Aamir Khan's co-star Rachel Shelley shares unseen BTS pictures from 'Lagaan' shoot 25 years ago
Mumbai, Aug 1
British actress Rachel Shelley, who essayed the role of Elizabeth Russell in Aamir Khan's iconic film Lagaan, took a trip down memory lane on Friday.
The actress shared unseen behind-the-scenes pictures featuring herself from the making of the Oscar-nominated classic.
Taking to her social media account, Rachel posted two rare pictures from the film's shoot.
One picture shows the actress dressed in traditional Indian attire with colourful bangles, and the second picture captures her posing joyfully beside a decorated elephant in her signature Victorian-era costume from the film.
Sharing the pictures, she captioned the post as, "Hey #LagaanLovers - did I ever share these with you..? #lagaan #25yearslagaan."
For the uninitiated, in Lagaan, Rachel essayed the role of Elizabeth Russell, the compassionate sister of the ruthless British officer Captain Andrew Russell, played by Paul Blackthorne.
Unlike her brother, Elizabeth is empathetic towards with the villagers of Champaner and secretly teaches them the game of cricket, to help them in challenging the British in the historic match.
During the course of the story, Elizabeth gradually falls in love with Bhuvan, played by Aamir Khan. She is later heartbroken after realising that Bhuvan is deeply in love with Gauri, portrayed by Gracy Singh.
Written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and produced by Aamir Khan under Aamir Khan Productions, Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India released on June 15, 2001.
The movie starred Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Suhasini Mulay, Raghubir Yadav, Rajesh Vivek, Yashpal Sharma, Raj Zutshi, Akhilendra Mishra, Daya Shankar Pandey and many others in very important roles.
The music was composed by A.R. Rahman, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.
Earlier in the month of June this year, the cast and crew of Lagaan reunited to celebrate the film's 25th anniversary with a special script-reading session of the movie.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The way she sat on that elephant with such poise... truly a respectful portrayal of Indian culture by a foreign actress. Lagaan showed the world our heritage, our struggle, and our unity. This nostalgia hit is so strong. What a masterpiece!
I remember watching this in theatre with my dad. He still says no film has matched the grandeur of Lagaan since. A.R. Rahman's music, Ashutosh's direction, and Aamir's dedication—all perfect. Rachel Shelley will always be remembered fondly by Indians for this role. ❤️
It's heartwarming to see an artist who still cherishes a film made in India after so many years. Usually actors move on, but Rachel's love for Lagaan and its fans shows the bond that was created on set. Those bangles and that elephant—beautiful memories preserved. 🐘✨
As much as I love the film, I find it interesting how we tend to romanticize the colonial era through such portrayals. The movie itself was progressive for its time, showing Elizabeth's empathy versus her brother's cruelty. But we must also remember the real suffering of our ancestors under British rule. Still, an iconic film that deserves every bit of nostalgia. 📽️
Being an American, I didn't grow up with Lagaan, but my Indian friends introduced me to it during a movie night, and I was blown away. The fact that Rachel Shelley still connects with Indian fans after 25 years says so much about the film's impact. It truly was a global classic. 🎬