Prateek Garg | MBA Pharmatech | NMIMS

An Idea that nearly died. A script no one had the guts to touch. A shoot that was all but abandoned. A spirit that refused to accept defeat.

Dedicated to all those who paid their share of Lagaan so that a story could be immortalized on film! .Re Bhaiyya chhoote lagan!

Table of Contents
Objectives Project Summary Project Scope Project Life Cycle in movies Work Breakdown Structure Stakeholders Analysis Costing and Budgeting Risk Analysis and Causal Mapping Networking and Critical Path Project Human Resource Management Project Results Group Analysis 4 5 6 7 12 14 16 20 25 28 31 32

References

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Objectives
Using Lagaan as the model project, the group would first of all like to highlight the hard working project managers and their importance. Project managers are mostly unsung heroes of business and technology, people who in most cases, stand outside the public eye but without whose talent, skills and hard work most neat ideas would never amount to anything. Certainly the project manager is but one of the many people who help shape the products, systems and artifacts of modern life, those things we take for granted as well as those we marvel at. Nonetheless, the project manager is the one who gets all the others involved, and then organizes and directs them so their combined efforts will come out right. In a way, this project is a tribute to the project managers all over the world by the group.

With the help of Lagaan, the group intends to have a closer and deeper look at the entire project life cycle covering the following topics:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Project Scope and Development Life Cycle Project Planning and WBS Stakeholders Analysis Cost Estimating & Budgeting Risks in Projects and Causal mapping Project Networking and Critical Path Human resource project management Project integration The structures and methods for the Governence and Management of project

10. Providing suggestions for project management frameworks and methods.

Project Summary
Lagaan, Once upon a time in India, is a 2001 Bollywood feature film made in India. The film, based on an original story by Ashutosh Gowariker, was also directed by him. It was produced by Aamir Khan, who plays the lead role, and stars Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne in supporting roles.

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.

The movie is set in the Victorian period of the British Raj and revolves around the peasants from a barren village who are oppressed by high taxes imposed by the British. When the peasants attempt to persuade the officers to reduce the taxes, the officers put forth a proposition to the peasants. One senior officer offers to cancel their taxes for three years if their village team beats him at cricket. After accepting his proposition, the villagers face the arduous task of learning the game and playing for a result that will change their village's destiny.

The film received critical acclaim and awards at various international film festivals, as well as many Indian film awards. It also became the third Hindi-language film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film after Mother India and Salaam Bombay!. It was one of the biggest hits of 2001 while its DVD sales were the highest ever for a Bollywood movie up to 2007.

Project Scope
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. Hence, Lagaan is a unique project. This project 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. 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.

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 Gowarikers 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.

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.

There was a certain degree of madness in me....Ashutosh Gowarikar

Project Life Cycle Applied To the Movies

An entertainment for 3hrs with a movie and just immediately passing remarks whether a hit or a flop within no time is the attitude of every cine- goer. However, these 3 hr movies are not made within 3 mins. Its a long, tiring, time consuming, brain racking, co-ordinating activity which is not even easy to imagine. Lagaan, one of Indias biggest blockbusters was no such exception. With its magnitude of risk it was even more complex and required intense intricate planning. For simplifying things, the following classification can be considered. The Project Life Cycle refers to a logical sequence of activities to accomplish the projects goals or objectives. Regardless of scope or complexity, any project goes through a series of stages during its life.

These concepts can be applied to the making of a movie in the following manner, in our case it is dealt with the making of Lagaan:

Initiation
In this first stage, the main theme and storyline of the movie is defined along with the approach to be taken to deliver the desired outputs on screen. The feasibility studies are conducted so as to ascertain the popularity at the box office.The various project heads are appointed that is the director, producer, screenplay writer, editor, financer etc. the list is exhaustive. They select their team members based on skills and experience to form particular units. Eg: Sound recording dept, Production team, Costumes team, Make up team etc.

Planning
The second phase includes a detailed identification and assignment of each task until the end of the project. It includes a risk analysis and a definition of criteria for the successful completion of each deliverable. The governance process is defined, stake holders identified and reporting frequency and channels agreed. This step in Lagaan was one of the most crucial steps since it involved immense planning and control as the entire set had to be constructed at one area with rigorous shooting from the beginning to the end. The climate, topography and other geographic factors played a very important role and involved a great deal of intricacy. The planning phase itself takes almost a year.

