Baghban, a poignant narrative portraying the abandonment of ageing parents by their children, resonated deeply with moviegoers back in 2003 and continues to leave a lasting impact.

In this cinematic gem, which turns 20 today, actor Hema Malini played the leading role opposite actor Amitabh Bachchan.

She tells us that she was initially unsure about accepting the role: “I was not doing anything. That’s when Ravi Chopra, the director, came to me and narrated this subject. I was not convinced because I had to portray a mum to four elderly boys. Then my mother said, ‘If Amitabh Bachchan is doing it, then you can also do it’.” 

Malini, 74, says she was reassured that she wouldn’t be made to appear as “an old woman with white hair” and would be presented in a way that reflected her real-life persona. 

About her co-star Bachchan, with whom she had worked in several films, including Sholay (1975) and Satte Pe Satta (1982), she says, “When Amit ji used to enter the set, he would bring so much life; all the workers used to say, ‘Arre Amit ji aa gaye’.”

Recalling the romantic scenes she shot with him, especially the song Main Yahan Tu Wahan, Malini says, “It was B R Chopra sahab’s (producer) dream to make this film. He was watching all the scenes from day one. He gave me a narration before the shoot started.”

The actor shares that she learned of the film’s success when her daughter, actor Esha Deol Takhtani, was working alongside Bachchan’s son, Abhishek, in Dus. “They would keep telling me picture hit ho gayi hai. Mujhe lagta tha mazaak kar rahe hain, but it turned out to be a fact,” she smiles.

Divya Dutta, who played Reena Malhotra, one of the daughters-in-law, who was part of the plan to split the elderly couple, says, “It was my first film with Mr Bachchan, who is the reason why I got into films. I used to say a very bright ‘good morning’ to him every day. Those gradually became less bright. Saying those nasty lines to someone I adored was not going down well with me. One day, he said, ‘You know you are not being nice to me; my fans won’t like it’; I said, ‘Sir, yeh ek role hi toh hai’. And without saying anything further, he taught me a lesson that I need to dissociate myself from my character.”