Dissecting nationalist narratives: Lagaan – a critique of colonialism or a eulogy of colonial governance?

Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan is widely considered one of Bollywood’s most compelling portrayals of anti-colonial resistance in India. The film’s depiction of a small village, resisting exploitative colonial taxation, is often read as a powerful cinematic expression of nationalist aspiration. In contrast, this article argues that Lagaan occupies a paradoxical position within the corpus of nationalist cinema: the film produces the affect of nationalist triumph while also ideologically subverting the very nationalist vision it appears to affirm. Firstly, despite its initial critique of corrupt colonial officials for their abuse of power, the film portrays imperial governance as a just and self-correcting system, thereby upholding its claimed moral legitimacy and foreclosing the necessity of imagining national sovereignty. Secondly, the villagers’ loyalty to the monarch and their desire to live under his authority prevent them from demanding popular sovereignty. These features show that the film’s apparent resistance ultimately reaffirms existing political structures.