Execution and controlling

The most important issue in this phase is to ensure project activities are properly executed and controlled. During the execution phase, the planned solution is implemented to solve the problem specified in the project's requirements. In product and system development, a design resulting in a specific set of product requirements is created. This convergence is measured by prototypes, testing, and reviews. As the execution phase progresses, groups across the organization become more deeply involved in planning for the final testing, production, and support. This step in lagaan was another big hurdle and its crossing was not lesser than a milestone. Ashutosh and his entire crew kept a continuous check on the making; the various snapshots generated and kept refining the product till the very end.

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Closure
In this last stage, the entire cast and crew have to aim that the best is delivered. This stage involves the final mixing of sound, lyrics, background, editing and making a movie worth cherishing.

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Work Breakdown Structure

The process steps for developing a work break down structure that identifies all the tasks in the projects work are depicted below:

Task Identification Work Breakdown

Task Assignment & Ownership

Logical Relationships and Dependencies

Task Duration

Project Schedule

Plan Development

Trade-offs, Optimization, and Risk Management

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.

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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. Lagaans climactic cricket match involves 10,000 villagers.

Captain Russell: Tumbolo.doogna lagan dogey, ya sharat manjoor hai? Bhuzan: Sarat manjoor hai

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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 projects 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: 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. 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. 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. Local Population: - The local population is also significantly affected by such a huge project being undertaken in their vicinity. 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.

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

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Success/Failure for each Stakeholder has been tabulated below. SUCCESS DIRECTOR / WRITER Green signal for initiation On schedule shooting and completion Desired success of film Proper channel of funds On schedule completion and shooting Desired success and expected profits On schedule completion and shooting Expected contractual Pay-off Desired success of film LOCAL POPULATION LAW AND ORDER No disruption to local environment Local employment opportunities No flora and fauna getting adversely affected Labour laws being followed FAILURE Project rejected Project delay Film not well received Financing problems Project delay Film not doing good business Film delayed Problematic pay off Film not well received Local environment disrupted N/A Flora and fauna hampered Labour laws disobeyed

PRODUCERS

CAST / CREW

Mukhiya: Tumhari Khopdi Ghoom gayi hai. Bhuvan! Khud to doobogey, hum sabka bhi laike doobogey! (Have you gone crazy Bhuvan? Not only you, we will all be ruined!) Lagaan

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Costing and Budgeting

. In the next page, you will find a breakdown of the total production cost for Laagan, as gathered from various sources; including the net, the book making of lagaan etc. In this example, the budget was Rs.250 Million and most people think that if the total box office amount exceeds that number, the movie would make a profit. However, most people do not know that the studio ended up spending an additional Rs.50 Million on marketing and distribution. Simply put, the cost that goes with making a movie are much more than the total production budget than the average people hears or reads about.

Total Cost = Development Cost + Pre-Production Cost + Production Cost + PostProductionCost

The total production cost is the price tag that everyone hears about when they say Lagaan cost Rs.250 Million to make for example. However, the average Bollywood feature film contains 6 stages and the cost of marketing and distribution are not included in the Total Cost.

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SCRIPT RIGHTS SCREENPLAY PRODUCERS DIRECTOR ART DIRECTOR CAST

Ashutosh Gowarikar

Rs.20 Million Rs.15 Million

Jhamu Sughand , Aamir Khan Ashutosh Gowarikar Nitin Chandrakant Desai

Rs.25 Million Rs.10 Million Rs.15 Million

Aamir Khan Gracy Singh Rachel Shelly Paul Blackthorne PRODUCTION SHOOTING COST SPECIAL EFFECTS MUSIC COMPOSER LYRICIST OTHER TOTAL COST A.R Rehman Javed Akhtar Extras

Rs.10 Million Rs.7 Million Rs.5 Million Rs.5 Million Rs.45 Million Rs.65 Million Rs.10 Million Rs.2 Million Rs.4 Million Rs.23 Million Rs.250 Million

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The various costs involved at different stages of the filming is summarized below:

Development: Rs. 30 Million (approx)

Before filming a movie, you need a story. The producer will work on acquiring the script which can be a costly expense. He will also sign a screenwriter to adapt the script into a film and possibly look for a potential director and main cast members so he can get financing on the project (if he isnt backed by a major studio)

Pre-production: Rs. 25 Million (approx)

Once a project gets the green light, this is where the producer will start officially hiring all the cast members, director, and cinematographer, set designer, extras and hundreds of technical people needed to actually shoot a movie. All the planning that needs to be done before shooting begins is done here.

