Baghban

<p>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 to take care of them. The children decide to split their parents up; each lives with one of the sons 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 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 a rape attempt 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 , by Hemant, a café owner whom he befriended, along with two teenagers Kapil and Nilli, during his stay with Sanjay. The novel becomes a success, 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 then reunite with Payal and Rahul. The cast is listed below: The idea for came to director and producer in during a tour across Europe in the 1960s, when he stayed at a hotel next to a retirement home. In a 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 , he began writing the screenplay one afternoon and continued for fourteen hours; he finished it the next morning. Chopra met his son, , back in . Ravi was filming the action drama , a 1975 release starring and . During the filming, Banu told Ravi that she was tired and wanted to continue filming at . B. R. Chopra told his close friend, , 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 as his wife, but Chopra did not do so. Banu became ill and went to with her husband, Kumar. B. R. and Ravi Chopra were busy with ‘s epic series (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 , 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 and polished the dialogue. was the last unofficial partnership between the legendary 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). and B. R. Chopra’s daughter-in-law, Renu, were Malini’s costume designers. began in on 18 July 2002. Ravi Chopra told journalist that he was nervous during that period, and called it “an exam” for him. The film was produced on an estimated budget of (equivalent to 260 million or US$3.0 million in 2023); was the cinematographer. Ashok Bhushan and Keshto Mondal designed the sets, and 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 , 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 , which was later adapted into the Japanese classic (1953). , a 1983 Indian film, starring and , has also been noted as an inspiration, though Ravi Chopra denied that 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. composed the soundtrack for , with lyrics by , except for “Holi Khele Raghuveera” which was written by Bachchan’s father and poet . Bachchan performed vocals for most of the songs with , , Shrivastava, , , , Sneha Pant and . had composed two songs for the film before he was replaced by Shrivastava, and was not credited on the film’s soundtrack. released the album on 23 August 2003 to positive response from ; according to the website, soundtrack album was the year’s ninth bestselling with 1.4 million units sold. had pre-release publicity because of its pairing of Amitabh Bachchan and Malini for the first time since the action film (1983). B. R. and Ravi Chopra had great expectations for the film, which they targeted to family audiences. It premiered at the on 2 October 2003, and was released worldwide the following day. Opening during , the film had competition from Yusuf Khan’s action thriller and ‘s comedy-drama . ran in theatres for 25 weeks, becoming a film. It was released on on 17 November of that year in widescreen format. The film’s television rights were sold to for (US$950,000), and it premiered worldwide on television on 21 February 2004. It has been available for streaming on since 30 November 2016. According to journalists, the positive for played an important role in the film’s commercial success. It was released on 275 screens across India and grossed (US$110,000) on its first day, earning (US$350,000) by the end of its first weekend and (US$640,000) after running for a week. earned a total of (US$3.7 million) in India, and was 2003’s fifth-highest-grossing Indian film. Abroad, the film earned (US$490,000) in its first week. After its overseas theatrical run, it grossed (US$1.4 million), becoming the year’s third-highest-grossing Indian film overseas; in its year-end box-office report, 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 (US$5.1 million), 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 as , a 2007 film directed by which received critical acclaim. 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. of 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 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 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”. said, “[Ravi] 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.” Narendra Kusnur called Bachchan’s performance one of his best since the 1990s, and—according to Manjula Negi of the —he “carries forward the plot” along with Malini. of 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”. 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 ), and dismissed as “predictable”. Omar Ahmed of praised for its exploration of family values and Indian culture. Parag Chandrabala Maniar, who reviewed the film for , agreed with Buragohain about the film’s similarity to 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 , ” 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 , 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 , 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 ” “. ‘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”. of 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 called the film “the perfect comeback vehicle” for Malini, and of 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 …”</p>