Baghban (2003 Film)
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() is a 2003 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 film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
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. ...
, co-written and produced by B. R. Chopra. It tells the story of an elderly couple, Raj (
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 ...
) and Pooja (
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 ...
), who have been married for 40 years. After Raj retires, they reunite with their four sons (
Aman Verma Aman Verma may refer to: * Aman Verma (actor) (born 1961), Indian television anchor and actor * Aman Verma (footballer) (born 1987), English footballer * Aman Verma, fictional character portrayed by Akshay Kumar in the 1999 Indian film ''Sanghar ...
,
Samir Soni Samir Soni is an Indian film and television actor, director and former fashion model. Career Soni made his debut in the Hindi serial '' Samandar.'' In 1996, he appeared as Ashok Mathur in Doordarshan's '' A Mouthful Of Sky''. He made his film d ...
, Saahil Chadha, and Nasir Khan) to discuss who will support them. None of the sons want to take care of both parents, causing Raj and Pooja to live separately. was conceived by producer and co-writer B. R. Chopra during his 1960s trip across Europe, when he visited a retirement home and was inspired by the householders' story. Although the screenplay was finished in 1973, Chopra did not begin production for decades because he was busy with other projects. After he revived it,
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 ...
began in July 2002 in Film City with cinematographer Barun Mukherjee. During post-production, it was edited by Shailendra Doke, Godfrey Gonsalves, and Shashi Mane. soundtrack 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 ...
and
Uttam Singh Uttam Singh (born 25 May 1948) is an Indian music director and a well-known violinist. He has also worked as a music arranger, programmer and recordist for many Bollywood films. He worked as a music assistant for Ilaiyaraaja in numerous Tamil la ...
, with lyrics 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", ...
. The film premiered at the
Leeds International Film Festival The Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) is an annual film festival hosted in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest film festival in England outside of London. Founded in 1987, it is held in November in various venues throughou ...
on 2 October 2003, and was released worldwide the following day. With a production cost of , the film was a commercial success; earning at the box office, was the year's fifth-highest-grossing Indian film. It received mixed reviews from critics; Bachchan and Malini's performances were praised, but the film's storyline and the chemistry between the lead actors were criticised. They received the
Screen Award for Jodi No. 1 The Screen Awards was an annual awards ceremony held in India, honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection was done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced ...
, however, and Bachchan and Malini were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress at the 49th Filmfare Awards. Over the years, via airing on television channels, it has gained
cult status A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, book ...
.


Plot

Raj and his wife, Pooja, have been married for 40 years and have four sons: Ajay, Sanjay, Rohit, and Karan. They also have an adopted son, Alok, who falls in love with Arpita. Raj provides the orphaned Alok with money and education, raising him as his own son. Now successful, Alok venerates Raj because of his help. Raj retires and cannot support himself; he and Pooja decide to leave their home. They want to live with their children, who are unwilling. The children decide to split their parents up; each lives with one of the boys for the next six months. They think that their parents will refuse the offer and remain in their home. However, Raj and Pooja reluctantly accept the offer. They endure separation and poor treatment by their children. Raj stays first with Sanjay, and then with Rohit; Pooja stays first with Ajay, and then with Karan. While he is living with Sanjay, the only affection Raj receives is from his grandson Rahul. Saddened by the way he has been treated by his children, Raj writes about how he fulfilled his children's dreams and his treatment in return; he also writes about his love for his wife, and the pain their separation has caused. Pooja is abused by Ajay, her daughter-in-law Kiran, and her granddaughter Payal. Payal, however, repents when Pooja saves her from being raped by her boyfriend and showers Pooja with love. Changing trains after six months, Pooja and Raj spend time together in Vijaynagar. They encounter Alok, who brings them to his home and cares for them far better than how their sons had treated them in their homes. Raj learns that his writings have been published as , named after Hemant, a café owner whom he befriended, along with two teenagers Kapil and Nilli, during his stay with Sanjay. The novel is successful, giving Raj the money he needs to support himself and Pooja. Knowing that their parents are earning more than them due to the launch success of the novel, the four sons and their wives plan to go to their book ceremony event for forgiveness. Everyone goes except Rahul and Payal because of the pain their grandparents went through and that the four sons are only going there just for their money not forgiveness. The sons ask for forgiveness, but Raj and Pooja refuse and disown them for the pain they have caused. Raj and Pooja are then approached by both Rahul and Payal and hug them happily with Alok and Arpita smiling.


