''Baabul'' () is a 2006 Indian

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film directed by

Ravi Chopra Ravi Chopra (27 September 1946 – 12 November 2014) was an Indian filmmaker, best known for directing the television show '' Mahabharat'' (1988–1990). Life Chopra was the son of producer and director B.R. Chopra and nephew of Yash Chopra. ...

and produced by B. R. Chopra. The film stars

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...

Hema Malini Hema Malini Dharmendra Deol (born 16 October 1948; ) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician who is currently serving as a member of the Lok Sabha from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), representing Mathura constituency since 2 ...

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awa ...

Rani Mukerji Rani Mukerji (; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and hi ...

John Abraham John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Known for his stoic action hero persona, he is a recipient of a National Film Award along with nominations for four Filmfare Awards. Abraham ha ...

, and

Om Puri Om Prakash Puri, (18 October 1950 – 6 January 2017) was an Indian actor who appeared in mainstream commercial Hindi films as well as Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, English, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, and Marathi films, as well as ind ...

. The film explores the themes of love, loss, and societal resistance to

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...

remarriage, centering on a father's efforts to rebuild his widowed daughter-in-law’s life by encouraging her to find love again. The film marked the 50th anniversary of B. R. Chopra’s contribution to Indian cinema.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

took place across

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The film's music was composed by

Aadesh Shrivastava Aadesh Shrivastava (4 September 1964 – 5 September 2015) was a music composer and playback singer who worked in Indian films. Initially, he had worked as a drummer to music composers including R. D. Burman, Rajesh Roshan before working indepe ...

, with lyrics written by

Sameer Samir (also spelled Sameer) is a male name found commonly in South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia. In Arabic, Samir () means "holy", "jovial", "loyal", or "charming". In Albanian, it literally means "so good" but loosely "exquisite", ...

. ''Baabul'' was released theatrically on 8 December 2006. It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its performances and emotional core, but criticism for its melodramatic tone and conventional storytelling. Despite a high-profile

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

and significant pre-release publicity, the film underperformed at the box office, grossing approximately ₹27.75 crore (US$6.2 million) worldwide against a reported budget of ₹21 crore (US$4.7 million).

Plot

Balraj Kapoor, a wealthy and respected businessman, lives a content life with his wife, Shobhna, while eagerly awaiting the return of their only son, Avinash, from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

after completing his studies. Upon his return, Avinash joins the family business and soon falls in love with Malvika, affectionately called Millie, an independent and spirited artist. Although her childhood friend Rajat harbors unspoken feelings for her, he gracefully steps aside when Millie confesses her love for Avinash. Avinash and Millie marry and are soon blessed with a son, Ansh. The family lives in bliss until tragedy strikes: on Ansh’s birthday, while returning from a business trip in London, Avinash dies in a road accident. The loss devastates Millie and shatters the family's peace. Determined to restore joy in Millie’s life, Balraj reaches out to Rajat, who now lives in London, and proposes the idea of marriage between him and Millie. Rajat returns to India and gradually develops a bond with Ansh, rekindling his affection for Millie. However, Balraj’s progressive vision faces resistance from Shobhna, who fears losing her grandson, and Balraj’s conservative elder brother, Balwant, who deems widow remarriage unacceptable. Despite familial opposition, Balraj remains steadfast. He persuades the family to embrace change and prioritizes Millie’s happiness and future. Eventually, Rajat and Millie marry with the family's blessings. Towards the end, Avinash’s spirit appears, offering his father gratitude and blessing the new union.

Cast

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was composed by

, with lyrics written by

. It features a total of eleven tracks. The song "Baabul Bidaai Hai" sung by Richa Sharma was the longest track in a Hindi film with a length of 15 minutes (a 2-3 trimmed version was used in the film).

Reception

Box office

''Baabul'' opened to approximately 75% occupancy in

, a figure considered low for a

-led film, and collections declined rapidly due to negative word-of-mouth. In other regions of India, the film opened poorly and failed to gain momentum, ultimately being declared a commercial failure in the domestic market. While performance in smaller centers remained weak, it was categorized as an above-average grosser overall in India. Internationally, the film fared significantly better, debuting at the eighth position on the UK box office chart in its first week and performing strongly in overseas markets.

Critical response

The film received mixed reviews from critics. ''The Times Of India'' rated it 3 out of 5, noting that the "first half ascompletely dead and totally listless." Samrat Sharma of ''Full Hyderabad'' described it as "a film made for the more traditional generation or social class," adding that while it may not be highly effective, it remained "sufficiently well-crafted."

Namrata Joshi Namrata Joshi is an Indian film critic based in New Delhi. Originally working for ''Outlook'', she remained there from 1999 till 2015, when she joined ''The Hindu''. She won the National Film Award for Best Film Critic in 2004. Career Joshi i ...

of ''

Outlook India ''Outlook'' is a weekly general interest English and Hindi news magazine published in India. History and profile ''Outlook'' was first issued in October 1995 with Vinod Mehta as the editor in chief. It is owned by the Rajan Raheja Group. Th ...

'' awarded it two out of four stars, writing, "Despite the failings in his character, Big B

] lends it gravitas and dignity," though she criticized his "self-conscious cute couple act with

" as tiresome, suggesting "it's time to get over '' Baghban (2003 film), Baghban'' (2003)."

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baabul (2006 Film) 2006 films 2000s Hindi-language films Rajshri Productions films Films scored by Aadesh Shrivastava Films directed by Ravi Chopra Indian drama films Golden jubilees 2006 drama films Hindi-language drama films Indian romantic drama films Indian family films Films about businesspeople Films about road accidents and incidents Foreign films set in the United States Films set in London Films shot in London Films about widowhood in India Films about remarriage Indian ghost films Films about artists Films about depression