Lagaan actor Paul Blackthorne recalls Aamir Khan's curry pasta surprise on set
As Lagaan completes 25 years, actor Paul Blackthorne recalled the challenges of filming in Bhuj and shared a hilarious food-related memory involving Aamir Khan.
Twenty-five years after its release, Ashutosh Gowariker's epic sports drama Lagaan remains a landmark moment in Indian cinema. Starring Aamir Khan in the lead role, the film is remembered as much for its stirring story as its unforgettable cricket match. And while audiences know every frame of what played out on screen, the making of the film came with its own set of untold stories.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today, actor Paul Blackthorne looked back at his time shooting the film and shared a series of behind-the-scenes memories. Among them was a particularly amusing anecdote involving Aamir Khan, the British cast's craving for something other than Indian curry, and a meal that would eventually be remembered as "curry pasta."
Blackthorne, who played the ruthless British officer Captain Andrew Russell, described the shooting experience as intense, exhausting and unlike anything he had experienced before. He said, "It was like being in a pressure cooker for four months. There was a lot in the pot. There were so many ingredients, the people you were there with, Indian people, British people, the local people, the filming, the context, the environment, the script. It was just intense, very intense."
As readers would know, the majority of Lagaan was shot in Gujarat's Bhuj region, where the cast and crew spent months battling extreme weather. According to Blackthorne, every day brought a new challenge, as he said, "Honestly, every day gave you something new. Except for the cricket match, which took weeks and weeks to shoot. We would have one day a week off, when I would just run to the beach, sit there, and try to recharge for the next six days. Towards the end, I think we rolled through seven-day weeks. But every day was incredible."
Since they started shooting in January, the Gujarat heat came a few months later, and by his own admission, it took some time getting used to the weather. "You sort of slowly acclimatised. Or maybe it's like the frog being boiled in water. You're just slowly being boiled, and you don't even realise," he joked.
The weather wasn't the only struggle the English actors faced, as dust storms and even swarms of insects occasionally disrupted filming. Blackthorne recalled, "There were dust storms. I think there was a swarm of locusts one time. They were like, 'Stop filming, there are locusts!' Or bees or something... just swarms of things flying around. There were a lot of challenges, especially for the camera department."
But among all the memories from the Lagaan set, it is a food-related story involving Aamir Khan that still makes Blackthorne laugh. The actor revealed that after weeks of eating curry almost every day, Khan checked in with him about whether the British cast was happy with the food arrangements.
"After about a week or two, Aamir came up to me and said, 'Paul, are all the Britishers happy with the food?' Because we were having papaya and porridge for breakfast, then curry for lunch and dinner every day. I suggested that the crew might enjoy an occasional change, and he agreed," he shared.
The next day, excitement spread quickly when the actors entered the dining area and saw silver trays with lids. As someone lifted one, they were delighted to see penne pasta.
However, the celebration didn't last long, as Blackthorne shared amid giggles, "Everyone started shouting, there's pasta. We rushed in, filled our bowls, put them in our mouths, and instantly realised, 'It's curry pasta.' It was pasta in the same curry!"
Paul Blackthorne, who flew in to celebrate the 25 years of Lagaan with the cast and crew, shared how India still feels like home to him. And when asked if there were offers coming his way post Lagaan, the actor smiled and said, "Yes, quite a few times over the years. But I am afraid my bar has been set quite high with Lagaan. Also, I was very busy in America for a long time, so nothing quite worked out. But who knows? We'll see what the future brings. I am very open to doing something in Indian films," he concluded.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Lagaan has returned to theatres, with the makers also releasing a special trailer commemorating the milestone.
Originally released in 2001, the film went on to become a landmark in Indian cinema and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Oscars.
Twenty-five years after its release, Ashutosh Gowariker's epic sports drama Lagaan remains a landmark moment in Indian cinema. Starring Aamir Khan in the lead role, the film is remembered as much for its stirring story as its unforgettable cricket match. And while audiences know every frame of what played out on screen, the making of the film came with its own set of untold stories.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today, actor Paul Blackthorne looked back at his time shooting the film and shared a series of behind-the-scenes memories. Among them was a particularly amusing anecdote involving Aamir Khan, the British cast's craving for something other than Indian curry, and a meal that would eventually be remembered as "curry pasta."
Blackthorne, who played the ruthless British officer Captain Andrew Russell, described the shooting experience as intense, exhausting and unlike anything he had experienced before. He said, "It was like being in a pressure cooker for four months. There was a lot in the pot. There were so many ingredients, the people you were there with, Indian people, British people, the local people, the filming, the context, the environment, the script. It was just intense, very intense."
As readers would know, the majority of Lagaan was shot in Gujarat's Bhuj region, where the cast and crew spent months battling extreme weather. According to Blackthorne, every day brought a new challenge, as he said, "Honestly, every day gave you something new. Except for the cricket match, which took weeks and weeks to shoot. We would have one day a week off, when I would just run to the beach, sit there, and try to recharge for the next six days. Towards the end, I think we rolled through seven-day weeks. But every day was incredible."
Since they started shooting in January, the Gujarat heat came a few months later, and by his own admission, it took some time getting used to the weather. "You sort of slowly acclimatised. Or maybe it's like the frog being boiled in water. You're just slowly being boiled, and you don't even realise," he joked.
The weather wasn't the only struggle the English actors faced, as dust storms and even swarms of insects occasionally disrupted filming. Blackthorne recalled, "There were dust storms. I think there was a swarm of locusts one time. They were like, 'Stop filming, there are locusts!' Or bees or something... just swarms of things flying around. There were a lot of challenges, especially for the camera department."
But among all the memories from the Lagaan set, it is a food-related story involving Aamir Khan that still makes Blackthorne laugh. The actor revealed that after weeks of eating curry almost every day, Khan checked in with him about whether the British cast was happy with the food arrangements.
"After about a week or two, Aamir came up to me and said, 'Paul, are all the Britishers happy with the food?' Because we were having papaya and porridge for breakfast, then curry for lunch and dinner every day. I suggested that the crew might enjoy an occasional change, and he agreed," he shared.
The next day, excitement spread quickly when the actors entered the dining area and saw silver trays with lids. As someone lifted one, they were delighted to see penne pasta.
However, the celebration didn't last long, as Blackthorne shared amid giggles, "Everyone started shouting, there's pasta. We rushed in, filled our bowls, put them in our mouths, and instantly realised, 'It's curry pasta.' It was pasta in the same curry!"
Paul Blackthorne, who flew in to celebrate the 25 years of Lagaan with the cast and crew, shared how India still feels like home to him. And when asked if there were offers coming his way post Lagaan, the actor smiled and said, "Yes, quite a few times over the years. But I am afraid my bar has been set quite high with Lagaan. Also, I was very busy in America for a long time, so nothing quite worked out. But who knows? We'll see what the future brings. I am very open to doing something in Indian films," he concluded.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Lagaan has returned to theatres, with the makers also releasing a special trailer commemorating the milestone.
Originally released in 2001, the film went on to become a landmark in Indian cinema and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Oscars.
