Actor Yashpal Sharma, who played a key role in the Oscar-nominated film Lagaan, talked about working with Aamir Khan. He said Aamir made sure everyone joined in on nightly card games, possibly to keep them away from distractions like women and alcohol. Yashpal also shared that Aamir still hosts a reunion for the Lagaan cast every Diwali.
On the Friday Talkies YouTube channel, he shared that when he got the call for the film, he expected the worst. “I thought Aamir would be arrogant, because that’s what my experiences with stars had taught me. In fact, some NSD graduates would also think of themselves as stars… But Aamir is a wonderful human being, first and foremost,” he said.
He recalled how Aamir Khan would sit on the ground, drinking tea from a paper cup, and organised a nightly card game for everyone on set. “He would sit in the dirt and drink tea out of a paper cup. He organised a cards club; we would get together every evening and play cards. Maybe it was Aamir’s strategy to keep everybody away from women and booze, and from getting into random fights. Everybody was together on that set, and we maintained it for over five months. The passion, the late nights, the camaraderie all translated onto the screen.”
Yashpal mentioned that the bond they formed on set was so strong that Aamir Khan still hosts card parties every Diwali. He shared that they would eat golgappas, watch movies, play cricket, and rehearse together. “Look at Aamir’s humility, he invites us to his house for card parties every Diwali,” he added.
Lagaan, released in 2001, is one of Aamir Khan’s most famous films and a landmark in Indian cinema. Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, the movie is set in the late 1800s during British rule in India. It tells the story of a small village that challenges British officers to a cricket match to avoid paying high taxes, or “lagaan.” Aamir Khan, who also produced the film, played the lead role of Bhuvan, a villager who inspires his community to stand up against the British.
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