arsaib, I have nothing against popular films. Rather, I genuinely think that they deserve serious study. I appreciate the fact that a film can be made about cricket. But, my problem with "Lagaan" is somewhat akin to what I said about "Mr and Mrs Iyer". The film pays lip service to the hugely contested issue of caste in India. One could have done without Kachra and his moment of triumph! It says nothing about the crude realities of being an "untouchable" in India. Nor is the "untouchable" ever accepted into the fold in such an admirable fashion. It is just too naively and simplistically rendered, just as the fact of colonialism is all black and white. The film should have left the caste issue alone and simply made a film about cricket. Also, the first half of the film drags so much that you wish it began and ended with the racy second half. Finally, my objection to having "Lagaan" on this list as a representative of contemporary Indian cinema comes from the fact that there are at least five films made after it that deserve to be here instead of this feel good, empire-writing-back kind of moviemaking!