My heart, it speaks a thousand words I feel eternal bliss
The roses pout their scarlet mouths Like offering a kiss
No drop of rain, no glowing flame Has ever been so pure
If being in love can feel like this Then I'm in love for sure
What lay in my heart
What lay hidden in my heart Leapt to my lips today
An arrow resting Somewhere in my heart
Has found its bow today
My love For all our lives to come
May we remain In this abode of love
Our hands entwined May we never be parted
I shall walk beside you In your chosen path
True to your love
Oh, I'm in love
I am in love
Yes, I'm in love
Should someone ask
I shall tell them What's happened to me
My every limb is fragrant Because you touched me
Your fragrant body Your flaming beauty
You are the rose I see
How can this allure Not wake my desire?
Your beauty shines bright
In youth's searing light
Despite my warnings, you continue to meet them!
- How dare you! - I will not tolerate your nonsense!
Do what you like in London! Pack your bags...
...and leave for England by the next ship.
Let me make things clear to you.
Stop telling me what to do. I'm not leaving Champaner.
Get this straight. I'll go to the village as and when I wish.
Tell me, Eliza.
What's so special about them that makes you go against your brother?
There's nothing special about them.
You're the one who's unfair. That's why I decided to help them.
Do mark my words. They'll give you a tough fight.
Yardley. Line and length. Line and length.
How's that?
Good shot, Burton. Well played.
How was that?
That is out, sir. That's the end of the day's play.
I'm going to announce the batting order.
Smith and Burton will open, with Smith to face.
Followed by myself at number three.
Followed by Brooks...
...Wesson...
...Noel...
...Benson.
Harrison...
...Flynn...
...Willis...
...Yardley.
Right.
- Who should be in the team? - It should be Madhav.
What's going on?
Everyone wants to see you play.
- We haven't got our 1 1 th player. - I'll fix it right away. Take Bhima.
- Bhima! - No, Chief.
He may be his namesake, but he has a backache all the time.
- How about Kashi Nath? - Kashi Nath!
If he runs, he'll split! Kashi this side and Nath on the other!
What shall we do?
We need a big man. Let's wait and see.
Deva, you bowl.
Isar Kaka, you bat.
All of you spread out.
- Bowl a little slow to Isar Kaka. - All right.
Hey, Kachra, throw the ball.
Stop gaping and throw it, will you?
What did you do?
I didn't do anything. You said throw.
Come here.
Come on.
I didn't do anything. You said throw.
Come here, all of you.
Eliza memsahib, watch Kachra closely.
Kachra, throw it again.
I did no wrong. He asked me to throw the ball.
Throw the ball.
Not with the left hand. With the right.
See how it spins!
Amazing. He's actually spinning the ball.
We have found our 1 1 th player. Come, Kachra.
Isar Kaka, you'll face him. Goli, give Kachra the ball.
Arjan, throw the ball.
What's the matter?
Why is everyone staring?
No, no. We will not play!
Why? What happened?
This damn untouchable!
Play with us? No way!
He cannot play with us!
That's right. We will not mingle with an untouchable.
This cannot be. It's unthinkable.
- I am not playing. - We too won't play.
What are you doing? This is wrong.
You are polluting the whole system.
We'll fight the British. But mingle with a low-caste, never!
Kachra, scram! Get out of here!
Kachra.
Oh, my God! He touched him!
You brand people untouchable and pollute humanity.
You choke the air in our village with this caste division.
Is it right to shatter hearts in the name of skin colour?
Then why worship Ram, who ate a tribal's half-eaten berries?
The Lord himself was ferried by a low-caste boatman.
And yet you talk of untouchables!
And you, Isar Kaka? You're a physician.
You check an ailing patient's pulse and treat him.
Do your scriptures tell you to let untouchables die?
If that is so, then that is the gravest crime on humanity.
After today, no one will regard a physician as God's other form!
You wanted a strong player, right?
Kachra is a cripple.
Your hands aren't deformed. It's by God's grace you can say this.
