Lagaan Actor Paul Blackthorne: As British, You Walk Around Apologising For Colonisation | EXCL

Paul

Blackthorne’s career took off after the success of Lagaan. The sports drama set in the British colonial rule period in India, the Ashutosh Gowariker directorial completed 25 years on June 15. Aamir Khan, who played the protagonist, hosted a special event in Mumbai to celebrate the milestone. Paul returned to India to join the 25th-year celebration with the cast and crew of Lagaan. In an exclusive interview with Zoom, Blackthorne revealed whether he was aware of the lagaan (tax) regime in India during the colonial rule before shooting for the film.

Lagaan actor Paul Blackthorne on Lagaan tax regime

Paul told Zoom, “Colonisation was not the proudest thing for Britain. Of course, I was aware of that, and after doing research for the character, the context of the character, and historically, I learnt a lot more about it. It was terrible. As a British person, you walk around apologising a lot to people. The divide and the conquer and the ‘protection racket’ that was going on, that was terrible.” He added, “All built on the idea of commerce, and it still goes on today in some other form. So, it is a part of history and probably will be but I thought it was interesting portraying a character like that to demonstrate what that was really all about in some small way. Playing characters in questionable times of history from their side is interesting.”

Paul Blackthorne projects

Paul made his acting debut with Lagaan as Captain Andrew Russell. After its success, he acted in television shows such as Arrow, The Dresden Files, 24, The River and The InBetween. His character Quentin Lance, became the most beloved character in the Arrowverse. Lagaan is about the farmers of the village of Champaner, in the British Central India Agency. They live under an oppressive and racist regime of paying lagaan despite poverty and an irregular harvest caused by drought. When they reach out to the king, he proposes a cricket match between India and Andrew Russell’s British team. If India wins, they will be exempted from lagaan for three years. If they don’t, the team would be liable for triple the usual tax. Lagaan released along with Gadar on the same day. Though the film did not win an Academy Award as India’s official entry to the Oscars, the sports drama won the 49th National Film Awards in eight categories, including Best Popular Film.