights from a train one day, and their lives change. He gives them a soldier's promise: He will take them to the land of their dreams. What follows is a hilarious and heartwarming tale of a perilous journey through the desert and the sea, but most crucially through the hinterlands of their mind.

After his family is murdered by the notorious bandit Gabbar Singh, a former police officer enlists the services of two outlaws to capture him and seek revenge.

As India faces a militant attack in Kashmir, the country’s best combat aviators join forces under a reckless yet brilliant squadron leader to form 'Air Dragons', faces mortal dangers and their inner demons.

A village girl agrees to a marriage to a king she has never met after he sends her a photograph of himself. But the man in the photograph is not the king but his most loyal slave, the handsome but mute Shankar.

When soldier Robin happens upon the dying Robert of Loxley, he promises to return the man's sword to his family in Nottingham. There, he assumes Robert's identity; romances his widow, Marion; and draws the ire of the town's sheriff and King John's henchman, Godfrey.

After dedicating their whole life in upbringing their children, elderly couple Raj Malhotra and Pooja gets homeless. Instead of caring, their children treat them as a burden.

The story of a pair of children born within moments of India gaining independence from England, growing up in the country that is nothing like their parent's generation. A Canadian-British film adaptation of Salman Rushdie's novel of the same name.

Set in the early ’80s and ’90s in Gujarat, India, ‘Raees’ is a fictitious story of a crime lord named Raees, who builds an entire empire from scratch, and a police officer who is determined to bring him down.

Satyaveer is an engineer suspended for allegedly accepting a bribe. However, Satyaveer, proud author of a tawdry and thoroughly unsuccessful crime novel, is approached by a woman named Manorama to investigate her husband, whom she suspects of having an affair.

the narrative follows Rajveer Singh, a professional stock car racer whose career takes a downturn following an accident, and his journey of personal and professional redemption with the support of his wife Radhika and their two children.

In the year 1856, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah is the King of Awadh, one of the last independent kingdoms of India. The British intend to control this rich land and send General Outram to clear way for an annexation. Pressure is mounting amidst intrigue and political maneuvers, but the Nawab whiles away his time in pursuit of pleasure and religious practice. The court is of no help either — noblemen Mir and Mirza ignore all duties and spend their days playing endless games of chess. Based on Munshi Premchand's short story of the same name. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 2010.

The heartwarming tale of Barfi, a charming deaf-mute young man from 1970s Darjeeling, and two unalike women who can't help but fall for him.

Newly elected President Nelson Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby union team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.

Madhukar and Parthavi fall head over heels in love with each other, but the fact that they belong to different castes of society, becomes an obstacle in their romance. The lovers dare to go against societal norms and battle all odds for the sake of love.

Sidharth (Aamir Khan), is a Mumbai 'Tapori' and a boxing champion. His elder brother, Jai (Rajat Kapoor) works with Raunak Singh (Sharad Saxena), who now rules their "Basti" through terrorising its people and collecting 'Hafta' from local merchants. Sidharth idolized his father, a freedom fighter, whom he saw falling to his death as a child. This effects Sidharth through his adult life. Sidharth meets a young girl, Alisha (Ranee Mukherjee), who rides with a motorcycle gang and Charlie (Deepak Tijori), the gang leader. Sidharth also meets Hari, whose idealism reminds him of his father. Hari's social work in the community possess a threat to Raunak Singh's evil empire. What happens to Hari changes Sidharth's life forever. How Sidharth breaks Raunak Singh's chains of 'Ghulami' around the community forms the crux of the story. Featuring the superhit song "Aati Kya Khandala" sung by Aamir Khan.

After a public spat with a movie star, a disgraced director retaliates by kidnapping the actor's daughter, filming the search for her in real-time.

Set in 1960s India, Archie and the gang navigate romance, friendship and the future of Riverdale as developers threaten to destroy a beloved park.

Peshwa Bajirao married to Kashibai, falls in love with Mastani, a warrior princess in distress. They struggle to make their love triumph amid opposition from his conservative family.

In the rebellious northern frontier province of colonial India, British Army Captain Scott, a young prince and the boy's governess escape by an obsolete train as they are relentlessly pursued by Muslim rebels intent on assassinating the prince.

College student Janardhan is a simpleton who desperately seeks inspiration for the musician inside him. Although heartbreak helps him reach his goal, it also leads him to self-destruction.

A wealthy businessman's traditional family celebrate their togetherness when his three sons get married, but slowly find themselves growing apart after a misunderstanding.

7000 years ago, Ayodhya's Prince Raghava and Prince Sesh along with the Mighty Vanar Warriors travels to the island of Lanka with an aim to rescue Raghava's wife Janaki, who has been abducted by Lankesh, the king of Lanka.

A troubled relationship with his younger half-brother and stepfather compels Chulbul Pandey to become a corrupt but fearless cop whose life changes when he locks horns with a corrupt political leader.

Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.

After Suman's father leaves her in the care of another family while he travels abroad, she falls in love with Prem. However, in order to for them to marry, Prem has to prove to Suman's father that he is not the same as his own dad.

On a trekking trip, an introverted Naina falls for a charming ex-classmate, whose thirst for adventure drives them apart. Years later, their paths cross again.

Sameer, fast at losing his temper is re-located to Goa where he falls in love with Rani. But Sameer's new roommate Sunny, has some plans of his own.

Muthu Pandi, a village strongman, decides to marry Dhanalakshmi, and begins his quest by eliminating everyone who opposes their union - starting with both her brothers. In desperation, Dhanalakshmi decides to escape from the village, and in the process is unwittingly assisted by a university Kabaddi player Velu.

Vinayak, a suspended cop, helps a group of four men rob cricket betting money amounting to 500 crores INR. When it comes to splitting the amount, betrayal hits the team hard and a chase ensues.

When a famous Bollywood actor visits a small village for a film's shoot, a poor hairdresser's claim that they were once childhood friends soon makes him the centre of attention.

In the highlands of Scotland in the 1700s, Rob Roy tries to lead his small town to a better future, by borrowing money from the local nobility to buy cattle to herd to market. When the money is stolen, Rob is forced into a Robin Hood lifestyle to defend his family and honour.

A chronicle of the life of Indian boxer 'Mary Kom' who went through several hardships before audaciously accomplishing her ultimate dream.

A lonely 40-ish man, likely to remain a bachelor, has a chance to find the love of his life when he falls for a vivacious young woman.