But the man you call a cripple will be our greatest strength.
This lifeless hand will lead us to victory.
Let me remind you all of one thing.
This is not a game we are playing for fun and entertainment.
This is a battle we must win!
Our goal is freedom from lagaan and welfare for our village.
And for that I will remain unbowed!
Whether you support me or not, Kachra will play.
Bhuvan, my son.
Shame cannot enter eyes...
...that are fully open.
I agree with Isar Bhai.
You are right.
Kachra will play with us.
Over and over Say this, my friend
May victory be ours And defeat their lot
Over and over Say this, my friend
May victory be ours And defeat theirs
Let no one win against us
Let's walk on Let's walk on
All who challenge us Will perish
Let's walk on
Even if it is pitch dark
Let's walk on Let's walk on
Let no one lag behind
Let's walk on
Should one finger rise
It shall break
When five fingers join
They form a fist
Let our unity grow Come on, walk on
However seductive the lure
Walk on
Let no one win against us
Let's walk on Let's walk on
All who challenge us Will perish
Walk on
Let no one stop you Obstruct you
Break all barriers
What do you get from being Weak and powerless?
May we never suffer again
So great shall be our play The enemy will lose
We will now take The path of courage
We will shake up this earth
We will show everyone
Who is king Who is slave
We will show this world
What we are worth
Over and over Say this, my friend
May victory be ours And defeat theirs
No fear will enter our hearts
Let's walk on
Every shackle Will now break open
Let's walk on
Keep walking Don't ever falter
You are the journeyman Of the road
May you never be weary
He that rules you Is a tyrant
He that has destroyed us
His home is in the West
We will make sure He will not remain
We will shake up this earth We will show everyone
Who is king Who is slave
We shall show this world
What we are worth
What has to happen Will happen
Let's walk on
May no one bow his head
Let's walk on
And then the historic day dawned...
...when the first rays of the sun fell on the cricket field.
Morning, Captain Russell.
- Morning, Colonel Boyer. This way. - Thank you.
Morning, Miss Russell.
- Hope you're confident, captain. - Yes, sir.
Decent crowd.
Hail Almighty!
Long live Your Highness!
Smash these foreigners!
Beat them to a pulp!
Crush Captain Russell's arrogance!
Long live Your Highness!
- Things are beginning to hot up a bit. - Yes.
Both teams will bat only once.
The game will be played over three days.
Which team gets to bat first...
...will be decided by the toss of a coin.
For this, both the teams must enter the field.
To ensure fair play...
...senior officials invited neutral umpires from Kanpur.
- Will you call, Captain Russell? - Heads, sir.
Heads. Your call.
We will bat.
- Good luck, captain. - Thank you, sir.
Good luck, young man.
The team that scores the most runs...
...wins the game.
Opening the batting for the English team...
...are Lt. Smith and Lt. Burton.
- Middle stump please, umpire. - A little to leg.
That's it.
What are they doing?
Well done!
Come here, all of you!
Come here!
What are you doing?
All running at the same time!
You run after the ball only if it comes toward you. Got it?
Now go.
Well done, Bhura!
The ball crosses the boundary...
...and the English get four more runs.
No ball!
What's he saying?
No ball!
Steady, Smith. Steady.
Deva crossed the line while bowling...
...so the batsman was declared not out.
Instead, he got an extra run.
Damn! He made me run.
That's over.
That brings us to the end of Deva's over.
Eight runs were made.
Now a new bowler will bowl.
A little forward. The ball will spin. Catch it.
One.
Kachra, spin it.
Oh, shot, Burton.
- Why isn't the ball spinning? - I don't know.
Catch it, Lakha!
Kachra isn't spinning the ball at all today.
He has to be taken off.
- Deva, you rest a while too. - Okay.
- Bhuvan, you bowl. - Okay.
Throw!
No, no, no!
The first English batsman is out!
Looking forward to this.
Bad luck, Smith.
Coming in to bat now...
...the English captain, Captain Russell!
Sharp fielding there!
Well done!
