During one of the early narrations of the film, Aamir invited his parents to listen to Ashutosh Gowariker’s pitch, “First time Lagaan ki 3rd ya 4th narration maine unko bola ke hum chah rhe hai ki ek kahani hai, hum confuse hai aap bhi suniye.” Aamir recalls. “Narration chal rha tha, mein unke chehre dekh rha tha aur mein dekh rha tha ke kaisa unke chehre pe pura film chal rhi hai. Film ka narration khatam hua toh, I asked Reena first, how do you like it, she said I really liked the story, ammi abba jaan ko maine pucha… they said bahot acchi kahani hai Aamir tumko karni chahiye.”
“I said abba jaan lekin yeh bahot zyada alag toh nhi hai matlab, aise toh nhi hai ki you know, it’s an expensive film. Ekdum zyada offbeat toh nhi hai matlab mein kuch galat toh nhi kar rha hoon?”
What followed was a piece of wisdom that stayed with Aamir forever.
His father replied, Aamir, achhi kahani bahot mushkil se milti hai, ek dafa achhi kahani mil jaaye na, socho mat!
That moment became a turning point for Aamir. It reminded him that in the noise of commerce, trends, and uncertainty, it is the story that matters most. Lagaan went on to become a landmark film, even earning an Oscar nomination — a testament to what happens when intuition meets courage.
With Game Changers: The Producer Series, Komal Nahta is redefining the landscape of Indian cinema conversations. Tune in to the YouTube channel for Game Changers Producer’ Series!
