The forgotten actress: Meet Rachel Shelley aka ‘Elizabeth’ from Lagaan

Bollywood movie Lagaan is still remembered as one of the classics of all time and it earned a global fame after its nomination for the Oscars. But do you remember Rachel Shelley who played the role Captain Russell’s (Paul Blackthorne) sister, Elizabeth. The movie shot the actress to fame.

This gorgeous light eyed British beauty, was simply mesmerizing in the role of Elizabeth Russell who falls for Aamir in the movie. After ‘Lagaan’, she has been a part of many TV shows like ‘L Word’, ‘Ghost’, ‘Casualty’, ‘Once Upon a Time’, ‘Rogue’ etc.

Recently while speaking out on the film’s 16th anniversary, she recalled the “magical time” she had while shooting for the film in Bhuj, Gujarat.

“I had a magical time while shooting for the film. We spent about three to four months for the shoot. I remember it was the first ever mainstream commercial Bollywood film, to use sync sound technology, which meant everyone had to be quiet while the shooting was going on. And that took time for people to get used to. Then I was also overwhelmed to see the concept of spot boys, because in Hollywood things are different, and there aren’t many people involved in a film’s shoot.”

When the movie was nominated for the Oscars, the actress said: “I was over the moon and so excited to hear the news. I was lucky enough to be in LA at the time for Oscars. I was happy for India to have a film, which was considered for the Oscars. It was well-deserved. I was so proud of the film. It was an amazing experience.”

Have you ever wondered how does the actress look like now? Take a look at her pictures below:

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