Lagaan: A Project Management

Case Study of the Making of

the Film

Sujoy Singha
Student ID: 22924299
M.Sc Management Science,
University of Southampton
MANG 6133: Managing Resources and
Operations
2008-2009

Word Count: 2,955

 CONTENTS
1. Introduction

2. Synopsis

3. Project Scope and Work Breakdown Structure

4. Stakeholders Analysis

5. Risk Analysis I

6. Project Network and Critical Path

7. Risk Analysis II and Causal Mapping

8. How is Causal Mapping helpful in Project

Management?

9. Structures and Methods for Governance and

Management of Project
9.1 Suggestions For Project Management
Frameworks And Methods

10. Project Result

References
 Lagaan: A Project Management Case
Study of the
Making of the Film
One of Indian cinema's biggest successes, Lagaan was not only big in
terms of revenue and worldwide acclaim, but also for its grand scale -
including an international cast, remote location shooting, 10,000
extras and a first time producer. This article attempts to capture the
aspects of Project Management in the making of this movie and
reflects upon the Project's scope, Work Breakdown Structure, Risk
Analysis and Governance methods. By combining these, a graphical
representation of the entire process of movie making can be viewed
from the eyes of Project Management.

1. INTRODUCTION:

15th of June, 2001 saw history being made on the big screen. One of
India's biggest movie hits ever, Lagaan was released worldwide and it
was an instant success. Almost 3 years in the making, Lagaan was built
on an astronomical budget of Rs. 250 million (almost US $ 5 million)
(BoxOfficeIndia.com). It was not only a domestic success (domestic
revenue: Rs. 389 million or US $ 7.78 million), but also won
international acclaim and earned US $ 2.5 million at the international
box-office. For debutante producer Aamir Khan, (who was also the lead
actor in the movie) and director Ashutosh Gowariker, this was a huge
canvas which could sway in either direction -become a monstrous hit,
or fall flat on its face.

2. SYNOPSIS:

Lagaan depicts the story of the villagers of Champaner in 1893, India

who are faced with increasing land tax (Lagaan) by the British rulers.
The British army captain challenges the villagers to a cricket match
and at stake is tax exemption. But if the villagers lose the game, the
tax would be raised further. The villagers led by Bhuvan, accept the
challenge and courageously come face to face with the British army in
the climactic cricket match.

3. PROJECT SCOPE:

“Project scope management is primarily concerned with defining

and controlling what is and is not included in the project.” (PMBOK
Guide)
From the writer and director-Ashutosh Gowariker’s perspective,
this project began with the initial idea inception stage which led to the
full scripted storyline of the idea. This script was then pitched in front
of Producers who would be willing to finance this project. [Note: Unlike
Hollywood, where studio networks provide the funding, filmmaking in
India is primarily financed by individuals]
The definition of the scope of such a huge project is very
important as it clearly maps out what key activities should be carried
out for the planning, arranging, controlling and implementing of the
project successfully.
Hence, the scope of the project would involve activities which
would span from pre-production planning and arrangements,
scheduling and budgeting, to the actual shooting procedure, as well as
post-production activities. Further, in terms of the business context,
this project would necessarily aim at producing the planned film (which
is the end product) within the scheduled time. Controlling the entire
procedure of making the film is divided into manageable sub-divisions
and the crew members are assigned their respective roles and
responsibilities e.g. Set Building is to be supervised by the Art Director,
Cinematography is to be handled by the Director of Photography, who
also co-ordinates with the related departments like Sound, Lights etc.

Based upon the scope definition, the Work Breakdown Structure

(WBS) of the project is prepared, which enlists the activities required to
complete the project successfully. WBS is just a list of activities and is
not chronologically ordered as in the case of Project Network Diagram.
The possible WBS diagram of this project is shown below.

Fig. 1.1: Work Breakdown Structure of the Film Project

[Note: a) Lagaan involved cast members from India as well British
actors/actresses and hence the audition process has been divided into
Domestic and International.

b) The Exec Producer and Asst. Direction Team supervise over

the status monitoring and Resource Management of the shooting.

c) Lagaan was shot in a single slot of 6 months in a remote

village called Bhuj in the west coast of India. Location Amenities have
been specifically mentioned as secured and comfortable
accommodation for the 300 cast and crew members, was very crucial.

d) Special mention of extras audition has been done. Lagaan’s

climactic cricket match involves 10,000 villagers.]