For the loss of one wicket, they have scored 66 runs.
- Shatter the sticks, Goli. - Of course.
Right arm from this side.
Right arm over the wicket.
Very good, Goli.
- Sir, did you see that? - Yes, I did.
Excellent, Goli.
This is ridiculous!
Sir, you cannot bowl like this. It's improper.
What is it?
- He can't bowl like this. - Why not?
What's wrong, sahib?
- Have you ever seen such an action? - Is something the matter?
This man swings his arm more than once before releasing the ball.
He must bowl conventionally.
- Sir, that's unfair to the home team. - Unfair?
It's only fair they ask this man to bowl properly.
There is no rule written about such an action. Is there?
There's nothing written about it that I can recall.
There is nothing written about this rule.
We'd better write some rules, captain, but only after this match.
Let's get on with the match.
Okay, he is permitted to bowl.
To kill a tiger or a cheetah, that is nothing!
Kill these tyrants! Thrash these whites! Defeat them!
Come on! Throw the ball! Break the stick!
For goodness' sake!
Look at his arm action. It's ridiculous.
Dangerous too.
The next batsman is Lt. Brooks!
Two, please.
Thank you.
Brooks.
Sir.
Just before he releases the ball, he makes a grunting noise.
Something like this:
- Listen for it. - Right, sir. Thank you.
Well done, Goli.
Good timing!
For the loss of two wickets, they have made 1 32 runs.
Captain Russell is on 38 and Lt. Brooks on 32.
Catch it, Bagha!
I don't think W.G. Grace could have made such confident strokes.
What are you doing, Lakha?
I missed it, Kaka.
How could you miss it, son? Where's your concentration?
We have to win. We must win. Please concentrate.
Go on, Bhuvan. Very good!
The end of the day's play, gentlemen.
The English team has scored 1 82 runs...
...for the loss of two wickets.
And with this, we come to the end of the first day's play.
Our game wasn't good today.
What happened to you, Lakha? You played so well during practise.
Practise is a different thing. We play among ourselves.
Why are you blaming only me?
You all went gaga over Kachra. Did you see his miracle today?
- I told you before... - At least he tried. You didn't!
- What did he do with all that trying? - Shut up, Lakha!
That night Elizabeth saw a shadowy figure.
She tried to investigate.
My being in the team helped.
She was stunned to see Lakha there.
She went to the village at once and informed Bhuvan about Lakha.
l...
What I did was very wrong.
Forgive me.
Lakha!
A snake like you should be crushed!
Stop!
- Drag him out, Bhuvan! - We'll kill him!
Calm down, all of you!
I'll talk to him.
Lakha!
- Lakha, open the door! - No, Bhuvan.
I won't open the door. They'll kill me!
- I won't open it. - Nobody will do anything.
How long will you stay inside? They won't budge.
Open the door and let me in.
I made a mistake, Bhuvan.
Forgive me.
Why did you do it, Lakha?
I lost my mind, Bhuvan.
Because...
...l was in love with Gauri.
I wanted her to be mine at any cost.
But she loves you.
And I hated you for that! I hated you for that!
I wanted you to lose. To be disgraced...
...before Gauri and the whole village!
You risked the lives of everyone in the village.
You put their future at stake!
Do you know what you have done, Lakha?
Save me, Bhuvan. Save me.
Just one chance.
Give me a chance to repent. Just one chance.
I'll do whatever you say.
But give me just one more chance to repent.
I can give you one chance.
But you must prove your loyalty.
If you cannot...
...you will not find refuge even here.
The second day's play begins...
...with the score at 1 82.
Hail the Great Guru's warriors. Hail the Great Guru's victory.
The new batsman is Lt. Wesson.
Well batted, sir.
- Rather enjoyable knock. - Lovely to watch.
Oh, great shot, sir! Well played!
- Let's have more of those. - Congratulations, Wesson.
And that's lunch, gentlemen.
- 271 for 3 is an extremely good score. - We'll be looking at at least 600.
Something to please the crowd.
Steady.
