Bollywood star Aamir Khan sang the Ghulam track Aati Kya Khandala during the shooting of Lagaan’s climax scene to cheer up villagers in a bid to get realistic footage for the final match-winning sequence in the 2001 Oscar-nominated film, shows a BTS video shared by his production house on Tuesday.

“What went behind the climax scene of Lagaan,” Aamir Khan Productions captioned the video shared on Instagram.

In the video described as “madness in the desert” by the makers, Aamir can be seen in his Bhuvan avatar, sporting a dhoti paired with a kurta. He holds a microphone, croons Aati Kya Khandala and grooves along to it. A huge crowd of people sit afar and cheer for the actor. The voiceover in the background says, “Crowd was increasingly restless, even rowdy, and then Aamir walked in”. The video shows people clapping and whistling before running towards Aamir.

The makers have used this in the climax scene which shows Bhuvan’s team of cricket players winning against the British team. Villagers running towards Bhuvan is a powerful moment of solidarity and support in the film, showcasing the strength of their collective spirit in the face of adversity.

Lagaan follows villagers in a drought-stricken region facing exorbitant taxes (lagaan) during the British colonial era in India. To alleviate the burden, they challenge the British to a cricket match: if they win, taxes are waived; if they lose, they pay triple. Led by Bhuvan (Aamir), the villagers unite through sport, overcome challenges and eventually gain their victory against the colonisers.

Also starring Gracy Singh as Bhuvan’s love interest Gauri and Rachel Shelley as Elizabeth Russell, the Ashutosh Gowarikar-helmed film released theatrically on June 15, 2001.

Paul Blackthorne appears as Captain Andrew Russell, the stern and authoritative British officer. Other notable cast members include Suhasini Mulay, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Rajendra Gupta, who portray pivotal roles within the village community.