4. STAKEHOLDERS ANALYSIS:

“Project stakeholders are individuals and organizations that are

actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be affected as
a result of project execution or project completion. They may also exert
influence over the project’s objectives and outcomes.” [PMBOK Guide]
It is crucial to understand and identify the stakeholders and determine
their expectations and requirements so as to ensure a successful
project. The stakeholders in this particular project can be:-

a) Director / Writer: - He invests his idea, skill, time and effort in

bringing the project to life. He is the driving force and the head of the
creative department.

b) Producer(s):- They invest the money and take care of the financial
aspect of filmmaking. Right from the location and equipment hires to
paying bills for the cast and crew members, they look over all of it.

c) Cast/Crew: - The 300 strong cast/crew members spend a long 6

month away from their families in a remote location until they
complete their task. They are also the active participants and
executers of the project.

d) Local Population: - The local population is also significantly affected

by such a huge project being undertaken in their vicinity.

e) Law and Order: - The law and order of the location is also a
stakeholder as it can affect the way the film is produced. Any
disruption to the environment, anti-cruelty laws against animals etc are
factors which influence the project.
 Success/Failure for each Stakeholder has been tabulated below.

SUCCESS FAILURE
DIRECTOR/WRITER Green Signal for Initiation Project Rejected
On Schedule Shooting and
Completion Project Delay
Desired Success of Film Film Not Well Received
PRODUCER(S) Proper channelling of Funds Financing Problems
On Schedule Shooting and
Completion Project delay
Film Not Doing Good
Desired Success and Expected Profit Business
On Schedule Shooting and
CAST/CREW Completion Film Delayed
Expected Contractual Pay-off Problematic Pay-Off
Desired Success of Film Film Not Well Received
Local Environment
LOCAL POPULATION No Disruption to Local Environment Disrupted
Local Employment Opportunities N/A
No Flora and Fauna Getting Flora and Fauna
LAW AND ORDER adversely affected Hampered
Labour Laws being Followed Labour Laws Disobeyed

Table 1.1 Success/Failure Analysis for Stakeholders

Furthermore, contractual agreements between the different

stakeholders can be related to distribution of share of revenue and
profit margins, length of the contract period, safety, security and
insurance agreements, and abidance to industry standards and labour
laws.

5. RISK ANALYSIS I:

Risk can be defined as “Uncertainty inherent in plans and the

possibility of something happening that can affect the prospects of
achieving business or project goals”. [BS 6079] With Lagaan being a
huge project, the possibility of risk to creep in from every nook and
corner was high and it needed to be managed. The two main risks that
needed to be dealt with were also directly related to two biggest
constraints –Time and Money. Both can be classified as the main risks –
i.e. over-budget and project-delay. The major risks contributing to this
are discussed below:-

a) Uncertainty: The script of Lagaan involved a lot of uncertain

elements which was never seen before in Indian cinema. A period film,
shot in a remote location with almost an unknown cast (except for the
lead actor). Further, the director’s previous two movies had not been
well received. All these meant Lagaan had the risk of not doing well at
the box-office.

b) Environment: The location for the shooting was in Bhuj, Gujrat in

Western India. The weather conditions could get quite extreme and
affect in the delay of the shoot. Further, sandstorms and heavy winds
kept obstructing the shooting procedure.
c) Accommodation: Housing the entire 300 cast and crew members in
a single location, was extremely risky. Ensuring safety, security and
proper food and lodging was essential. If not done properly, health
conditions and safety of the cast and crew would be affected
negatively.

d) Health: The main cast and crew members were irreplaceable. Any
one of them getting injured or ill would mean the project to be halted
completely.

e) Technical: Equipment Malfunctions, technical shortcomings

demanding rework and customization etc. lead to project delay.

f) Controlling Resources: Co-ordination of 300 cast/crew members to

consistently produce correct output as well as behave as pre-planned
is only possible in an ideal world. Over and above, the climax scene of
Lagaan involves 10,000 extras. This could risk the entire shoot if not
controlled.

