Lagaan — The Inciting Incident & Lock-In Dynamics in Storytelling

Whenever I craft a story around a concept, there are two critical points that demand the majority of my attention.

1. Inciting Incident
2. Lock-In

Starting with the fundamentals, what defines a story?

A character encounters a problem and, to overcome it, faces numerous obstacles. It’s as straightforward as that.

The audience’s engagement level hinges on the nature of the problem and the kind of obstacles the character must overcome, provided they are relatable or believable.

Out of the numerous theories available, my initial focus is on unraveling the inciting incident and the lock-in.

In the movie Lagaan, the reason we are captivated right from the outset is the film’s robust inciting incident.

Early in the film, it is established that the land is parched, with no rain for the past three years. The villagers are literally living through a drought. As they anxiously await the rain gods’ intervention, dark clouds finally appear in the sky. Villagers are elated, believing the gods have answered their prayers. They sing and dance in praise.

However, the clouds dissipate, shattering all their hopes. This becomes the inciting incident of the film, as only after this do the villagers approach Rajaji (their king).

By this point in the film, we are already rooting for the villagers.

We empathize with their predicament, and now, we are fully engaged in the story, eager to know what will unfold.

When they meet Rajaji, the British officer challenges them: if they defeat the British in a game of cricket, their tax (Lagaan) will be waived not just for this year but for the next two years as well.

Bhuvan, portrayed by Aamir Khan, unexpectedly accepts the challenge, and we witness disappointment on every face.

The acceptance of the challenge serves as a potent lock-in point, a point of no return. They have to now either accept defeat or embark on learning cricket.

Moreover, in this scene, to justify the officer’s selection of Bhuvan for the challenge, they have already introduced their encounter before the inciting incident, during Bhuvan’s entry into the film.

The lock-in is not just for the characters but should also be a lock-in for the audience. This marks the final opportunity for you, as a writer, to grip your audience and keep them invested until your story concludes.

If you fail at this juncture, it may be too late.

The time duration between the inciting incident and the lock-in also plays a crucial role. The lock-in signifies the end of Act 1.

For Act 2 to be engaging, the lock-in must generate enough momentum to propel the entire Act 2 forward and, consequently, the entire film.

Though I’ve explained all this with an example, it’s never that simple to comprehend when writing our own story, whether it’s a novel or a screenplay. Immersed in our story world, we may overlook even the fundamental points. We might believe our inciting incident is sufficient, only to realize later that we’ve left a significant loophole or an open end.

The inciting incident should essentially place the character in a predicament where they believe a solution exists.

The lock-in is the point where it is revealed that the perceived solution is not the answer; in fact, it has created a more significant problem.

Think of the inciting incident as the starting line of a race — when the gun goes off, you embark on the journey. Now, envision the lock-in as the point where you’ve committed to finishing the race, regardless of the hurdles that come your way. It’s akin to crossing a bridge that is burning behind you, leaving no choice but to move forward.