Hema Malini Almost Rejected Baghban, Said 'Itne Bade Ladkon Ke Maa Ka Role Kaun Karega?'

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Besides Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, Baghban also starred Salman Khan and Mahima Chaudhry.
Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini in the lead, Baghban remains one of the most popular movies to date. Released in 2003, the film revolves around a couple – Raj and Pooja – who sacrifice everything for their sons' happy lives. However, after Raj's retirement, he learns how his sons disrespect him and their mother.
However, do you know that Hema Malini was sceptical about taking up this role? In an old interview with Lehren Retro, the veteran actress revealed that she was hesitant because she was not sure if she should play the role of four grown-up boys' mother on-screen. Hema Malini recalled an incident when director Ravi Chopra came to narrate the story at her home, where her mother was also present.
'I remember when I was hearing the story from Ravi Chopra, my mother was sitting. After he left, I told her, 'Char itne bade bade ladkon ke maa ka role karne ko bol raha hai… how can I do all this? (He's asking me to play the mother of four grown-up sons… how can I do all this?)' Then she turned around and said, 'No, no, you must do the film.' And I asked her why. She said, 'The story is very good, you must do it.' And she was really after me. So I was like, okay, I'll do it," Hema Malini said.
'Because first I felt that before this, I was not doing many films, so after a long gap I was working. So I felt, why should I do this? But she said, 'You must do this, this role will be very nice'," the actress added.
Besides Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, Baghban also starred Salman Khan and Mahima Chaudhry. Earlier this year, in an interview with Pinkvilla, Ravi Chopra's wife, Renu Chopra, shed light on the challenges they encountered while making and distributing the film.
Renu revealed that finding a distributor for Baghban was no easy feat, as most dismissed the project as 'old-fashioned." 'The film struggled during its first four days in theaters. Ravi even questioned why he made it. But everything changed on the following Tuesday, and the film picked up momentum," she recalled.
One pivotal moment in the film's journey was Salman Khan's involvement. According to Renu, Baghban was already completed, except for a guest appearance role. 'No distributor wanted to touch the film. They thought it was outdated, especially since Amit ji was facing a rough patch in his career, having just made a comeback with Mohabbatein and Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). Then someone suggested approaching Salman Khan for the remaining part."
First Published:
June 05, 2025, 20:02 IST