6. PROJECT NETWORK AND CRITICAL PATH:

The entire project can be further sub-divided into two major sub-
projects.
The first part is the Pre-Production Project, which ends with the
Beginning of the Shoot.
The second part is the Shooting and Post-Production which ends with
the final element of the project, the Release of the movie.
 Fig 1.2: Pre-Production Project Network Diagram

Although, the project procedure begins with the Script Writing, but
from a management point of movie, the project initiation start-point is
after the Script is being given a go-ahead. The Project Network shown
in Fig 1.2 and 1.3 gives a graphical idea of the Project activities.

Fig 1.3: Shooting and Post-Production Project Network Diagram

The critical activities are the ones which contribute the highest to the
risk factor of the entire project. These activities typically involve high
time and resource and rely a lot on other uncertain factors like weather
conditions, irreplaceable resources (like the Technical crew, leading
members of cast etc.). Further, these could also be such activities
which are mandatory to be completed for any other activity else to
 begin. Considering this, the following can be termed as critical
activities.

a) The appointment of the correct Cast and Crew members for the
project is the most crucial activity for the project. Without the right
minded resources, any project can collapse and in case of this project,
this is extremely essential.

b) The sheer size of such a project demands a proper planning and

scheduling to control the time and money constraints effectively.
Hence, project scheduling and planning is one of the critical activities.

c) Location Amenities and Set Design: Without proper amenities, the

cast and crew member team cannot be kept on location. Set Design on
the other hand serves the backdrop of the movie canvas which needs
to be completed before the movie begins.
d) Shooting: For obvious reasons, the shooting of the movie is also one
of the crucial activities because this is where all the planning is being
implemented.

The following timescale shows the various activities and the time taken
by them. [Source: S. BHATKAL, The Spirit of Lagaan, 2001]

Sep Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Dec Jan Jun Jul Dec Jan Jun
ACTIVITY 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 00 00 00 00 01 01
RESEARCH FOR
LOCATION
TECHNICAL CREW
APPOINTED
DOMESTIC CAST
AUDITION
INTL CAST AUDITION

LOCATION AMENITIES
AND
SET DESIGN
MUSIC/LYRICS

SHOOTING BEGINS
POST PRODUCTION
PUBLICITY AND
RELEASE
Table 1.2: Timescale distribution of Project Activities
Based on this timescale [Gantt Chart, H.Maylor, Project Management],
the critical path (the longest path of planned activities to the end of
the project, and the earliest and latest that each activity can start and
finish without making the project longer) for the project network can
be deduced as shown in the figure below.

Fig 1.4: Critical Path of Project Network

7. RISK ANALYSIS II AND CAUSAL MAP:

As seen from Risk Analysis in Section, we have discussed the 6

main risks faced by this Project. On further analysis of the Project, the
correlation between the issues and risks can be determined. The risks
and issues enlisted below are identified as the key ones faced by this
project.
• On Location Accommodation
• Food for entire cast/crew/extras
• Safety and Security
• Health and Hygiene Issues
• Weather Conditions
• Co-ordination problems with excessive amount of Extras
• Equipment Malfunction
• Local Labour Laws
• Delay in Shooting
 • Project behind Schedule
• Over Budget
• Delay in Release
• Decrease in Profit Margin

The causal map figure (below) shows how the risks and issues are
related to each other.

Fig 1.5 Risk Causal Mapping Diagram

[The blocks in blue denote the risks and issues faced by the project.
The pink blocks denote the measures taken by the management to
handle these risks and issues. ]

The management actions that would be undertaken to handle these

issues and risks are shown in pink blocks in the above fig. They are
listed below.
• Supervise Health, Safety and Security
• Extra Effort by Asst. Direction Team to Control Extras
• Customisation and Rework
• Negotiate with Law Administrators
• Hire New Equipment
• Control Budget for Post Production
8. HOW IS CAUSAL MAPPING HELPFUL IN PROJECT
MANAGEMENT?

