English Babu Desi Mem (1996) User Reviews

Touching movie

[phoenix1861-1 · 6/10 · 15 June 2010]

OK, so I heard this film mentioned as not one of the best in Shahrukh's filmography but quite unexpectedly, I enjoyed it. It starts a bit unevenly, takes some time to finally get to the story but then the story unfolds quite smoothly.

The best things about this movie are Sonali Bendre and the boy. Well, and Shahrukh, of course, but Sonali and the boy are sort of the focus of the story. Sonali is very beautiful and can really emote quite well. She is very charming and likable, as is her character. The boy was adorable and moved me to tears in a couple of scenes.

Yes, one reason for which I liked this film was that it was actually very touching and heartfelt in several scenes. It's a wee bit naive and innocent but I like that. Most of all, it's simple and honest. Anyway, one thing this film is not -- it's not boring, which is what I hate most of all in a movie. The story is quite solid, there are drama and conflict, which to me seemed realistic enough. There are flaws, of course, but, really, I had expected something much worse.

Shahrukh doesn't do all that much (except being great as usual) but he definitely added to the poignancy of the situation. His interaction with the boy was very cute and touching and I probably wouldn't feel half so much if it weren't for him. As a matter of fact, I only watched it as part of going through SRK's filmography.

Some entertainment value

[sigrros · 6/10 · 6 January 2007]

English Babu Desi Mem combines many elements: romance, drama, comedy and music. At times choppy, it did fulfill those elements, though weakly at times. Both the conflict and romance between Vikram and Bijiriya (shabrukh Khan and ) could be felt, the chemistry was there. The love between Bijiriya and Nandu (Sunny Singh) was full of affection and devotion. I was quite taken with Sunny Singh's performance actually. There were serious elements in the movie, and they were portrayed sincerely. The poignancy is what I will remember most when I look back on this film. The comedy was goofy, but that was largely a result of zooming in on the characters'whenever they made exaggerated faces. I liked quite a bit of the songs/lyrics, and the dancing was well done, a credit to a good choreographer.

Silly, but cute

[ziggy9802 · 5/10 · 30 December 2002]

The general idea behind the movie is interesting. The movie itself was predictable. SRK was so funny at the beginning! The songs weren't that good; some were catchy, some weren't. The action scene left a lot to be desired by Western standards, but weren't that bad for a Hindi film. The ending was cute too.

The Indian Englishman, The Beautiful Exotic Dancer and Their Nephew

[Chrysanthepop · 18 July 2013]

Pravin Nischol's 'English Babu Desi Mem' has been labled as Shahrukh Khan's worst movies. I last saw it more than a decade ago and have recently revisited it. 'Worst film' is an 'over' exaggeration. If this is Khan's worst then what are 'Koyla', 'Trimurti', 'RaOne' and 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna' (which are much worse in my opinion)? 'Engish Babu Desi Mem' certainly has its share of faults. The story's quite naive, sometimes even a bit silly and cheesy but on the other hand it doesn't pretend to be anything else.

An energetic Shahrukh Khan and sizzling Sonali Bendre make a terrific screen pair. Their chemistry is solid. Shahrukh had already established himself as a versatile actor and his scenes with Sonali and child actor Sunny Singh are some of the best moments of the film Sonali Bendre is outstanding. Not only did she show great potential as an actress back then but she also gets to display her versatile dancing skill. Child actor Sunny Singh does a good enough job. Saeed Jaffrey is also quite likable. All the actors seem to have played off each other and have had a good time filming.

The songs are enjoyable. The lyrics aren't anything particularly great but the melody's fine and it certainly has you tapping your feet or even humming. The visualization of the tracks is also well done and they are paced out well throughout the film.

On the technical side, I was positively surprised by the cinematography which is brilliant here. In the 90s, poor cinematography was quite abundant in Hindi films.

To me 'English Babu Desi Mem' is solid entertainment, with heart. It has all the ingredients of a successful masala (spicy) film and perhaps above all, it's sincere.

The English sir, the Indian madam

[Peter_Young · 3/10 · 16 October 2010]

Along with Guddu, English Babu Desi Mem is known to be one of Shahrukh Khan's worst films. It is. The movie starts with a melodramatic sequence which is a kind of a prologue to the entire story. One couple dies upon the birth of their son. The deceased wife's little sister decides to bring this baby up all alone. Right after that it moves several years forward and we are presented with a young Sonali Bendre dancing in a bar. Her nephew Nandu is now 8 years old and she works hard to feed him. But Vikram Mayur, Nandu's paternal uncle, has come to India to take the kid to England, as he is the successor of their dynasty. That's the basic story of this movie, and it just does not work. Maybe it's got to do something with the fact that we expect more from Khan and his movies. Khan himself is pretty good and as expected he has a great chemistry with the leading lady. Sonali Bendre is very pretty and she does a fairly good job as well. The kid is okay. The film's music does not add that much. English Babu Desi Mem has its moments, but they are few and are not enough to make a watchable film. If anything, this one is worthy of a one-time watch and nothing more.