Bhuvan, if they continue to bat like this...
You'll have to do something.
Yes, memsahib.
We've tried all our bowlers.
I don't know what to do.
Over.
What did you do?
Come here. Come on!
What's this? He's bowling again!
- I don't understand. - Crazy chap.
Well done!
Goodness gracious! The ball turned almost three feet!
Catch it, Bhura!
Gentlemen, he's on a hat trick.
He's done it, by George!
From 295 for 3, they are now 295 for 6!
Hail Almighty! Break the enemy's back!
Good shot, Harrison!
So you step out and hit, do you? Try coming out now!
Go home! Go back home with your tail between your legs!
May the mighty hands of Fate ruin you! Vultures!
Catch it, Bagha!
- Catch it, Bagha. - Catch it, Bagha.
You caught it!
The score is 320 with only two batsmen left!
- Arjan! - Arjan, don't drop it!
Come on, Deva.
With the last batsman out, the English innings are over.
The Champaner team will have to make...
...323 runs to win.
They collapsed like a house of cards.
- That's a huge mountain to climb. - Absolutely.
- Come on, brothers! - Get rid of lagaan!
That was simply great!
Kachra's magic worked. The whites just crumbled.
I felt Bhuvan was making a big mistake by bringing you on.
But he bowled well.
The foolish whites only looked in front.
And the ball whizzed past their butts and knocked the bails off!
All this joking is fine. But think how...
...you will make these 323 runs.
It'll be done, Chief.
Listen, all of you.
Ismail, Lakha, Bagha, Deva and Arjan.
The six of us are responsible for making those 323 runs.
The others are weak in batting.
The six of us must bat cautiously and calmly.
Deva, you and I will open the batting.
We will hang in there till the end of play today.
Okay, brother.
Careful, Bhuvan.
Steady, Bhuvan, steady.
What are you doing?
Get ahold of yourself.
The people of the village get four more runs with this!
All right, Ram Singh. All right.
- Come on, brothers! - Let's get rid of lagaan!
- How could this happen? - Don't forget the crease.
Very bad luck.
Who's next? Arjan!
Teach those arrogant whites a lesson!
- Just stay there until dusk. - Careful.
Well done, Arjan. But be careful.
You won't have a morsel to eat.
Nor a piece of cloth to wear.
They are trying to needle you, Arjan. Stay calm.
You won't have a morsel to eat nor a piece of cloth to wear.
Careful, Arjan!
Triple lagaan. We will take triple lagaan from you.
They are trying to provoke you. Stay calm.
You damn slaves will remain crushed under our boots!
Careful, Arjan. Stay calm.
Catch it. Catch it!
Yes!
Over.
Yardley.
Knock his bloody head off.
- Good sport, Yardley. - That was a nasty one.
He's got some strength in those arms!
Bagha, please be careful. Don't get carried away.
Oh, well bowled!
Go, my son.
And again, Yardley.
Careful, Ismail.
- Good, Yardley. - Very good bowl.
What happened?
Hurry!
That must have hurt.
Take him away. Don't worry.
Careful, Ismail.
- Is he badly hurt? - Yes.
Thank God!
- That was close. - It certainly was, Your Highness.
End of day's play.
Great bowling, Yardley. Well bowled. We've got them on the run.
We've lost five of our best batsmen.
What will we do now?
O Saviour
O Pure of Essence Our Dearly Beloved
O Saviour
O Pure of Essence
We have no one but You
Ease our troubles O Lord
We have no one but You
You alone are Our sole support
You alone are our Protector
We have no one but You
You have filled the moon With light
The sun shines Only because of You
Your splendour Lights the sky with stars
O Lord
If not you
Who will preserve this life?
O Saviour O Pure of Essence
We have no one but You
If you would hear us
O Lord We make this plea
Grant the suffering courage May hardship never defeat them
To the weak Give Your protection
So they may live in peace
To devotion
Give strength
You are the Lord of the universe
Listen to this plea
When the path is dark
Give us the boon of light
O Saviour
O Pure of Essence
We have no one but You
Ease our troubles O Lord
We have no one but You
Bhuvan has reached his 50!
