Aamir Khan (right) in “Lagaan”.

Ten years ago, Aamir Khan's life changed in a way he could have never imagined. It was when his debut production “Lagaan” hit the screens.
It was also when quite a few things changed for Bollywood. “Lagaan” broke practically all the rules so much that veteran poet, lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar did everything but physically restrain Aamir from making the movie.
Ten years since it first released, Aamir and his production house have gone from strength to strength. He has never delivered a single flop in these many years and neither has his Aamir Khan Productions.
During a recent interview Aamir looked back at the movie:
What would you say makes “Lagaan” such a great film?
Aamir: It was a great script and Ashutosh (Gowariker) did a great job at executing as a director.
Additionally, because it was so unusual, path breaking and audacious for an Indian film it got a stronger reaction.
(Sure) it was a good film (but) there are many good films. What added an aspect to the success of “Lagaan” was (this element of audacity that made people say) 'What were they thinking when they were making this and they managed to pull it off!'
Could you quantify some of the things that changed about Bollywood after the release of “Lagaan”?
Aamir: There were a few practical and creative changes that “Lagaan” brought about in the Hindi film industry.
After “Lagaan”, people realised that they could attempt anything. The creative community felt that strongly. Initially there were apprehensions because people (in Bollywood) weren't sure if (something unconventional) would work. So there were a lot of restrictions.
Even the generation of creative people to come -- the youngsters who hoped to get into filmmaking -- saw “Lagaan” and realised they could dare to dream.
At a practical level, people realised they could do one film at a time. Today every major production houses and (major) actors works that way.
Sync-sound came in. After “Lagaan”, I have not done a single film without sync-sound. All major production houses do sync sound today.
In fact I remember before leaving for the shoot, Adi (Aditya Chopra) and Karan (Johar) met me at a party and told me that whatever I did I shouldn't do two things: sync-sound and a single schedule shoot because I would get into a lot of trouble. They warned me that sync-sound would cause a lot of delays and I could see that they were very concerned. But I told them that I wanted to do it. Today they do these very things.
Then there were other little things like getting insurance and security. “Lagaan” was the first film which had security on the sets. Until then there was never any security on the set. I was the first producer (who suggested that) we need an agency that provides security -- not only from outside threat but even internally. Today, every major film has security and is a lock-up set.
What would you say have been major lessons from “Lagaan”?
Aamir: My first greatest learning was that no matter how impossible it may seem, one should follow one's dreams.
The second biggest learning probably was that I realised that as a producer I don't know a thing about distribution and I don't have the bandwidth to handle it so I need that support and partner for that.
You recently mentioned that your production house would like to stay away from all awards, including the National Awards. Why then does your website include the list of awards and nominations you and your films have received?
Aamir: I must confess I haven't seen my website lately. It must be removed.

Compiled by Correspondent