English Babu desi mem hindi movie

[utsavthakur-19793 · 1/10 · 27 November 2021]

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A pleasant Shahrukh Khan movie

[Morning Star · 7/10 · 26 April 2008]

This is one of SRK's more minor films but it does have some memorable things/moments. I liked the first song (when he plays the brother that dies), it's colorful, lots of dancers, Shahrukh looks good even with the ill fitting long wig they have on him. The ending to that song was quite a shocking surprise. The scene afterwards where the couple dies together then the film cuts back briefly to them happy & alive & in love in the song before was moving. I liked most of the songs in the film and thought they were well staged. Shahrukh was at his best when he got angry or in the romantic moments. I liked his acting in the scene where he has the girl meet him at a cheap hotel room and the other when he tells the boy he has no intention of marrying the girl.

The children's story

[suchenwi · 8/10 · 10 March 2008]

Although most actors in EBDM are adults, there is a strong plot line involving two children:

(1) 8-year old Bijuriya kidnaps her newborn nephew Nandu from the hospital, and raises him alone (somehow reminiscent of Chaplin's The Kid - I loved the fake breastfeeding scene, or the diaper-cutting). She is "like a mother to him".

(2) 8-year old Nandu evades school so he can earn money with shoe-shining, cigarette smuggle and trade. He saves the money to be used for Bijuriya's wedding, and in one scene he says "I'm feeling worried like an old father".

Somehow, these two persons combine the roles of mother, father, daughter, and son... That of course aggravates the drama when they (temporarily) break up their relation.

Besides that, there are many interesting aspects to this movie - the culture contrast England / India, the earnest religiosity with the statue in the forest... I won't tell the ending, but it comes as no big surprise :^)

I sure enjoyed EBDM, and can recommend it to friends of Bollywood.

Predictable but Moving

[GypsiB · 7/10 · 24 April 2020]

English businessman Vikram Mayur ( Shah Rukh Khan) learns that his deceased brother left a son, eight-year-old Nandu (Sunny Singh). Nandu has been raised in India by his young aunt, Bijuriya (Sonali Bendre), who supports them both by dancing in a club. Vikram goes to India to bring Nandu back with him, an event which leads to many emotional complications.

This movie was declared a flop at release, but it's really not bad. The plot is predictable, but at times quite moving. The acting from the leads was solid, but the child actors were fantastic. Young Sunny Singh gave a compelling performance and the actress who played the child Bijuriya was a natural. (Unfortunately, I've been unable to find who this child was for certain, but it may have been Baba Brahmbhatt.) Bijuriya's near-vulgar dance routines are particularly unappealing, however, giving the film a sleazy feel not compatable with the innocence of the rest of the movie. While English Babu Desi Mem is not a stand-out movie, it's mostly enjoyable, and the child actors make it worth watching once.

Nice movie with good songs and emotions

[mailmerohitrai · 8/10 · 15 December 2022]

Sharukh is ok in movie but Sonali Bendre and child artist Sunny Singh are very Good in movie. Songs are Good. Emotional scenes are Good. Over all it is good entertaining Movie. I have watched movie in 90's and now recently I have watched it on YouTube. Sharukh's Red Chillies has purchased its rights. It is available on YouTube with very good Master print. I love 90's musical movies :-)

Sharukh is ok in movie but Sonali Bendre and child artist Sunny Singh are very Good in movie. Songs are Good. Emotional scenes are Good. Over all it is good entertaining Movie. I have watched movie in 90's and now recently I have watched it on YouTube. Sharukh's Red Chillies has purchased its rights. It is available on YouTube with very good Master print. I love 90's musical movies :-)

Sharukh is ok in movie but Sonali Bendre and child artist Sunny Singh are very Good in movie. Songs are Good. Emotional scenes are Good. Over all it is good entertaining Movie. I have watched movie in 90's and now recently I have watched it on YouTube. Sharukh's Red Chillies has purchased its rights. It is available on YouTube with very good Master print. I love 90's musical movies :-)