That must be the first 50 in the history of Indian village cricket.
Come on, run!
And with this, Isar Kaka completes 1 0 runs!
- Very good! - Well done.
One more!
I lost, Bhuvan.
I couldn't run.
Couldn't run.
It was my fault.
I couldn't run.
"Tormentors of the weak! Beware!
The sighs of the oppressed turn iron to ashes."
Keep the flag flying, Guran!
He's coming from the jungle.
- Stand back! - Make way, make way!
Watch yourself.
- What on earth is he doing? - This way, sir.
What an extraordinary stance. As if he's riding a horse.
Hari Om!
Well struck, sir!
Umpire, he can't do that. It's not cricket.
Guran...
-...hit the ball just once. - Okay.
Hail Almighty!
That's called kicking the horse.
- Run! - Break the enemy's back.
Over.
Here he comes, Bhuvan. Hit him hard!
Great!
Throw to the bowler's end!
Come on, white man!
Rot in hell!
One more, Guran!
I'll make you whine for your ma!
So what does your ma say now?
Hail Almighty! Come on, white man!
Why are you shouting?
Yes! Good ball.
Damn you!
Goli, my son, hang in there.
Only Bhura and Kachra are after you.
- Father, hang in there. - Hit hard!
Do us proud!
Don't scare him, idiots! Hang in there!
Steady, Goli!
Come on, Willis. He's nervous.
- Out the first ball. - Bhura...wait. I'll go.
- In this condition? - Yes.
- Oh, my goodness. - Interesting.
They're giving you your hat trick, Willis.
But how will you run, Ismail?
The umpires have decided to let...
...another player run for Ismail!
When I call, run. Stay behind the line, understand?
Good. Now go stand there. But inside the line.
Thank God you're back, Ismail.
We have to make the rest of the runs.
There's no one left.
Don't worry, Bhuvan. By Allah's grace, victory will be ours.
We must not lose heart, that's all.
Look towards me, Tipu.
Run, Tipu!
Stop! Stay behind the line.
Run, Tipu, run!
Stop!
Well done.
- Was it two or three? - Three.
The last hour of play is left.
Twenty overs will be bowled during this time.
Ismail has hit a six!
Well played!
With this six, Bhuvan completes a century!
This country has a great future in this game.
And that's Ismail's grand 50!
How many more runs to win?
We have to make 30 runs in 1 8 balls.
- Thirty in 1 8? - Yes.
How's that, umpire?
Well done, Willis!
Oh, what a shame.
- Good cricket, sir. - Well done.
Run along. Your mother's waiting.
Don't worry, Tipu. Don't worry.
You played very well. Well done.
Father, why is Tipu coming back?
They now have to make 28 runs...
...in 1 6 balls.
Stay put at one end, Bhura.
Don't lose your wicket. I'll make the runs.
He's petrified, Willis. Get him on strike. Three more to go.
Willis, hold up! Smith, third-man!
Flynn, square boundary.
Come on, Willis. Keep it tight, man!
- Stop! Go back! - What are you doing?! Get him!
That was great!
Willis, keep it tight, man!
- The ball is old, sir. - Just do it!
This is the last ball of the over! We must take a run.
Only one run, not two!
Gentlemen, step up, step up! Stop the single.
I want this man on strike! Step up!
Good shot. That's an over.
He's given us four runs.
You have to bat now.
Steady. Don't let your wicket fall.
Because of Captain Russell's cunning...
...Bhuvan couldn't take just the single. Bhura must bat now.
Champaner now needs...
...1 2 runs from 1 2 balls.
Smith, keep him on strike.
Concentrate, gentlemen. Concentrate!
Saving one.
One more to go.
Save us, Bhuvan, my brother. It's all in your hands now.
You did the right thing.
Go, Kachra. You have to give Bhuvan support now.
- Just stay put. - Don't be afraid.
Say a prayer and go.
