‘Lagaan’ Actress Rachel Shelley Returns To Indian Screen After 22 Years; Check Details

Mumbai: Filmlovers in India will remember Rachel Shelley, who featured in the 2001 cult classic ‘Lagaan’.

The British actress is set to return to the Indian screen after over two decades.

She will be seen in the web series ‘Kohraa’, which will release on Netflix on July 15.

Co-created by Sudip Sharma, Diggi Sisodia and Gunjit Chopra of ‘Paatal Lok’ fame, the crime series has Barun Sobti and Harleen Sethi playing key roles.

Rachel will be seen in the Netflix series in the middle of a life-changing event in a family, according to the Indian Express.

“The casting of Rachel came from a bit of practicality. I knew I wanted an actor from the UK for the part and didn’t want to hire a white actor working in Mumbai just because it makes things easy,” said Sudip.

‘Kohrra’ was shot during the third wave of COVID-19 last year, and the makers were looking for someone who would be able to adapt to the environment quickly.

“Shooting a web series is tough, we don’t have the kind of budgets that’s there for films and a professional white actor, who has done good work over there, they would find it very tough to shoot here, the chaos that’s here. So, part of the reason to hire her (Shelley) was because she had done Lagaan, she knew what madness could be like,” Sudip added.

Rachel, as Elizabeth Russell fought for a tax-waiver in Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Lagaan’, which was India’s nomination for the Oscars.