Lagaan is a 2001 Indian movie set in the Victorian period of colonial India.
It revolves around a small group of villagers who teach themselves to play cricket in order
to win a wager against the British to avoid paying triple tax.
On the surface, is it a historical film, but its popularity in India derives from its critique
of contemporary social and legal practice.
Lagaan explores several critical themes, one being the caste system, the hideous practice
of which is still relevant in present day India.
The caste system is a 3,000 year old practice that divides Hindus, the main religious group
in the country, into several main hierarchical classes.
At the top are the Brahmins, and at the very bottom are the Dalits, or the Untouchables.
In Lagaan, the main hero recruits an Untouchable to join the cricket team, because his deformed
hand spins the ball to their advantage.
Despite his offering a unique skill, the rest of the villagers say that they will not mix
with the Untouchables, and the leader is accused of polluting the whole system.
India's constitution has banned discrimination based on caste, but ancient traditions die
hard, and the Indian government still supports many aspects of the caste system.
In fact, the Indian government was recently condemned by the UN Special Reporter on Minority
for allowing such discrimination in India.
Thus, movies like Lagaan are not really historical fiction.
They draw an audience in India because the caste system still sadly exists in practice
today.