All right. We remember this chap, don't we?
Welcome back.
Oh, dear.
The last man in and he's severely disabled.
This is the last batsman.
They need to make 1 2 runs from 1 1 balls.
Wesson.
- Short leg. Stay in close. - Right, sir.
Come on, Smith.
And again.
Come on, Smith! He's a sitting duck.
Careful, Kachra!
Come on, Smith!
You aren't hurt, are you?
Good delivery!
Come on, Kachra. Don't be afraid!
Take him, Smith!
Just touch and run!
Just once.
Run!
Well done, Kachra! Stay there.
This is the last ball. We must take one run.
- Be ready. - Okay.
Gentlemen, close in. Move in. Save the one. Keep it this end.
Smith!
- Run! - Run, Kachra!
Made it.
Well done! Well done, Kachra.
Six more balls...
...and 1 0 runs to make for a victory.
Gentlemen, I want everybody to keep on their toes. Be alert.
Save the twos and the boundaries.
Let them have the single. Let the cripple take the strike.
Yardley, I'm depending on you.
Don't give away anything. Just get him.
Gentlemen!
Well done. That won't do us any harm.
Are you all right?
Keep it up.
Careful, Bhuvan!
Run! Take two!
Stop! Go back.
We must take a single!
Touch and run!
Gentlemen, close in, close in!
All you men in the field, come on!
Kachra, touch and run!
Good bowling, Yardley.
We must take a run off this ball. Only two more balls are left.
We have to take a run!
Go on, Yardley.
Dig one in. Dig one in, Yardley. Come on.
Run, Kachra!
We have to take one run! Just touch and run!
Everybody close in! Stop the single! Close in!
Why can't you just strike the ball?
Just one more ball to go.
Kachra, this is the last ball of the game.
And we need five runs to win.
You'll have to hit the ball over the boundary.
Or else, triple lagaan.
Our lives are in your hands, Kachra.
Do something!
Do something.
Come on, Yardley. Just once more.
Field.
Hit it, Kachra.
- Hit it! - Hit it, Kachra!
- Lift it, Kachra!
Triple lagaan!
No ball.
No ball!
- What? - No ball.
No ball? What do you mean, no ball?
- His foot was over the line. - Yardley?
- Are you certain? - I am not discussing it.
I suggest we get on with the game.
Very well.
We have one more ball. Back to your positions!
Because of the no ball, we have one more ball to face!
No more mistakes this time.
Gentlemen, back to the boundary.
Everybody, back to the boundaries. Back! Back!
If you lose, you pay...
...triple lagaan.
Do you accept?
And Bhuvan accepted this impossible bet!
What have you done?
I told you we could face a calamity, didn't I?
You talk just like your father.
He was just as spirited. Always spoke the truth.
I have faith...
...in you and in your courage.
Catch it, sir!
Please don't catch it!
We have won!
He's done it!
Completely unbelievable!
Bloody...!
Unable to bear this humiliation, the British government...
...decided to shut down the Champaner cantonment.
By the power vested in me by Queen Victoria...
...l hereby declare, after much deliberation...
...the cantonment at Champaner be dissolved.
And the officers and troops...
...shall re-establish themselves...
...in the princely state of Rajghat, with immediate effect.
Signed, Colonel J. R. Boyer Commanding Officer, Central Provinces
I did not believe I'd live to see this day.
May you be happy, my daughter. May you live long.
Memsahib, we will never forget...
...what you've done for us.
I won't either.
Not just Champaner, but all the villages in the province...
...did not have to pay lagaan for three years.
Captain Russell paid for his capricious behaviour.
Besides having to pay triple lagaan, he was transferred...
...to the Central African desert.
Elizabeth returned to England with Bhuvan in her heart.
She did not marry and remained Bhuvan's Radha all her life.
Bhuvan and Gauri had a splendid wedding.
Rajah Puran Singh himself blessed them...
...enhancing Champaner's status even more.
Even after this historic victory...
And then the prince took his beloved girlfriend and called her Chica Rita