Production: Rs. 130 Million (approx)

This is the actual shooting of the film. Expenses includes everyones paycheck, the cost of fabricating sets, costumes, stunts and pyrotechnic, traveling, food catering, insurance, equipment, blocking streets off, renting facilities and all other cost related to filming the movie.

Below the line: Rs. 45 Million (Approx)

"Below-the-line" costs are the physical production expenses of the shoot, including crew fees. The costs of hiring and operating state-of-the-art equipment, corralling and feeding armies of extras, occupying and vacating locations, and, above all, employing thousands of high-salaried crew members are enormous. According to a source close film, "the daily burn rate for movie shoots is staggering. We were employing 10000 people on an average salary of Rs 200 a day, so you can see how the costs race up."

Post-production: 65 Million (Approx)

After shooting is finished, the movie still has to be put together. This is where the editor comes into play. If the movie needs CGI, the visual effect people might start working here. Another significant cost is scoring the movie with a composer and/or by buying rights to whatever songs the director wants in the movie. This can be quite costly as you may have to pay Millions to acquire the rights to play one single song in your movie.

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Marketing : Rs. 25 Million (Approx)

Think about a movie that you are looking forward to. Most likely, it was due to some type of marketing that made you aware of it. You might have seen a trailer during a prime-time TV commercial slot, a banner at the mall, advertisement in magazines and newspaper, a virtual ad banner on the internet etc This is called media buying and is usually a very costly process for your average Bollywood feature because you have to buy ad space and slots in every single market (domestic and foreign) you are planning to release the movie in. All of this at a very specific and simultaneous point in time, further driving up the price. Additionally, think of all the thousands of movie posters and memorabilia that have to be created and then shipped all around the world as well as all the marketing related to selling DVDs and Blu Rays discs a few months later. Marketing a movie is an extremely costly enterprise.

Distribution : Rs. 25 Million (Approx)

A print is the physical copy of the movie that is locked in a metallic box and sent to the movie theater. A single print cost up to Rs.2,000. Multiply that by the number of screens and you can see that it adds up pretty fast. Add the cost of the logistics to produce, store, maintain, send and recover those prints from all around the world and this gets very expensive very fast. Other cost here include things such as sending prints to foreign markets, printing DVDs, Blu Rays etc Finally, one has to understand that the studio doesnt recover all the money from the sale of tickets at the box office. The movie theaters get to keep a fraction of the revenue and various residual fees are docked off. In the case of foreign box office, the studios recover even less money since they often have to find local distributors in those markets who will keep a significant portion of profits.

Produce! No way! Thats the last thing I want to doAamir Khan

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Risk Analysis
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:-

Uncertainty
The script of Lagaan involved a lot of uncertain elements which was never seen before in Indian cinema. The very first thing was the apprehensive attitude of Aamir Khan. He earlier had even pointed out that the script was utterly useless. Ashutosh Gowarikar, the director, also had a poor track record. The directors previous two movies had not been well received The risk of making a period movie, and that too on a very large scale was one of the biggest factors that were holding this dream from becoming reality. Bollywood at this time was churning out romantic blockbusters, and coming out with a period movies was a big risk There was no producer available to take the film. This was the Bollywood when the films were supposedly revolving around the stars, and not the story.

A period film, shot in a remote location with almost an unknown cast (except for the lead actor). Further, all these meant Lagaan had the risk of not doing well at the box-office.

