Thanks to netflix, i am getting to know a director named Mira Nair...
wonderful, thoughtful films, last time it was about a boy in India who got
caught stealing, and he goes to prison, and has a tragic life. This time
it's more fun, though reflects a system that was when kings ruled india.
It's called the kama sutra, defintely r rated. quite possibly the first
time in film you actually see hair on a woman's private parts. but that's
about all you see. Intriguing.  it's more about the relationships very
complex relationships than about the sex.

Kat, all you need to do is look at south africa to know exactly how awful
the british were in decades past.

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How can we expect new results if we do what we've always done?
War is outdated for the 21st century!


> [Original Message]
> From: Kathy <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 7/24/2005 3:30:12 PM
> Subject: Lagaan (Bollywood Film)
>
> This is mainly for Beth (and Rayna, who I think said liked Bollywood
films,
> too).  I finally leased Lagaan yesterday and I must say I loved it!  As
some
> of you may know, I love to watch cricket matches and boy, does this film
have
> cricket!
>
> The film is set in 1893 India, when the British still occupied the
country and
> had a tax system in place - the local rajahs would collect the tax from
their
> subjects, take their share, and pass the rest on to the Brits.  This tax
was
> called lagaan, and the story centers around a bet a local famer places
with
> the local British governing official - if the local town plays the Brits
and
> win, they don't have to pay the double lagaan being imposed that year; in
> fact they won't have to pay any lagaan for three years.  But if they lose,
> they will have to pay triple lagaan.  The colonel -- a nasty piece of
work --
> makes the bet knowing that the local have never seen a cricket match and
in
> fact they don't even know what cricket is or how it's played. The town is
> aghast but it becomes clear they don't have a choice as there has been no
> rain that year and if they even pay double lagaan, they will starve.  So
the
> town eventually falls in behind the farmer.
>
> The music is fabulous and I didn't find the singng and dancing jarring.
The
> only beef I had with the film was that for the most part, the British are
> portrayed as brutish prejudiced and without any consideration for their
> Indian subjects.  Of course as I have never studied British colonial
policy
> and governance in India, I can't say if this was generally the case or
not.
> I think it's time I did some reading up on the subject.
>
> In any case, I love the film and highly recommend it. :)
>
> Kat