Rachel Shelley Shares Unseen Lagaan BTS Photos After 25 Years

Mumbai, Aug 1 — British actress Rachel Shelley, who played Elizabeth Russell in Aamir Khan’s Lagaan, on Friday shared previously unseen behind-the-scenes photographs from the making of the Oscar-nominated film.

Posting on her social media account, Shelley shared two rare images from the shoot. In one, she appears in traditional Indian attire adorned with colourful bangles. In the other, she poses cheerfully beside a decorated elephant while wearing her signature Victorian-era costume from the film.

She captioned the post: “Hey #LagaanLovers - did I ever share these with you..? #lagaan #25yearslagaan.”

In Lagaan, Shelley portrayed Elizabeth Russell, the compassionate sister of the authoritarian British officer Captain Andrew Russell, played by Paul Blackthorne. Unlike her brother, Elizabeth develops empathy for the villagers of Champaner and secretly teaches them cricket so they can challenge the British in the pivotal match. Over the course of the story she grows attached to Bhuvan, played by Aamir Khan, only to be heartbroken upon realising his deep love for Gauri, portrayed by Gracy Singh.

Written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and produced by Aamir Khan under Aamir Khan Productions, Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India released on June 15, 2001. The ensemble cast included Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Suhasini Mulay, Raghubir Yadav, Rajesh Vivek, Yashpal Sharma, Raj Zutshi, Akhilendra Mishra and Daya Shankar Pandey, among others. Music was composed by A.R. Rahman, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.

Earlier in June this year, the cast and crew of Lagaan reunited to mark the film’s 25th anniversary with a special script-reading session.

Shelley’s release of the archival photographs adds a personal, visual footnote to the continuing anniversary celebrations surrounding one of Indian cinema’s most internationally recognised films.