Cast

The cast is listed below: *
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 ...
as Raj Malhotra *
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 ...
as Pooja Malhotra; Raj's wife *
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 ...
as Alok Malhotra; Raj and Pooja's adopted son (special appearance) **Smith Sen as young Alok *
Mahima Chaudhry Mahima Chaudhry (born Ritu Chaudhry; 13 September 1973), is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Chaudhry did a few modelling assignments and television commercials before venturing into films, with the 1997 romantic drama film ' ...
as Arpita Malhotra; Alok's wife (special appearance) *
Aman Verma Aman Verma may refer to: * Aman Verma (actor) (born 1961), Indian television anchor and actor * Aman Verma (footballer) (born 1987), English footballer * Aman Verma, fictional character portrayed by Akshay Kumar in the 1999 Indian film ''Sanghar ...
as Ajay Malhotra; Raj and Pooja's eldest son *
Samir Soni Samir Soni is an Indian film and television actor, director and former fashion model. Career Soni made his debut in the Hindi serial '' Samandar.'' In 1996, he appeared as Ashok Mathur in Doordarshan's '' A Mouthful Of Sky''. He made his film d ...
as Sanjay Malhotra; Raj and Pooja's second son * Saahil Chadha as Rohit Malhotra; Raj and Pooja's third son * Nasir Khan as Karan Malhotra; Raj and Pooja's fourth son *
Suman Ranganathan Suman Ranganathan or Ranganath is an Indian model and actress. She has starred in Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films. Personal life She was married to Bunty Walia, an Indian film producer. The couple split in 2007. ...
as Kiran Malhotra; Ajay's wife *
Divya Dutta Divya Dutta (born 25 September 1977) is an Indian actress. She has appeared primarily in Hindi and Punjabi language, Punjabi cinema, and has received accolades including a National Film Award and a Filmfare OTT Awards, Filmfare OTT Award. Dutt ...
as Reena Malhotra; Sanjay's wife * Arzoo Govitrikar as Priya Malhotra; Rohit's wife *
Rimi Sen Rimi Sen (born Subhamitra Sen on 21 September 1981), also known professionally as Rimi or Rimii, is a former Indian actress and producer who appears in Hindi, Telugu, and Bengali films. She made her debut as a lead actress in 2002, in the Te ...
as Payal Malhotra; Ajay and Kiran's Daughter; Raj and Pooja's granddaughter * Yash Pathak as Rahul Malhotra; Sanjay and Reena's Son; Raj and Pooja's grandson *
Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works primarily in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. He has Paresh Rawal filmography, appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient of various L ...
as Hemant Patel; Shanti's husband and Raj's friend *
Lillete Dubey Lillete Dubey (born 7 September 1953) is an Indian actress and theatre director. She has worked in Indian and international theatre, television and films in Hindi and English languages. Dubey began her career with Barry John in Delhi and was th ...
as Shanti Patel; Hemant's wife and Raj's friend *
Mohan Joshi Mohan Joshi is an Indian film, television and theater actor. He has worked in Hindi, Marathi and Bhojpuri films. Career Joshi started his career as a theatre artist in Pune. He was noticed in the play ''Kuryat Sada Tingalam''. Along with A ...
as Khuber Desai; hotel owner *
Sharat Saxena Sharat Saxena (born 17 August 1950) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films along with Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil films. He has acted in more than 250 Bollywood films. Saxena started his career in the early 1970s and has mainly played ...
as Ram Avtaar; Raj's neighbour *
Anang Desai Anang Desai (born 4 May 1953) is an Indian film and television actor. Desai has appeared in more than 100 television shows and 70 films, known for his portrayal of the character Babuji in the television series Khichdi and its eponymous film. H ...
as Mr. Verma; Kapil's father and Raj's book publisher *
Avtar Gill Avtar Gill (born 14 May 1950) is an Indian actor who appears predominantly in Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the De ...
as Mr. Rawat; ICICI Bank manager *
Asrani Govardhan Asrani (born 1 January 1941), known popularly by mononym Asrani, is an Indian actor and director whose Bollywood career has spanned over five decades. He has acted in over 350 Hindi films. Asrani has played the lead roles, character ...
as Mr. Bedi; employee of ICICI Bank; Mr. Rawat and Raj's friend *
Gajendra Chauhan Gajendra Singh Chauhan known professionally as Gajendra Chauhan, is a former television actor known for his work on Indian television, especially his portrayal of Yudhishthira in the historical television series '' Mahabharat'' (1988–90). He ...
as car salesman * Nakul Vaid as Kapil Verma; Mr. Verma's son and Nilli's boyfriend *
Sanjeeda Sheikh Sanjeeda Sheikh (born 20 December 1984) is an Indian actress who works in the Hindi films and television. Sheikh is best known for playing Namrata "Nimmo" Mathuria in '' Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa'', Ayesha Shergill in '' Kayamath'', Nitya Goenka / Du ...
as Nilli; Kapil's girlfriend


