Meet Lagaan Actor Amin Hajee's British Wife Charlotte, She 'Stood By Him As A Rock' Amid Hardships
Amin Hajee shares an enduring bond with his wife, Charlotte Whitby-Coles. However, she was once frustrated with him over his career choices.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleIndian actor Amin Hajee impressed all by playing the role of 'Bagha' in Aamir Khan's iconic movie, Lagaan. The film completed 25 years on June 15, 2026, but it remains as fresh in people's minds as ever. Lagaan achieved several milestones, including an Academy Award nomination. The movie took Aamir Khan's popularity to new heights, while fellow cast member Amin Hajee felt it "destroyed" his career.
Amin made candid revelations about rejecting several projects after Lagaan, which led to his wife, Charlotte Whitby-Coles, being frustrated. He also opened up about her support during his low phase. Here's everything we know about Amin's British better half and their kids.
Who is Amin Hajee's British wife, Charlotte Whitby-Coles? All on their fateful first meeting to lifelong connection
Amin Hajee, the 58-year-old actor, played the fan-favourite mute temple drummer 'Bagha' in Lagaan. His wife, Charlotte Whitby-Coles, played an extra in the same movie. As for Charlotte's profession, she is a British social anthropologist and producer. Amin and his ladylove's initial meeting was like a scene of some star-struck lovers. He was smitten by her the moment he laid eyes on the English beauty.
Amin was never supposed to cross paths with Charlotte, as it was not she but her brother Jamie, who had auditioned for and landed a role in Lagaan. Jamie was a county cricketer who was 6'5" and was cast as one of the British cricketers in the climactic match sequence between the Indians and the colonisers. Charlotte became part of the movie after the filmmakers decided they wanted some British women to act as spectators at the match.
At that time, Charlotte was in her prime; she was a 23-year-old anthropology graduate from Bristol, and Amin couldn't resist falling for her. He stated that she was curious about him as well. Recalling how that curiosity turned into their lifelong union, Amin Hajee jovially stated:
"She saw me and thought, 'This specimen needs further research.' That research has been going on for 26 years now, and the poor thing is still paying three times the Lagaan."
Thus, for Amin and Charlotte, what started as a fateful meeting on set blossomed into a cross-cultural romance. They later got married in a ceremony attended by close friends from the film industry, including Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao, who worked as an assistant director on Lagaan. At present, Amin and his better half live a low-key family life in Panchgani, Maharashtra. They have two daughters named Summer and Sky. Recently, Amin shared how his wife was once angry with him for turning down multiple acting projects.
Amin opened up about his wife's support during his career difficulties
In a recent conversation with podcaster Siddharth Kannan, Amin credited Charlotte as his rock who supported him unconditionally through his post-Lagaan career struggles. However, he also noted that she was very frustrated with him for rejecting several acting projects that came his way at that time. He mentioned, "She was angry with me because I wasn't signing any more work after Lagaan."
Sharing the reason for the same, Amin Hajee revealed that most of the projects offered to him either seemed insignificant or did not match the quality he was looking for. After playing a character like 'Bagha', Amin's expectations for movie scripts were raised to an impossible benchmark, and he couldn't settle for anything less. However, his selectiveness left him with almost no work, which frustrated his wife. Recalling the tough phase, Charlotte stated:
"After Lagaan, whenever a role came, he would say, 'This role is rubbish,' or 'That's no good,' and so on. So I told him, 'What are we going to do? You have to work. You have to take up some work.'"
Despite being irritated by Amin's behaviour, she tried her best to understand him. He credited her for standing by him "like a rock" at that time. The lack of regular work affected Amin and his family financially. Then he transitioned into filmmaking, working with Vikram Bhatt, a move that paid well. But eventually, he chose to leave and direct his own project, Koi Jaane Na.
However, it didn't produce the desired result, leaving him demotivated. But his wife encouraged him to keep going, becoming his greatest support.
What are your thoughts on Amin Hajee's enduring bond with his wife, Charlotte? Let us know.
Also Read: Nitish Bharadwaj Did Not Want To Play 'Krishna' In 'Mahabharat', Wanted To Play Yama's Incarnation
