Baghban

Last week I watched BAGHBAN and I found film based on truth. Sir Amitabh with his legendary performances has once again proved that he is the star of all the times and the legend of the new millenium. What should I say about Madam Hema Mailini, she really knows the magic how to grasp time in her hand and as time has passed she has really become more beautiful. Madam Hema Malini's performances were also fabulous. And about Salman Khan, this is the first film where I have liked his performances.

Baghban - the first curiosity came with what the name rely meant. And the second curiosity was that could Hema still look so stunning!! The second one was yes she can!!! And as for the first one it came after watching the movie. I understood why its meant to mean the caretaker or Guardian. The movie is trying make a metaphoric relationship between an individual and their family and comparing it to a garden. Your family are like a garden, you have to slave over it and look after it for it to flourish and thrive, and any neglect will result in a weeded unattractive piece of earth. But the relationship that one has with their garden is very interactive - the gardener will put all their effort in trying to get a thriving garden and in turn the garden will reward the gardener with a sense of achievement, and fruits of labour.

This is the topic that Baghban is tackling - family life, and more specifically the life of the elderly. All their lives, our parents thrive the give us the best, to ensure all our wishes and dreams are achieved, to ensure that our lives are given more priority over theirs. But in this modern world what is excepted in return? Maybe the saying is true - nothing is free is this world - not even the love from your parents. Can we say that there is an expectation from our parents that we should look after them in their old age? Is it a sense of duty? NO - it is essence of humanity and gratitude that we should foster and love those that have loved us - and should not be obliged to do so but cause we want to do so. If we look around us there are so many children that have been abandoned, abused or neglected - so we should be grateful that we are not one of them and its are parents that are responsible for it.

The essence of this story has been integrated into Baghban with Amitabh and Hema being the head of the household. Both churning out wonderful performances. It was great to see Hema after such a long time and looking still fab as memory recollects from the 70's. Amitabh delivered a wonderful performance as a hurt, angry and confined old man, and its good to see such roles being written for him. The pair together brought a sense of love and comfort not seen onscreen for quite some time. Their four sons and their families give out appropriate performances and help to pull the movie along. Also the guest appearances are good and adequate. The show stealer has to be Paresh Rawal. Indirectly or intentionally the guest appearances and Paresh characters iterate the fact that friends you can choose, but family you can't - and in times of need it is your friends that stand by you and not your family.

The story has been told many a times before but maybe because it is made now at a time when such a message has to be iterated again, or it was the combination of direction and acting that made this a memorable experience. The movie has its down points, but they are thin and varied and can be expected when tacking such a subject in a such a short time. In all it is not a good movie, it's a great movie, but remember take your box of Kleenex with you.

OMG, what a terrible movie! I could never imagine the great actor would have signed up to play this father/husband/grand father/retiree role, because the screenplay is so bad, so phony and the director of this movie, in my opinion, should be banned from directing any movie from 2003. Yes, that's how bad this movie is.

I just don't know how could this poor screenplay would be made into movie. From the very beginning, the loving husband and loving wife were so poorly acted and performed as a couple. All the scenes from the very beginning were just so overdone and so pretentious. All the characters, old or young, male or female, were just thoroughly ruined by this pathetic screenplay and the director. This is the first Bollywood movie that has made our watching a complete disgusting experience. It's more like a typical Korean TV drama, everybody had to murmur to herself or himself, with exaggerated gestures, expressions.

Amitabh Bachchan is one of the greatest Hindi actors, maybe the best of the bests, a Hindi Clark Gable + Gary Cooper + Marlon Brando, but...

I watched the movie again after about two decades. Some things slipped from mind. The highlight was however was cast of Alok. I somehow felt he is first introduced while the scene involving test drive.

If we see the script, that introduction of Alok seem overdone. They could have done it better but that could have not been that entertaining.

I just pray a loving couple is never separated and funds never become as issue.

Music is good that goes well along with the movie.

Acting is justified. The grand children were great. Characters alongside café, bank, and rented house did well. Salman as Alok slightly overdone as I want to ask is Salman really that polite in real life?

Final Verdict: Do watch it, it's available on YouTube. You will love it if you are in right relationship with your parents.

Baghban stands itself as an emotion appealing family drama, which presents the age old conflict between selfishness and selfless, between fake love and true one, between parents and children. It is a modern story of the same old family problem, children finds their parents as a burden. In this line , The Tokyo Story of 1950s is recommended but Baghban is unique in the sense of its presentation. The colorful settings, the presentation of emotions in a much deeper level ; perhaps it could make you cry, the musical scores betweeen, the matured love story of two adults in their 60s, the applaudable performance of adults towards the youth generation etc.

Analytically, Mr Malhotra is a retired banker, who happily lives with his family, his four own married sons and one adopted son, who lives in foreign. But his happiness is shattered when his own children neglects him and his wife, even for the triflest matters. This enlightens him about truth in family lives, about the world, about reality. A ray of hope appears in the form of his adopted son, who loves and accepts them as his living God. Mr Malhotra is happy with this but still it cannot outweighs his own children acts. Throughout the film, this war between selfish and selfless grows intense and finally he decides to never forgive his own children. He chose not to give share of his old age success as a writer. The film actually depicts the journey of Mr Malhotra from emotional attachment to enlightenment. The journey has the power to appeal to viewers emotionally, wholly it goes credit to first class act of Big B, Hema Maam and other senior roles like Paresh Rawal etc.

Technically , the film is clear in it's details, portrayal and narratives. I feel the songs should have been less. No comments about performances, the antagony characters are well acted, you will like to hate these guys. Salman's act is dramatised, but still convincing as the obedient and optimistic son. Though well made film, but still few things are neglected like ---- Mr Malhotras upbringing, his characteristics as an individual, his children upbringing etc, which was needed, atleast to explain the unenlightening episodes. It is not a masterpiece but a well made film having realistic characters relatable to all universally. Finally the spark of the film is Big B, who as the saddenned father, gave spellbound performance !

A 69 on a scale of 100.