Mumbai, June 15 (IANS): Director Ashutosh Gowariker celebrated the 23rd anniversary of his iconic film ‘Lagaan’ on Saturday.

The film starring Aamir Khan, who reportedly came on board after being pursued by Ashutosh, and Gracy Singh clashed with the Sunny Deol-starrer ‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’ at the box office. It earned a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Academy Awards.

Taking to Instagram on Saturday, Ashutosh shared behind-the-scenes images from the film’s shoot with the note: “In this 23rd Year, once again, a big THANK YOU to you #AAMIR and the entire Cast & Crew of #LAGAAN."

He added, “A Special mention for the Writers, Screenplay Co-writers Kumar Dave & Sanjay Dayma, Dialogue Writer Late K. P. Saxena saab. Lyricist @javedakhtarjadu saab, for their INVALUABLE contribution."

‘Lagaan’ is known for breaking many stereotypes prevalent in Bollywood at the time. The film has also been included as a case study in team building by many educational institutions.

It also introduced a new approach in Bollywood by hiring professionals in each department. It was also the first Hindi film to use a sync sound.