The Spirit of Lagaan

By Satyajit Bhatkal

About The Book

The Spirit of Lagaan is the extraordinary story of a thousand days in the lives of Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowariker and their mammoth team which made a classic film. It journeys through the dreams and nightmares, the loneliness and comradeship, the despair and exhilaration of a unit numbering thousands, drawn from the far corners of the globe, as it battled it out in the heat of the Kutch desert.

It is a story of building a dream team amidst contradictions and of creating a modern and progressive work ethic in an industry blighted by feudal methods of work. It is a tale of how the Lagaan unit became a melting pot for diverse cultures to blend with a chemistry that created magic on screen and deep bonds off it.

As a case study, it offers lessons to managers in the corporate world and team leaders in every aspect of life on how ambition married with purpose, grit and above all team spirit, can work magic to make the impossible a reality.

The story of how the Lagaanites met challenge after challenge has striking parallels to the film itself…except that The Spirit of Lagaan is a true story!

(Also available in Hindi and Gujrati)

About The Author(s)

Satyajit Bhatkal is a firm believer in the power of the narrative and in the role played by story-telling in shaping the way people think. After ten years of legal practise, he plunged into the world of films and was an integral part of the team that made Lagaan. The intense and unique Lagaan experience convinced the story-teller in him that here was a tale the world should know. The result is this book. He has also directed a full-length documentary on Lagaan, which is currently under post-production.

He has co-authored with Lancy Fernandes, "The Fractured Civilisation", an analysis of caste society in the throes of change.

ISBN : 81-7991-003-2

Format : Book