Mumbai streets saw a funny throwback moment this week. Actress and social media influencer Shenaz Treasury ran into Paul Blackthorne, the actor who played the British villain Captain Russell in ‘Lagaan’. She did not let the chance go. She turned into his impromptu city guide and taught him Hindi on camera.
Shenaz revealed she bumped into Paul randomly while walking around Mumbai. The actor was in town for Lagaan’s 25th anniversary celebrations. Instead of just clicking a selfie, Shenaz decided to have some fun. She picked up her phone and started filming a quick video lesson in Hindi for the British actor.
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The Hindi lesson
In the video, Shenaz taught Paul a few simple Hindi lines. She started with “Mujhe phool pasand hai.”
Then she pointed at famous landmark and said “Yeh Gateway of India hai, yahan se British Queen aayi thi.” Paul repeated each line with surprising ease.
The best part came next. Shenaz asked him to say “Mujhe please maaf karo” which means “please forgive me.” Paul said it without missing a beat. Shenaz could not resist a cheeky comment. She joked that this was her revenge for everything his character did to the poor villagers in the movie.
Payback for Captain Russell
Fans of Lagaan will remember why this joke lands so well. Paul played the cruel British officer who slapped triple tax on Indian villagers in the film. His line “Teen Guna Lagaan Dena Padega” became one of the most quoted dialogues in Indian cinema. Getting that same actor to apologise in Hindi, twenty five years later and on a Mumbai street, felt like sweet justice to fans.