Production

The idea for came to director and producer B. R. Chopra in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
during a tour across Europe in the 1960s, when he stayed at a hotel next to a retirement home. In a '' Screen'' interview, Chopra said that when he sat on the hotel balcony, he saw elderly people sitting at the bungalows. After several days, he joined a couple there and struck up a conversation about their personal lives. The couple talked about feeling abandoned by their children and grandchildren, inspiring Chopra to make a film. During a 1973 holiday in Lonavla, he began writing the screenplay one afternoon and continued for fourteen hours; he finished it the next morning. Chopra met his son,
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. ...
, back in
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 ...
. Ravi was filming the action drama '' Zameer'', a 1975 release starring
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 ...
and Saira Banu. During the filming, Banu told Ravi that she was tired and wanted to continue filming at Pali Hill. B. R. Chopra told his close friend,
Dilip Kumar Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021) was an Indian actor and film producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated Hindi cinema from the 1950s throughout t ...
, that he wanted to make a film with him. Several years later, at a ceremony honouring Chopra's films, he asked Kumar about the project; the actor suggested casting
Rakhee Gulzar Raakhee Gulzar ( Majumdar) (; born 15 August 1947), professionally known as Raakhee, is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi and Bengali films. One of the leading and most popular actresses of the 1970s and early 1980s, Raakhee is a ...
as his wife, but Chopra did not do so. Banu became ill and went to
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 ...
with her husband, Kumar. B. R. and Ravi Chopra were busy with
Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...
's epic series ''
Mahabharat The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succes ...
'' (1988–1990), and was shelved. According to Ravi Chopra, who initially liked the story and wanted to direct it, he tried several times to revive the production but his other projects "kept coming to the fore". After years in
development hell Development hell, also known as development purgatory or development limbo, is media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in a stage of early development for a long time because of legal, technical, or artistic ...
, the project was revived. Achala Nagar was chosen to help B. R. Chopra write the screenplay, dialogue, and story; Satish Bhatnagar, Ram Govind, and Shafiq Ansari co-wrote them, and
Salim Khan Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born 24 November 1935) is an Indian actor, film producer and screenwriter. He wrote the screenplays, stories and scripts for numerous Bollywood films. He is one half of the prolific screenwriting duo of Salim–Javed, ...
and
Javed Akhtar Javed Akhtar (born 1945) is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist and poet. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, two of India's highest civili ...
polished the dialogue. ''Baghban'' was the last unofficial partnership between the legendary
Salim–Javed Salim–Javed were an Indian screenwriting duo, composed of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, who worked primarily in Hindi cinema. They were among the first Indian screenwriters to achieve star status, and are regarded as among "Hindi cinema's grea ...
screenwriter duo. Bachchan had requested that Akhtar write his final speech in the film while Salman Khan requested his father Salim Khan to write his speech in the film. Neither Salim Khan nor Javed Akhtar were credited. The role of Raj Malhotra, for which Ravi Chopra had wanted Kumar, was given to Bachchan because the former actor was too old to play a 60-year-old man. Hema Malini was cast as Pooja, who is five years younger than Raj. The Chopras originally wanted a much-younger actress to star with Bachchan, but they changed their minds to avoid difficulty with the make-up a younger actress would require. Although Malini was initially reluctant to play a film role unless she liked it, she did not want to disappoint her fans. When she heard the story, she said she had waited a long time for a film suited for her age. reunited Bachchan and Malini onscreen after 20 years, having last appeared together in (1983). Neeta Lulla and B. R. Chopra's daughter-in-law, Renu, were Malini's costume designers.
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 ...
began in Film City on 18 July 2002. Ravi Chopra told journalist
Roshmila Bhattacharya Roshmila Bhattacharya is an Indian journalist, author and editor, who has worked for The Times Group's publication ''Mumbai Mirror'' since 2013. Starting her career in the 1980s, she also worked for newspapers ''Hindustan Times'', ''The Asian Age ...
that he was nervous during that period, and called it "an exam" for him. The film was produced on an estimated budget of ; Barun Mukherjee was the cinematographer. Ashok Bhushan and Keshto Mondal designed the sets, and
Vaibhavi Merchant Vaibhavi Merchant is an Indian dance choreographer working in Bollywood films. She won the National Film Award for Best Choreography for the song ''Dholi Taaro Dhol Baaje'' from ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' in 1999. Career Merchant born in Che ...
choreographed the songs. In January 2003, it was reported that Salman Khan and Mahima Chaudhry would appear in the film. Portions of were also filmed in
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 ...
, and it was edited by Shailendra Doke, Godfrey Gonsalves, and Shashi Mane. The core plot of the film was inspired by the 1937 American film ''
Make Way for Tomorrow ''Make Way for Tomorrow'' is a 1937 American tragedy film directed by Leo McCarey. The plot concerns an elderly couple (played by Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi) who are forced to separate when they lose their house and none of their five ch ...
'', which was later adapted into the Japanese classic ''
Tokyo Story is a 1953 Japanese drama film directed by Yasujirō Ozu and starring Chishū Ryū and Chieko Higashiyama, about an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their grown children. Upon release, it did not immediately gain international reco ...
'' (1953). ''
Avtaar ''Avtaar'' is a 1983 drama film starring Rajesh Khanna and Shabana Azmi. It was directed by Mohan Kumar, and the music was by Laxmikant Pyarelal, and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. ''Avtaar'' was critically acclaimed and earned around 8 crore world ...
'', a 1983 Indian film, starring
Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. Considered as one of the greatest and most successful actors in the history of Indian cinema, h ...
and
Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi cinema, Hindi film industry has spanned Shabana Azmi filmography, over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist paral ...
, has also been noted as an inspiration, though Ravi Chopra denied that ''Baghban'' was a remake of it, stating that the plot of that film was about a father seeking revenge on his children while this film, in contrast, focused on the bond between an old couple.


