Lagaan takes place in the town of Champaner, Gujurat during the height of the British Empire in India in 1893. Captain Andrew Russell (Paul Blackthorne), the commanding officer of the Champaner cantonment, has imposed high taxes ("lagaan") on people from the local villages that they will be unable to pay due to a prolonged drought. Led by Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), they beg Raja Puran Singh (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) to help them. He tells them that much to his regret, he is also bound by British law.
It is after their visit to the Raja that the people of the village f
irst witness a cricket match. Bhuvan mocks the game and gets into a fight with one of the British officers. Taking an instant dislike to Bhuvan, Russell offers to cancel the taxes of the whole province for three years if the villagers can beat his men in a game of cricket. If the villagers lose, however, they will have to pay three times the amount of their normal taxes. Bhuvan accepts this wager on the behalf of all villages without their knowledge. When the other villagers find out about the bet, they are furious with Bhuvan. He argues that it is important for everyone to fight against British rule.
Bhuvan thus begins to prepare the villagers for the match. He is aided in his efforts by Russell's sister Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley) who feels that her brother has mistreated the people in the villages. As she teaches them the rules of the game, she falls in love with Bhuvan, much to the fear and anger of Gauri (Gracy Singh) who is also in love with him. After Bhuvan reassures Gauri of his feelings for her, the woodcutter Lakha (Yashpal Sharma) becomes enraged as he is also in love with Gauri. In an attempt
to discredit Bhuvan, Lakha offers himself as a spy for Russell and joins the villager's team in order to destroy it. Still short one player, Bhuvan also invites an untouchable, Kachra (Aditya Lakhia), who can bowl a leg spin. The villagers, conditioned by longterm prejudice against untouchables, refuse to play if Kachra joins the time. Bhuvan chastises the villagers leading them to accept Kachra on the team.
The second half of the film focuses on the match itself. On the first day, Russell wins the toss and elects to bat, giving the British officers a strong start. Bhuvan brings Kachra into the match only to find that Kachra has lost his ability to spin the ball. In addition, as part of his agreement with Russell, Lakha deliberately drops many catches. During the evening, however, Elizabeth sees Lakha meeting with her brother. She races to the village and informs Bhuva
n of Lakha's deception. Rather than allow the villagers to kill him, Bhuvan offers Lakha the chance to redeem himself. The next day the British score almost 300 runs, losing only three wickets at the lunch break. As part of his promise to Bhuvan, Lakha takes a diving one-handed catch which sparks the British batting collapse. Kachra is brought back to bowl and takes a hat trick. Soon, more than half of the team is out with the team scoring less than half of the required runs. On the final day, Bhuvan passes his century, while most of the later wickets fall. The game comes down to the last over with Kachra on strike. He knocks the ball a short distance and manages a single. The umpire signals no ball leading Bhuvan to swing extremely hard at the next ball. Captain Russell backpedals and catches the ball, leading him and everyone to believe the British team has won. However, Russell caught the ball beyond the boundary which gave the win to Bhuvan's team. At that moment, the drought ends as a rainstorm erupts.
Bhuvan's defeat of the British team leads to the disbanding of the humiliated cantonment. In addition, Russell is forced to pay the taxes for the whole province and is transferred to Central Africa. After realizing that Bhuvan loves Gauri, Elizabeth returns to London. Heartbroken, she remains unmarried for the rest of her life. Bhuvan marries Gauri in a large wedding.
It is after their visit to the Raja that the people of the village f
irst witness a cricket match. Bhuvan mocks the game and gets into a fight with one of the British officers. Taking an instant dislike to Bhuvan, Russell offers to cancel the taxes of the whole province for three years if the villagers can beat his men in a game of cricket. If the villagers lose, however, they will have to pay three times the amount of their normal taxes. Bhuvan accepts this wager on the behalf of all villages without their knowledge. When the other villagers find out about the bet, they are furious with Bhuvan. He argues that it is important for everyone to fight against British rule.Bhuvan thus begins to prepare the villagers for the match. He is aided in his efforts by Russell's sister Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley) who feels that her brother has mistreated the people in the villages. As she teaches them the rules of the game, she falls in love with Bhuvan, much to the fear and anger of Gauri (Gracy Singh) who is also in love with him. After Bhuvan reassures Gauri of his feelings for her, the woodcutter Lakha (Yashpal Sharma) becomes enraged as he is also in love with Gauri. In an attempt
to discredit Bhuvan, Lakha offers himself as a spy for Russell and joins the villager's team in order to destroy it. Still short one player, Bhuvan also invites an untouchable, Kachra (Aditya Lakhia), who can bowl a leg spin. The villagers, conditioned by longterm prejudice against untouchables, refuse to play if Kachra joins the time. Bhuvan chastises the villagers leading them to accept Kachra on the team.The second half of the film focuses on the match itself. On the first day, Russell wins the toss and elects to bat, giving the British officers a strong start. Bhuvan brings Kachra into the match only to find that Kachra has lost his ability to spin the ball. In addition, as part of his agreement with Russell, Lakha deliberately drops many catches. During the evening, however, Elizabeth sees Lakha meeting with her brother. She races to the village and informs Bhuva
n of Lakha's deception. Rather than allow the villagers to kill him, Bhuvan offers Lakha the chance to redeem himself. The next day the British score almost 300 runs, losing only three wickets at the lunch break. As part of his promise to Bhuvan, Lakha takes a diving one-handed catch which sparks the British batting collapse. Kachra is brought back to bowl and takes a hat trick. Soon, more than half of the team is out with the team scoring less than half of the required runs. On the final day, Bhuvan passes his century, while most of the later wickets fall. The game comes down to the last over with Kachra on strike. He knocks the ball a short distance and manages a single. The umpire signals no ball leading Bhuvan to swing extremely hard at the next ball. Captain Russell backpedals and catches the ball, leading him and everyone to believe the British team has won. However, Russell caught the ball beyond the boundary which gave the win to Bhuvan's team. At that moment, the drought ends as a rainstorm erupts.
Bhuvan's defeat of the British team leads to the disbanding of the humiliated cantonment. In addition, Russell is forced to pay the taxes for the whole province and is transferred to Central Africa. After realizing that Bhuvan loves Gauri, Elizabeth returns to London. Heartbroken, she remains unmarried for the rest of her life. Bhuvan marries Gauri in a large wedding.