Komal Nahta’s podcast Game Changers: The Producer Series has been a hub of path-breaking stories from the entertainment world. Featuring many renowned personalities as guests, it has become an engaging platform for conversations where knowledge, experience, and memories speak. Recently, when superstar Aamir Khan appeared on the podcast, he briefly opened up about the blockbuster Lagaan. At the podcast, When Aamir Khan was asked about his weakness, he said, “I am not able to work according to a budget. We had hoped Lagaan would be made in Rs. 12 crores, but its budget ended up being Rs. 25 crores (laughs)!” He further continued, “During Lagaan, we had done extensive prep; ideally, there shouldn’t have been a problem. One day, I was doing my make-up. Suddenly, Reena (Reena Dutta) and Rao sahab (production manager Shamala S. Rao) told me that there was a problem. They said, ‘Ashu (director Ashutosh Gowariker) had asked us for 200 extras. We arranged for it. But now he is saying that 200 extras are not enough’. I left my make-up on and met him. He told me, ‘200 people look like just 20 people’ as the shooting site was wide. He asked for 800-1000 more people. I realized he was right. Reena aur Rao sahab were angry with me. They were like, ‘Whatever Ashu says, he agrees’! But Ashu was stating a fact. Reena asked me, ‘Toh fir aaj kya karein’. I replied, ‘Aaj cricket khelte hai’ (laughs)!”
Aamir added, “Then I suggested that we could film a small scene. Half a day had gone by, but let us utilize the other half. Or else, we could shoot. But galat shoot karna maza nahin aata hai.” Aamir Khan revealed, “When I turned producer, I decided that I’ll work the way I always wanted to. I introduced the first AD system. Then, there were no walkie-talkies. We brought the communication system as well. For the first time, a film was shot in just one schedule. We even got sync sound, which was rarely done in mainstream cinema. I always wanted to shoot in sync sound and shoot in one schedule. I wanted the real sound of the actor; there’s a certain quality to it. It can be tiring to recreate it (during the dubbing process); you need to relive those moments.” Aamir Khan further stated, “Those days, there was no security on the set. The poor junior artist supplier used to provide security! For Lagaan, I called Ronit Roy and asked him to secure the set as it was in the middle of nowhere. It was built on a huge area. I wanted to secure the building where we were staying and also the equipment. There were 150 security guards. Again, this was done for the first time in Hindi cinema.” Aamir concluded, “For the first time, a security system, communications system, first AD system, sync sound and one schedule happened with Lagaan. Definitely, all of these things worked and they are the norms today.”