Soundtrack

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 ...
composed the soundtrack for , with lyrics 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", ...
, except for "Holi Khele Raghuveera" which was written by Bachchan's father and poet
Harivansh Rai Bachchan Harivansh Rai Bachchan (; 27 November 1907 18 January 2003) was an Indian poet and writer of the Nayi Kavita literary movement (romantic upsurge) of early 20th century Hindi literature. He was also a poet of the Hindi Kavi Sammelan. He is be ...
. Bachchan performed vocals for most of the songs with
Udit Narayan Udit Narayan Jha (born 1 December 1955) is an Nepali and Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured mainly in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. He has also sung in various other languages including Telugu language, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil ...
,
Alka Yagnik Alka Yagnik (born 20 March 1966) is an Indian playback singer who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. One of the most prominent singers of 1990s era Bollywood, she has received several accolades, including two National Film Awards, two Ben ...
, Shrivastava,
Hema Sardesai Hema Sardesai is an Indian playback singer and lyricist based in Goa, India. Born in Bombay, Maharashtra, she shot to fame in 1997 with songs from movies like '' Sapnay'', ''Biwi No.1'' and '' Jaanam Samjha Karo''. Early life Hema Sardesai w ...
,
Sudesh Bhosale Sudesh Bhosale (born 1 July 1960) is an Indian playback singer who primarily sings for Marathi and Bollywood films. Bhosale is known for his ability to mimic actor Amitabh Bachchan, having sung for him in various films. Career Bhosale was bo ...
, Richa Sharma, Sneha Pant and
Sukhwinder Singh Sukhwinder Singh (born 18 July 1971) is an Indian playback singer who primarily sings Bollywood songs. He sang " Jai Ho" in the film '' Slumdog Millionaire'', for which he won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Televisi ...
.
Uttam Singh Uttam Singh (born 25 May 1948) is an Indian music director and a well-known violinist. He has also worked as a music arranger, programmer and recordist for many Bollywood films. He worked as a music assistant for Ilaiyaraaja in numerous Tamil la ...
had composed two songs for the film before he was replaced by Shrivastava, and was not credited on the film's soundtrack. T-Series released the album on 3 September 2003 to positive response from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
; according to the
Box Office India Box Office India is an Indian film website dedicated to tracking, reporting, and analyzing the financial performance of films released in the Hindi entertainment industry. Established in 2003, Box Office India has become a prominent source of ...
website, soundtrack album was the year's ninth bestselling with 1.4 million units sold.


