India, June 15 -- Filmmaker and trade expert, Girish Johar recalls that Gadar was already carrying tremendous buzz before its release. Its music had become popular and audience anticipation was high. In comparison, Lagaan appeared to be lagging initially. "People couldn't quite understand what Lagaan was about from its early promotional material. The creative images showed 11 men in rural costumes. And at the time, (Gadar director) Anil Sharma was a far more commercially successful director than (Lagaan director) Ashutosh Gowariker, so the odds were largely in Gadar's favour," he says. Johar adds that Lagaan's lengthy runtime also posed challenges. "Being a three-hour film, only a limited number of shows could be accommodated. There was also confusion over whether the film would have one interval or two. But the clash itself was incredibly exciting. Exhibitors were eager to screen both films, but show-sharing wasn't common in single-screen theatres then. It was a tough call which film to screen, but all these are now fond memories."...