Kiran Rao Opens Up About Her Challenging Experience Working On Aamir Khan's 'Lagaan'

In case you’re not aware, the filmmaker served as one of the assistant directors on the Oscar-nominated film. Now, in a recent interview with the Lallantop, she shared her experience on set, and what she was responsible for. Additionally, she described it to be a ‘nightmare experience.’

“My job was to somehow get all the actors from makeup, hair, wardrobe to set. And in ‘Lagaan,’ we had two cricket teams, plus everybody had beards, the women wore dresses. It was a nightmare. Before reaching set at 4-4:30 am, I’d be on my walkie, telling them to put the toaster on. The actor who played Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley) wanted toast first thing in the morning,” she dished out.

The director further revealed that there were often moments when she would wonder what she was doing on the sets of the film, especially considering she had a degree from a prestigious university. “I would be sitting in the makeup room and wondering what I was doing with my Masters in Mass Communication from Jamia [Millia Islamia]. But finally, everybody has to put in their hours in all these places. But you hope that one day you leave the makeup room and find a spot near the monitor. Unfortunately, I didn’t even get to see much of the shoot, I spent most of my time in the makeup room,” she went on to add.

Elsewhere, during another conversation with Times Now, Kiran Rao stated that she was treated extremely well on the set of the film. She emphasized that she worked with people who valued her input and her safety. According to her, “… ‘Lagaan’ really set a standard in terms of how they treated the crew. So I guess I was very privileged. I didn’t encounter discrimination.”

Kiran then made her directorial debut with ‘Dhobi Ghat’ in 2011.