Amin Hajee says Lagaan ‘destroyed’ his career, reveals the film's success made it difficult for him to find work again

Amin Hajee, Charlotte Whitby-Coles, Aamir Khan (Pictures via Instagram)

Actor and writer Amin Hajee, best known for playing Bagha, the mute drummer in Aamir Khan-starrer Lagaan, has opened up about the unexpected impact the acclaimed film had on his career. Despite the film becoming a landmark success, Hajee revealed that he struggled to find meaningful acting opportunities afterwards and described the period as one that "destroyed" his career.

Released in 2001, Lagaan, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, went on to receive widespread critical acclaim and became only the third Indian film to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the time. For Hajee, however, the film's extraordinary success created a difficult situation when it came to choosing his next projects.

Amin Hajee recalls how Lagaan destroyed his career

Speaking about his career after Lagaan to Siddharth Kanan, Hajee said, "So I was destroyed after Lagaan, because I simply couldn't work after that." He explained that the offers he received following the film failed to match the quality of the project that had given him his breakthrough. The film recently celebrated 25 years.

According to Hajee, many of the roles offered to him were either insignificant or involved characters with very little to do. He admitted that he rejected several opportunities because he did not find the scripts compelling enough.

His wife, Charlotte Whitby-Coles, became concerned about his decision to turn down work. Hajee recalled that she would question his approach and tell him that he needed to take up some work rather than dismissing every opportunity that came his way. He said, "To be honest, Lagaan was a unique script. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I was fortunate enough to get Lagaan, but whatever offers or narrations I received after that were zero compared to it. So I was destroyed after Lagaan, because I simply couldn't work after that. Actually, you can say that they gave me a Taj Mahal like Lagaan; they gave me an opportunity like Swades to write. They gave me a friend like Aamir Khan. What could I have done after that?"

On his financial struggles

Hajee went on to share how this affected his financial struggle as surviving in a city like Mumbai became a huge burden for him. He said, "I didn't have money to buy a good shirt and pants. Upkeep in big cities is too much. You won't have enough money for household expenses, but you still want a big car. That's the kind of lifestyle we see in big cities." Amid those testing times, Hajee recalls how his wife stood by him like a rock. She told him, "Don't worry about how much we have or don't have. We are managing with whatever we have, you work."

Hajee later expanded his career beyond acting, working as a writer and assistant director. He collaborated with Gowariker on films including Swades and Jodhaa Akbar. He has also acted in projects such as Mangal Pandey, My Friend Pinto, Aankahee and Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena. And pursed his ambitious project Koi Jaane Na.