Causal Mapping graphically represents a correlation between the risks

and issues of the Project. Furthermore, the management actions to be
taken to rectify these issues are linked as well. This creates a clear
picture of the key areas where focus and intense work is required so as
to ensure that the project is completed successfully. The benefits of
Causal Mapping in Project Management are listed below.
• It gives rise to a richer knowledge of the project issues and
enables the management to see the big picture and in detail as
well.
• Through Causal Mapping, predicting weakest links and their
consequences becomes easy.
• Consequently, serious measures can be undertaken to eradicate
these risks and issues.
• Severity of risks can be analysed on the basis of inter-
connections and disconnections with other risks.
• Most importantly, in a huge project involving numerous activities,
it serves as an aid to reduce complexity and view the risks and
issues in feedback loops. This is vital to prevent projects from
becoming absolute failures.

9. STRUCTURES AND METHODS FOR GOVERNANCE AND

MANAGEMENT OF PROJECT

The scope of this project is very large, and hence, each activity
was treated as a mini-project. Special care was taken to ensure that
the project was being run on schedule. For this, call sheets were
utilised to track records of attendance of cast on time. Precise timings
for breaks were allotted and each activity was given a deadline.

Project Scheduling, Detailed Budgeting and Resource Controlling

were implemented to manage the project. Besides that, checkpoints at
strategic points were used to monitor the progress of the project.

9.1 SUGESSTIONS FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORKS

AND METHODS:

Even though this project implemented some best practices mentioned

above, it became over-budget and production was completed two
months after the scheduled completion date. The uncontrollable risk
factors did contribute to this delay; however, methods for governance
of project could have helped in reducing the delay. Some of these
frameworks and methods are briefly discussed below.
The 7-S framework of Project Management [H.Maylor, Project
Management] provides a comprehensive set of issues that need to be
considered. These are Strategy, Structure, Systems, Staff, Skills,
Style/Culture and Stakeholders.

Project Management Process Groups Mapped to the Plan-Do-Check-Act

Cycle
[PMBOK Guide, 2004]: This process is an enhanced cycle which is
applied on the interrelationships within and among the Process Groups.
The Monitoring and Controlling Process is interacts with every aspect of
the other Process Groups as shown in fig (below).

Fig 1.6 Project Management Process Groups Mapped to the Plan-Do-

Check-Act Cycle

Stage-Gates [T.Williams, Managing Resources and Operations] provide

a check-point at each stage of the project. It keeps a track record of
the success/failure of an activity.

Fig 1.7 Project Management Processes Stage-Gates Framework

10. THE PROJECT RESULT:

a) In Jan 2001, a catastrophic earthquake hit the village of Bhuj, six

months after the shooting completed, and claiming 13,000 lives. Much
before its worldwide release, the filmmakers screened it exclusively to
the villagers of Bhuj.7

b) Although Lagaan was delayed and over-budget, it did very well at

the box office, and was highly appreciated in many film festivals
worldwide. It was nominated for Best Foreign Film Category at the
Academy Awards in 2002.8

c) It won awards at Locarno, Portland, Leeds and Bergen International

Film Festival. It also features at no.14 in the “50 films to See before You
Die” list compiled by BBC and Channel 4.9

d) Post release, Lagaan has spawned a huge number of merchandising

items ranging from comics to toys. The DVD of Lagaan remains as the
highest selling DVD in India.10

REFERENCES:

1. SATYAJIT BHATKAL, The Spirit of Lagaan, 2002, Popular Prakashan

2. Top Earners 2000-2009, BoxOfficeIndia.com

3. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK

Guide), 3rd Edition, 2004, Project Management Institute

4. BS6079, Guide to Project Management, 2002

5. H.MAYLOR, Project Management, 3rd Edition, 2005, Pearson

Education

6. T.WILLIAMS, Managing Resources and Operations, Project

Management, 2009, School of Management, University of Southampton

7. Lagaan screens at Bhuj, Tribune India, June 13, 2001

8. Full list of Oscar winners and nominees, Guardian, Feb 12, 2002

9. Film buffs reveal must-see list, NEWS.BBC.CO.UK, Jul 23, 2006

10. Lagaan beats Sholay in DVD Sales, Financial Express, Jul 21, 2007