A Study on Anti-Colonialism in Ashutosh Gowariker’s film Lagaan

Abstract

This thesis examines the issue of anti-colonial resistance in Ashutosh Gowariker’s film Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. The main objective of this study is to foreground the game of cricket as a tool of resistance against the Britishers. Through the resistance of the villagers against colonial oppression, the film clearly reveals the consciousness of the colonized people. Primarily, Bhuvan is the most rebellious character who resists against the British domination. He gets moral victory. The colonized people appropriate the culture of their colonial masters to challenge the latter ones. By presenting Bhuvan as the representative of the colonized people, Lagaan advocates the anti-colonial resistance.