Lagaan | A Winning Pitch | Video Essay Script

Hi, my name is Kishor and this is MOVING IMAGES. What do you get when you combine Tsui Hark’s “Once Upon a Time in China,” Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai”, Cricket, and a bit of Bollywood? You get Lagaan. Set in 1893, “Lagaan” introduces us to villagers of Champener who are squeezed by the local Raj and the British garrison which squeezes him. When the commanding officer Captain Andrew Russell tells the King that the peasants will have to pay double lagaan or tribute in order to make up for the half lagaan paid the previous year, the Raj responds that it would be impossible to collect since the province has been suffering from a drought and no end is in sight. When the villagers learn about the double lagaan, they organize a delegation to the Raj, led by Bhuvan, their young charismatic leader. They arrive in the middle of a cricket game, which they watch with some bemusement while waiting for an audience with the Raj. When Bhuvan is overheard commenting that the game looks “silly and stupid”, the outraged British captain challenges him to a high stakes match. If the villagers win, they will not have to pay lagaan for three years. If they lose, they will have to pay triple lagaan!

Now, on the surface, the film’s plot might sound comedic. Although the film has its own share of hilarious moments, the subject matter is anything but. Handled with a very serious tone, Lagaan is a battle between two nations but as Bhuvan puts it, fought on a cricket ground. Today, let’s talk about the film’s protagonist, Bhuvan, and how he pitches an idea successfully. Like I said, solving an economic crisis through a cricket match is absurd. The film rightfully acknowledges it too. But Bhuvan manages to convince an entire village to side with him. This requires a serious skill in persuasive public speaking. More precisely Bhuvan uses a 2000 year old technique of persuasion invented by Aristotle. Presenting Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. The modes of persuasion that was invented by Aristotle and is part of every successful rhetoric. Martin Luther King used it in his “I have a dream” speech and every advertisement you saw that made you buy that product uses it. So what are these modes of persuasion and how does Bhuvan use it?

Let’s start with Ethos or the ethical appeal. This is where the speaker uses ethos to show to his audience that he is a credible source and is worth listening to. Ethos is the Greek word for “character.” This is very common in advertising where you see a celebrity use their credibility to sell you a product. In the film, Bhuvan builds his credibility by showing the villagers how he can play the game. He fails the first time but uses that opportunity to build the bowler Thippu’s credibility. The second time he fails, he addresses the practical problems of playing with a sweaty hand and devises a solution for it by rubbing his hand in the soil. The third time he is successful in hitting the ball. He has finally built credibility that he knows what he is doing and he wins two players to his team.

Pathos is a technique where the speaker appeals to the emotions of the audience and it’s the second mode of persuasion that Bhuvan uses. He approaches Goli and appeals to his emotions that he will be able to provide food for his starving family. Like Martin Luther King, he inspires to dream when the people are even afraid to dream. This naturally leads to a song where Bhuvan urges his fellow villagers to not be afraid. His appeal is successful as he earns two more members. It is pathos in the form of anger that drives Arjan and Deva to join the team and satiate their hatred towards the British.

Finally, Logos. This is a technique where the speaker appeals to the logic and tries to convince using reason. Bhuvan does this here where he explains his gamble is logical since the alternative would be to pay double tribute which the villagers cannot afford to anyway. Then again in how he convinces Bhura that he would be a perfect fielder due to his experience catching hens. Logos is used again when Ismail sees that a Britisher is helping them out to win and tries to reason with Lakha that they have a winning chance now and it is their duty to join the fight.

Interestingly, Bhuvan uses the combination of all three techniques to recruit the final member of his team. He delivers an arousing speech to his villagers when they refuse to let an untouchable be part of the team. He uses ethos when he questions the morality and credibility of the physician if he discriminates against his patients. Pathos when he appeals to the people to see that all their livelihood is at stake here no matter which caste one is from. And finally logos when he explains how Kachra’s handicap is the team’s biggest strength as he can spin the ball. A successful pitch that manages to make the people accept Kachra and thus help Bhuvan complete his team.

With Lagaan, director Ashutosh Gowariker displays his mettle in delivering successfully a concept which could’ve failed horribly in resonating with the audience. The director manages to, with his brilliant writing, pitch an absurd yet winning idea through Bhuvan. In short, “Lagaan” is a winning pitch. Until next time, this is Kishor signing off saying…