Schedule
The project was a Single Schedule Film. This means the Team Lagaan should be built in such a way, that all the members of the unit are ready to work on this project only, at a continuous stretch in Bhuj, sans commitment to any other project. The things that could affect the schedule in a big way were: Aamir not getting enough time to become a full fledged producer with all the responsibilities, due to lack of experience as well as his other commitments. The whole set, village Champaner, has to be built on the barren lands of Bhuj before the shooting begins. Being a single schedule project, all the lyrics as well as the music was to be done and recorded atleast a month prior to the start of shooting. The Dream Team was to be built and all the auditions done well in advance, keeping in mind the prior commitments of the members.

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Location
Aamir Khan asked Ashutosh to consider a realistic location, with good scenery other than Kutchh. Plus, Aamir wanted a location which was not over exposed to the audience and public. It took additional 6 months to finally zero down to Bhuj. Difficulty in persuading the farmers to sell their piece of land for the purpose of shooting, without hurting their sentiments or creating any suspicion.

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

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.

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. Such an incident happened with veteran actor A.K. Hangal, when he injured himself during the shoot, leading to delay in the shooting.

Technical
Equipment Malfunctions, technical shortcomings demanding rework and customization etc. lead to project delay. Aamir decided to go for sync sounding. Although it would then reduce the time period taken for dubbing, but that would then be an additional burden on the creativity and technical team, and lots of work had to be done for this before shooting.

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.

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As seen from Risk Analysis, we have discussed the 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 are identified as the key ones faced by this project.

The causal

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

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. ]

How Aamir handled the problems?

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1. Producer Problem
When Aamir found that no producer was buying Ashutoshs idea, he himself stepped forward and decided to produce the film. However, Aamir was busy with his pending projects Mela and Mann, and so found himself devoting time as a producer very half hearted. For this, he came out with the solution of dividing his work. The responsibility of the budget was handed to his wife Reena who took over as executive producer, and financer Jhamu Sughand. He alos introduced the concept of First AD in Bollywood, with appointment of Apoorva Lakhia.

2. Schedule
Most Hindi films are shot over several schedules of a few weeks each that stretch over a couple of years. Its so because the stars of the film are already committed to a dozen of projects and hence cant spare more than a few weeks for a single film at a stretch. That means, a single project is divided into many small projects. Juggling dates to get the entire team together is the ultimate nightmare of a producer. This anarchic work culture has calamitous consequences on the creative process. The entire film must be shot from start to finish in a single schedule, in which every unit member will only live the world of lagaan. Can a new work culture be created among those used to working the old way? For this pre planning was done with the help of schedule charts The location was zeroed down and Champaner was created with the help of local people AR Rahman and Javed Akhtar were well informed about the requirement of songs and music atleast 2 months before the start of the shoot. The Dream Team of almost all the people best in their class was formed A grand audition was done and the actors were well informed about the need of their seclusion from other projects. The British actors were also auditioned in London itself.

3. Accommodation and Safety

This issue was personally dealt by Reena and Aamirs sister Nikhat. Both of them visited all the possible eat outs and lodges available to choose the best one, in terms of comfort for the crew and the hygiene. The scenes to be shot were arranged in such a way that if any unusual thing happens, the scene can be replaced by the other, so as to avoid any delay.

4. Still more challenges

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Plot at the site: the villagers were not willing to leave the plot. This issue was dealt by appointment of a local contractor, Danabhai. Work force: no one in the crew knew the art of boonda making. So it was decided to take the work force from the village itself to create Champaner. Injury to a worker during the construction of cricket pavilion Dissatisfaction amongst the British actors. They were not satisfied with arrangements of toilets. So special toilets were set for them in the vanity vans. Running out of construction materials for building Chanpaner. The whole script had to be re-written in Awadhi, so as to match the dialect of the local people. This meant that the actors were asked to learn and practice speaking Awadhi. Raja Awasthi from Lucknow was asked for the help. Mukesh Rishi who is to play Deva, opts out. Pradeep Rawat is cast in Devas role. Kutch is a dry state where possession of alcohol is an offence. This created restlessness in the crew. Raghuveer Yadav was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and required surgery.