Release

had pre-release publicity because of its pairing of Amitabh Bachchan and Malini for the first time since the action film '' Andha Kanoon'' (1983). B. R. and Ravi Chopra had great expectations for the film, which they targeted to family audiences. It premiered at the
Leeds International Film Festival The Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) is an annual film festival hosted in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest film festival in England outside of London. Founded in 1987, it is held in November in various venues throughou ...
on 2 October 2003, and was released worldwide the following day. Opening during
Vijayadashami Vijayadashami (), more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi, and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navaratri, Navarahtri. It is ob ...
, the film had competition from Yusuf Khan's action thriller '' Khel: No Ordinary Game'' and Chandan Arora's comedy-drama '' Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon''. ran in theatres for 25 weeks, becoming a
silver jubilee Silver Jubilee marks a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, the 25th year of a monarch's reign or anything that has completed or is entering a 25-year mark. Royal Silver Jubilees since 1750 Note: This ...
film. It was released on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
on 17 November of that year in
NTSC NTSC (from National Television System Committee) is the first American standard for analog television, published and adopted in 1941. In 1961, it was assigned the designation System M. It is also known as EIA standard 170. In 1953, a second ...
widescreen format. The film's television rights were sold to
Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television (abbreviated as SET) is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel that was launched in 1995 and is owned by Culver Max Entertainment, a division of Sony Pictures. History This chann ...
for , and it premiered worldwide on television on 21 February 2004. It has been available for streaming on
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
since 30 November 2016. According to journalists, the positive
word-of-mouth Word of mouth is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others a ...
for played an important role in the film's commercial success. It was released on 275 screens across India and grossed on its first day, earning by the end of its first weekend and after running for a week. earned a total of in India, and was 2003's fifth-highest-grossing Indian film. Abroad, the film earned in its first week. After its overseas theatrical run, it grossed , becoming the year's third-highest-grossing Indian film overseas; in its year-end box-office report, ''The Hindu'' said that most of its revenue was from Asian countries. Summing up the film's gross in India and overseas, Box Office India estimated that earned , thereby becoming the fifth-highest-grossing Indian film of 2003. Adjusted for inflation, the film has grossed 154.6 crores ($18.8 million) as of 2023. It was remade in
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
as ''
Ee Bandhana ''Ee Bandhana'' () is a 2007 Indian Kannada-language drama film written, directed and co-produced by Vijayalakshmi Singh. This marks her debut directorial project. It stars Vishnuvardhan and Jayapradha while Darshan, Ananth Nag, Tara, Sha ...
'', a 2007 film directed by Vijayalakshmi Singh which received critical acclaim.


