Sherazade Review of Baghban

Baghban (2003)

Can you trust your family? No, I mean really, can you?

[9/10 · 6 August 2006]

The only two faults I found with this stellar story of a film is the fact that it was a tad-bit too long, but most importantly the casting of Rimii Sen (in her debut role) as Suman Ranganathan daughter. I mean come on? Isn't Suman like 5 or 7 years tops older than Rimii? I just couldn't get passed that when it was established, and just thought I'd get it out there for future viewers, so that they can brace themselves. Anyways, the film begins very poetically showing a man care-freely walking along the beach at sunset with one of his sons. This man is later revealed to be Amitabh Bachchan, a man who has been happily married for 40 years to a very beautiful wife (played by the devastatingly beautiful Hema Malini). Together, they have four grown up sons, who soon come home to help their parents celebrate their 40th anniversary. While the boys visit, the parents are forced to share a small mattress all so their sons and their wives and kids can be comfortable. Very soon after the anniversary, Amitabh's character retires without much of a savings account and realises that he hadn't done much of investing in anything for himself or his wife, all had been done for the kids. He know feels that he is unable to afford the beautiful house that they rent from a nice landlord (played by Sharat Saxena) and so after celebrating Holi, the tell their children to make the decision on whose home they would now stay in since they were giving up the house. This is when the true colours of the kids and their wives come out, as none of them want their parents to come and live with them. Nevertheless, they decide to split up their parents whose 40 year love affair has been the envy of many, including the children and their wives. Slowly but surely, the true nature of the kids and their wives that was revealed previously only to the viewers now becomes known to the parents as they struggle to survive in the prison-like homes of their children. Salman Khan, Paresh Rawal, Mahima Choudry and Divya Dutta all co-star in this intensely stirring drama.