5. Post-production challenges and risks

All the Lagaanites knew that the fortunes of the film are tied to the cricket match, perhaps the longest climax in the cinematic history. If the match does not work, the film has no future. The length of the match itself was more than 2 ours! Aamir was ready for the risk. He asked Reena to prepare a fresh budget for three weeks of reshoot at the cricket ground with the entire cast including the crowds, the village actors and the British actors. Severe depression in markets. Major films have flopped leading to distributers suffering huge losses. The distributors are now offering a price at the ratio of rupees two crore per territory, exactly one crore less than expected. The earthquake at Bhuj on the 26th of January also proved to be a possible factor for any further delay.

Gauri: Main tohre saath hoon. Bharosa hai mohe, tujhpe, tohri himmat pe ..Gauri, Lagaan

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Project Network And Critical Path

The entire project can be further sub-divided into two major subprojects. The first part is the PreProduction 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.

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 gives a graphical idea of the Project activities.

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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. 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.

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Project Human Resource Management

Human resource management formed a very crucial part of the Lagaan Project. Unless and until the management of human resources was effective and efficient, the movie would have not been successful. The cast and the crew formed the pillars of the project. In the making of Lagaan, four separate cultures were rubbing shoulders. It included 1. Around forty British actors 2. A half westernized three hundred strong unit from Mumbai 3. Sixty odd actors from tiny town of Bhuj. 4. Around ten thousand Kutchi villagers. The cast of lagaan is as follows:

Aamir Khan as Bhuvan. Ashutosh first thought of having Shahrukh Khan and Abhishek Bachchan for the role of Bhuvan. Khan suggested the name of Aamir for the role, while Bachchan chose to enter cinema with J. P. Dutta's Refugee (2000). It was only after this that Aamir was approached with the idea. Gracy Singh as Gauri. Several actresses had offered to act in the film, but Aamir needed someone who matched the description of the character given in the script. After considering Sonali Bendre, Nandita Das, Rani Mukerji and Amisha Patel for the role, Ashutosh selected Gracy Singh for the female lead because he was convinced that she was a good actress and dancer. Singh, a newcomer, devoted all her time to the film. Rachel Shelley as Elizabeth Russell. Paul Blackthorne as Captain Andrew Russell. Since the script also demanded a British cast, Ashutosh and Aamir hired Danielle Roffe as one of the casting directors. After Danielle and Ashutosh screen-tested many, Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne were chosen for the prime roles. Overall, the film cast 15 foreign actors. Suhasini Mulay as Yashodamai. Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Raja Puran Singh. Raghuvir Yadav as Bhura, the poultry farmer. Yadav was selected based on his performance in Earth (1998). He had undergone an appendicectomy operation inbetween the filming schedule and returned to complete some of his scenes. Rajesh Vivek as Guran, the fortune teller. Vivek was spotted by Ashutosh in the film Junoon (1978). His liking for cricket helped him in his role. Raj Zutshi as Ismail, the potter. Zutshi's friendship with Aamir and association in several films brought him the role after the auditions.

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Pradeep Rawat as Deva, a Sikh sepoy. Rawat's association with Aamir in Sarfarosh (1999) brought him the role of Deva which was initially intended for Mukesh Rishi. Rawat claimed that it was the highest ever compensation he received in his career. Daya Shankar Pandey as Goli, the man with the largest piece of land. Pandey, who preferred the role of Kachra, was known to Aamir and Ashutosh through previous films (Pehla Nasha (1993), Baazi (1995) and Ghulam (1998)). Pandey credited Ashutosh for his acting in the film, saying that Ashutosh and he would discuss the required emotions and expressions before shooting. Shri Vallabh Vyas as Ishwar, the vaidya (doctor) in the village and Gauri's father. Yashpal Sharma as Lakha, the woodcutter. Sharma was chosen by Ashutosh after his portrayal in Samar (1999). He said it was a good experience working with Aamir and Ashutosh during the film. Amin Hajee as Bagha, the mute drummer. Hajee earlier worked in a film with Ashutosh. The friendly association brought Ashutosh to him with the script, which he liked, and thereafter he successfully auditioned for his role. His knowledge of mute people and some assistance from a music band helped him better prepare for his role. Ashutosh, who believed that Amin was like Sylvester Stallone, would refer to him as Stallone during filming. Aditya Lakhia as Kachra, the untouchable. Lakhia's association with Ashutosh in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993) and Pehla Nasha (1993) brought him this role. He read the book Everyone Loves a Good Drought by P. Sainath to better understand and portray his character. To get the distinct tanned look of the respective characters, the cast were asked to lie down under the sun. Javed Khan as Ram Singh, Indian who works with British and helps Elizabeth in translating villagers language.