Reception

received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances, primarily Bachchan and Malini's, but panned the chemistry between the actors and the film's story.
Taran Adarsh Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media, as well as his reviews for Bollywood Hungama. Career Taran Adarsh started his journ ...
of ''Bollywood Hungama'' gave it two stars and said that Bachchan delivered a "powerful" and "memorable" performance; Adarsh said that Malini was "elegant and conveys the pathos convincingly". Seema Pant of ''
Rediff.com Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...
'' praised the film: " has a high emotional quotient. Director Ravi Chopra retains his audience's interest in the lives of Raj and Puja Malhotra. Despite some unconvincing moments in the plot, keeps the viewers involved all the way to the climax." Director and film critic
Khalid Mohamed Khalid Mohamed is an Indian journalist, editor, film critic, screenwriter and film director. He worked for The Times of India for 27 years and then DNA followed by Hindustan Times and was the lead editor for Filmfare magazine. He is the s ...
gave the film three stars, saying that it "is unthinkable without the imperishable grace and beauty projected" from Malini. However, he compared its direction to Indian television shampoo advertisements and called its cinematography and production design as "old worldly as bell bottoms". Ziya Us Salam said, "
avi Avi is a given name, usually masculine, often a diminutive of Avram (given name), Avram, Avraham, etc. It is sometimes feminine and a diminutive of the Hebrew spelling of Abigail (name), Abigail. People with the given name include: * Avi (author ...
Chopra, on his part, brings a rare sight to the Indian screen. Here the aged couple is, yes, aged. Yet the romance is still very much a part of their life. The ardour for physical fulfilment may have gone but the need for proximity is there." ''
Mid-Day ''Mid-Day'' (stylised as mid-day) is a morning daily Indian compact newspaper. Editions in various languages including Gujarati and English have been published out of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune so far. In 2011, the Delhi and Bangalore ...
'' Narendra Kusnur called Bachchan's performance one of his best since the 1990s, and—according to Manjula Negi of the ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
''—he "carries forward the plot" along with Malini. Ram Kamal Mukherjee of '' Stardust'' wrote that remains one of the decade's finest Bollywood films; Mukherjee said that Salman Khan delivered a "seasoned" performance, but Chaudhry was a "total waste". ''
Filmfare ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of India's most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, ...
'' critic Gautam Buragohain was ambivalent about the film, enjoying the performances but finding the story "stale"; he believed the plot was based on a similar film (the 1983 drama ''
Avtaar ''Avtaar'' is a 1983 drama film starring Rajesh Khanna and Shabana Azmi. It was directed by Mohan Kumar, and the music was by Laxmikant Pyarelal, and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. ''Avtaar'' was critically acclaimed and earned around 8 crore world ...
''), and dismissed as "predictable". Omar Ahmed of ''
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'' praised for its exploration of family values and Indian culture. Parag Chandrabala Maniar, who reviewed the film for B4U, agreed with Buragohain about the film's similarity to ''Avtaar'' but gave a more-positive reception. Calling the first part of was "predictable" and "hackneyed", he said that Bachchan was "excellent" as Raj. The character was "conveying love, anger and pain through his intelligent eyes. Bachchan makes the film worth a watch!" According to Rajen Garabadu of
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, " dwells on the new generation, their false aspirations and confused priorities  ..The film is replete with its fair share of drama (sometimes a little exaggerated), song and dance sequences and a couple of blows delivered here and there. Ravi Chopra has not experimented too much. He has wisely invested in human love, affection and familial bonding to reap the rewards for him." In ''
The Afternoon Despatch & Courier ''The Afternoon Despatch & Courier'' was an evening Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid in Mumbai, India. The newspaper was launched by Behram Contractor, better known as "Busybee", on 25 March 1985. This newspaper served as a launch pad for s ...
'', Deepa Gahlot called the film's plot "terribly worn out" and "very 60s", but the chemistry of Bachchan and Malini (and their performances) satisfied the audience and concealed the film's flaws. In ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'', Parul Gupta described Khan's brief appearance as Raj's and Pooja's adopted son as "a picture of the obedient offspring" and called the film " larger-than-life".
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's Kunal Shah said that although he was sure that Chopra had addressed the themes in his previous work, the director "has been successful in coming up with good performances from the lead cast".
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 ''
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'' criticised the film's length and number of "family functions". She praised the performances (especially Bachchan's), and said the film "seems to have been tailormade" for his fans. Joshi said that Bachchan overshadowed Malini with his "perfect efficiency and elan", but she praised Malini's "fetching and elegant" look. K. N. Vijiyan of the ''
New Straits Times The ''New Straits Times'' is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print (though not the first), having been founded as a local offshoot of Singapore-based ''The Straits Ti ...
'' called the film "the perfect comeback vehicle" for Malini, and
Derek Elley Derek Elley (born ) is an American film and music critic and author, best known as the resident film critic for '' Variety'' until his departure in March 2010. With over 1200 reviews to his credit as of December 2014 on ''Rotten Tomatoes'', he spe ...
of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said: "It takes stars of Bachchan and Hema Malini's stature to make the confection work, and luckily they're both up to the job, creating a palpable sense of the couple’s mutual affection ..."


Accolades


See also

* ''Zindagi'' (1976 film)


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baghban (Film) 2000s Hindi-language films 2003 drama films 2003 films Films about adoption Films about death Films about dysfunctional families Films about grief Films about marriage Films about old age Films about parent–child relationships Films about social realism Films about writers Films directed by Ravi Chopra Films scored by Aadesh Shrivastava Films scored by Uttam Singh Films set in London Films set in Mumbai Films shot in London Films shot in Mumbai Hindi films remade in other languages Hindi-language drama films Indian drama films Indian family films Indian remakes of American films Indian remakes of Japanese films Indian romantic drama films Films based on multiple works Hindi remakes of English films