Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

Even in film, it's possible to get too much of a good thing.

Take, for example, "Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India." This epic-length period piece (it's a few minutes shy of four hours) was a blockbuster in its home country, but whether audiences here will be interested enough in the story to stick around that long — or respond to the film's odd mix of romance, political intrigue and musical numbers — remains to be seen.

Then there's "Lagaan's" heavy reliance on the sport of cricket, which isn't exactly a fan favorite in the States. (A good hour or more of the film — the entire final third, in fact — is given to cricket action, which is deadly dull unless you're an aficionado.)

Still, there's no denying that when this film is good, it's very good. And the tendency for the cast to break into song when it starts to lag (at least during the first two-thirds) may seem odd at first, but after awhile it becomes somewhat endearing and quite charming.

The title of this fact-based drama, at least the "lagaan" part, refers to a tax levied on residents of an impoverished Indian village who are coping with a drought. Nonetheless, a tyrannical British captain, Andrew Russell (Paul Blackthorne), decides to double the year's amount of lagaan.

But at least one villager has had enough — and impudent Bhuvan (Indian superstar Aamir Khan) decides to protest. Unfortunately, his complaints fall on deaf ears, so he decides to take a huge risk — he'll accept an offer to play a high-stakes game against Russell's cricket team. If they win, the villagers won't have to pay taxes. But if they lose, Russell will triple the year's lagaan.

Bhuvan discovers it is an uphill struggle just trying to find men who are fit enough to play. However, he gets help from a most unexpected source — Russell's sister, Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley), who is smitten with the handsome rebel.

This is a good-looking production, and several of the musical numbers work very well. And both Khan and Gracy Singh (playing a villager who's also in love with Bhuvan) are terrific.

Unfortunately, the British characters are not as well played — Blackthorne's sneering villain is almost embarrassing, and Shelley is downright wooden.

"Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India" is rated PG for violence (target practice, sports-related violence) and scattered use of profanity and ethnic slurs. Running time: 225 minutes.

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E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com