Baghban (2003 film)

Baghban
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRavi Chopra
Written by
  • B. R. Chopra
  • Achala Nagar
  • Satish Bhatnagar
  • Ram Govind
  • Shafiq Ansari
Story byB. R. Chopra
Produced byB. R. Chopra
Starring
CinematographyBarun Mukherjee
Edited by
  • Shailendra Doke
  • Godfrey Gonsalves
  • Shashi Mane
Music by
Production
company
B. R. Films
Release dates
Running time
181 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget10 crore[2]
Box office43.11 crore[2]

Baghban (transl.Gardener) is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Ravi Chopra, co-written and produced by B. R. Chopra. It tells the story of an elderly couple, Raj (Amitabh Bachchan) and Pooja (Hema Malini), who have been married for 40 years. After Raj retires, they reunite with their four sons (Aman Verma, Samir Soni, 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.

Baghban 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 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. Baghban's soundtrack was composed by Aadesh Shrivastava and Uttam Singh, with lyrics by Sameer.

The film premiered at the Leeds International Film Festival on 2 October 2003, and was released worldwide the following day. With a production cost of 100 million (US$1.2 million), the film was a commercial success; earning 431.1 million (US$5.2 million) at the box office, Baghban 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, 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.

  1. ^ "Baghban". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Baghban – Movie". Box Office India.