Sri Vallabh Vyas
Ishwar Kaka, The village vaid

The beginning: I worked in Sarfarosh with Aamir and in the television serial, Satar, with Ashu.
Initially, I was supposed to play the Mukhiya -- I have a strong voice. But later, my role was changed to Ishwar Kaka's.

The shoot: It was a very long schedule. As soon as we reached Bhuj, we were asked to remove our clothes and lie down in the sun to get a tan.
We saw Aamir as a person, not as a star. We thought he would travel in a Mercedes. Instead, he travelled in the actors' bus with us.
The food was great. In the summer, we got the best mangoes from Bombay. Someone told us that the chaat was really great there. The next day, the best chaatwala in Bhuj was in our dining room! We only drank Bisleri water.
We got along with the Britishers pretty well. But there were some bad elements. Like one day, a Brit demanded more money from Aamir. He gave it to him. When he went back to England, he found a court order sitting on his table. Aamir had sued him!
But there were good times like the British wedding that took place on the sets. The actors gave the bride away while the spot boys and technicians represented the boy's side.

Best scene: I liked the scene when I get out in the match and let Aamir down. Actually, it had been established earlier that I was the slowest runner as I was the oldest. But that part was edited.
I liked the climax, too. It was shot for one-and-a-half months by six cameramen simultaneously.

On Lagaan: I feel great now that the film is a success. We keep telling each other that this is the honeymoon period. We've set a new trend, there's only one star in the film and the rest are theatre actors. This way, we actors will benefit.
But I didn't expect such a huge hit. I was unsure as to how people will react to this film.

Future projects: In Abhay, I play a doctor at a mental hospital. In Chandni Bar, I play Habib Bhai, the villain. In Chhal, I play Shastri, a villain.

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