Twenty-five years after becoming one of the most hated villains in Indian cinema, British actor Paul Blackthorne, known for his work in 24, Arrow amongst others, is back in Mumbai, this time greeted with affection instead of fear. For Indian audiences, he will forever be Captain Andrew Russell, the ruthless British officer whose demand for ‘teen guna lagaan’ set the stage for one of Hindi cinema’s most iconic cricket matches. As Lagaan marks its 25th anniversary with a theatrical re-release and cast reunion, Paul is still taking it all in.
“It’s been an absolute whirlwind,” he says. “Last night, we had this incredibly fun party to celebrate the 25th anniversary, looking back at all of AK’s [Aamir Khan’s] phenomenal films over the last quarter of a century. The day before that, the cast got together for a read-through of various scenes. I actually had to try and remember how to read Hindi script, which, turns out, I completely couldn’t anymore!”
Laughing, he adds, “But the absolute highlight was watching Lagaan on the big screen again. Just sitting there and remembering what an incredible piece of cinema it truly is.”
Working with Aamir Khan
Paul Blackthorne remains grateful for the opportunity to work with Aamir Khan, crediting him for bringing out stronger performances from those around him. “Working with actors of Aamir’s caliber is a gift. If you are truly listening and feeling their truth, your own truth comes out too. It elevates your entire performance.”
After revisiting Lagaan and getting a glimpse of Aamir Khan Productions’ body of work during the anniversary celebrations, Blackthorne says he is now eager to explore more of Aamir Khan’s filmography.
Learning Hindi one line at a time
The role of Captain Russell demanded months of preparation before filming began. When his agent first told him about a film in India, Blackthorne was intrigued by the prospect of spending five months in a country he had never worked in before, speaking a language he didn’t know.
Before shooting started, he spent three to four months in London learning Hindi. More than memorising his own lines, he wanted to understand every conversation happening around him.
“That’s the most important part of acting: listening,” he says. Once filming moved to Gujarat, Paul continued working closely with director Ashutosh Gowariker and Aamir Khan, often rehearsing dialogue and refining pronunciation ahead of major scenes.
The cricket lesson he never saw coming
One challenge Paul Blackthorne didn’t anticipate on Lagaan was cricket. Confident that being British gave him a natural advantage, he quickly discovered otherwise during a friendly match organised by Aamir Khan.
“Then we arrived on set, and Aamir put on a friendly cricket match for the cast for a bit of fun,” Paul recalls. “I walked up to the crease and was out on the very first ball. Aamir kindly said, ‘Oh, no. Go on, try again.’ I took my stance, and I was out on the next first ball! Aamir looked at me very seriously and said, ‘Maybe we could do a little work on your cricket at lunchtime.'”
The actor ended up spending every lunch break practicing. “Fortunately, through the absolute power of editing, I was able to get away with it in the movie. When you see a big, fast, thunderous bowler coming down on screen and Captain Russell smashing it, in reality, there was someone standing right in front of me during the shoot just gently tossing the ball, going, ‘Okay, try and hit this one, Paul.’ And I’d miss again! I definitely wouldn’t want to do the stage version.”
The experience, however, made him a lifelong cricket fan. Reflecting on the fierce India-England rivalry, he jokes, “There was a bit of Lagaan in that series, I think. A fair bit of Captain Russell behaviour!”
The hilarious washroom conversation
One memory from the Lagaan shoot still stands out for Paul Blackthorne — an unexpected pep talk from Aamir Khan moments before filming the film’s crucial wager scene in which Bhuvan challenges Captain Russell: if the villagers defeat the British in cricket, their taxes will be waived for three years; if they lose, they must pay triple the tax. “I went to the washroom, and Aamir happened to walk in right next to me,” he recalls. “He looked at me and said, ‘Oh, Paul. This is a very important scene. The most important scene in the film.'”
The actor laughs remembering his reaction. “I just froze and thought, ‘Oh, God!’ I turned to him and said, ‘Absolutely, sir. I will be doing my best. All right, let’s wash our hands and get on with it!'”
Captain Russell still lives on
When Lagaan released in 2001, Paul Blackthorne never imagined Captain Russell’s lines would become part of pop culture. Looking back, he says the cast wasn’t thinking about legacy while filming: “Not at all. You can’t think about those things when you’re filming. You just go in as your character and deliver your truth. But not long after the film released, I remember speaking with Aamir on the phone, and he told me, ‘Paul, people are literally walking around the streets of India quoting your lines.’ I was amazed.”
About Lagaan
Set in 1893 during the British Raj, Lagaan tells the story of Champaner, a drought-ridden village struggling under oppressive British taxation. The stakes rise dramatically when the arrogant Captain Andrew Russell (Paul Blackthorne) challenges the locals to a game of cricket. If they win, their taxes are canceled; if they lose, they owe triple. Despite having never played the sport, a resilient villager named Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) accepts the high-stakes wager.
The villagers find an unlikely ally in the captain’s sister, Elizabeth Russell (Rachel Shelley). Risking her brother’s wrath, she steps in to secretly teach Bhuvan and his team the rules and strategies of the game.