The management of all these diverse cultures was not an easy task and the production and the direction had to take special care to accommodate all these groups and maintain harmony for successful completion of the project in the scheduled time. The British actors It was important to coordinate the departure of the British actors from London and receiving them in Mumbai Overseeing their travel from Mumbai to Bhuj Making sure that their baggage is safe and transporting it to Bhuj. Ensuring their foreign exchange payments The British actors had problems adjusting with the heat of Bhuj.

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They were also having different principles of the working methods and found it hard to adjust to the Indian way of working eg: Rachel Shelly (Elizabeth) wanted the production to provide every British actor with the kit which consisted of the map of Bhuj and Kutch, a list of tourist spots, how one gets there, how long it takes and so on. Accommodating them in places with proper facilities.

Actors from Mumbai Considering the fact that these actors are from westernized background, making them comfortable in Bhuj was an issue Overseeing their travel from Mumbai to Bhuj Making sure that their baggage is safe and transporting them to Bhuj. Avtar Kishen Hangal, an 84 year old actor who had a back injury had to be taken care ofthus affecting the shooting schedules. Liquor in dry Gujrat was difficult to obtain and hence there was unrest in the cast and crew seen. The dinner could be served only till 10 pm at night and hence it would affect the actors who were late causing friction. Unit members also complained the production about the leaking taps, geysers that dont heat water, air conditioners that keep tripping the fuse, televisions with missing remotes etc. In the tiny town like Bhuj, however, facilities for repairing these gadgets were scarce. Thus circulars were passed to the people to consider it to be their home and not a hotel. Reena, an executive producer also threatened to leave as the schedules and costs seemed impossible. She had to be later convinced and motivated to carry on her good work.

Actors from Bhuj and the villagers from Kutch. 10,000 people were required to be collected and accommodated for shooting the cricket match which is 5% of the available population of the entire district. Arranging these actors was close to impossible. Initially an advertisement was put and later Dhanabhai made it possible on the name of Kutchs dignity. Food was a mammoth issue as providing food to 10,000 people for lunch breakfast and dinner was difficult. This problem was solved by ordering packets of food from a big hotel in Kutch, located in Gandhidham. It was unbearably hot in the morning and cooler at nights. Keeping the actors in the same attire for 24 hours of shooting for difficult.

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Serving water individually to 10,000 people was difficult. Hence for this purpose, network of underground pipes were laid around the cricket ground. Hundreds of earthen pots were also kept for the same which also appeared in the scene. Getting dhotis, gamchas and kurtas for thousands of people in the small place and convincing the youth who wore pants and shirts to change was another problem faced by the production. The unrest in the crowd had to be handled by few numbers of people and maintaining their dignity was another issue.

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The Project Result

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. 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. 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. 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

The initial reaction of Aamir and Ashutosh to Lagaans success was unexpected. They received the success with equanimity and then with growing irritation. Irritated at their own inability to fully enjoy the moment. Somehow, making the film had taken too much out of them, and so with the end of the journey, they were left quite foe a while with a feeling of emptiness. Curiously, the sentiment echoes in the hearts of Lagaanites all over the world. Perhaps the big thing about Lagaan was that what happened off screen was much larger than what happened on screen the sense of achievement was the journey itself, in climbing mountain, not reaching the top. The journey has now run its course and Lagaanites know it well. Even years later, as the film Lagaan dims from public memory, for all those who endured the trials of 1893 Champaner, the memories of that eventful journey are what will always endure.

Bhuvan: Haan Arjan, hum sapna dekhat hain. Aur sapna wohi saakar kar pavey hain, jo unhein dekhat hain

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Group Analysis
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 utilized 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. SUGESSTIONS FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORKS AND METHODS: Even though this project implemented some best practices mentioned above, it became overbudget 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. 1. 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. 2. 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).

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

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3. 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.

Project Management Processes Stage-Gates Framework

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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

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