Tabu refused to play mother to Amitabh Bachchan in ‘Baghban’
Tabu refused to play mother to Amitabh Bachchan in ‘Baghban’
The Ravi Chopra directorial ‘Baghban’ a family drama featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini is considered an iconic film in Hindi cinema.
However, Hema Malini wasn’t the first choice in the film. In a recent media interaction producer Renu Chopra, wife of late Ravi Chopra, revealed that Tabu was the first choice to play Amitabh Bachchan’s wife in the film. But, she never wanted to play a mother of four grown-up kids on screen.
Renu added that they thought of casting Tabu, and she insisted on listening to the film’s script. She cried and all that. She loved the script. Renu thought she was definitely going to give a nod to do the film. Somebody was sitting with her(Renu) and she said, ‘When Tabu cries listening to the script of a film, she never does that film.’”
Renu went on to add that she asked this to Tabu, whether she won’t do the film?’ Tabu loved the story but she doesn’t never wanted to portray a mother of four children adding that her entire career is ahead of her so Ravi ji, please forgive me. At the time of the film’s release in 2003, Tabu was about 32 years old and Amitabh Bachchan was about 61 years old.
However, after the film was released, Tabu’s aunt scolded her for rejecting the role. Renu shared, “After two years of this conversation, when the film was released in theatres, Tabu was in Hyderabad and she went to see the film with her aunt and uncle. She told them that she was offered the film but refused the role. Her aunt reprimanded her, saying, she will beat her with a slipper.
Not just Tabu, even Hema Malini was apprehensive about taking up the role. In an earlier interview Hema Malini said that it was on her mother’s insistence that she took up the role in the film. And that before the mahurat of Baghban,
B R Chopra met her and told her that he wanted her to play the role perfectly just like he had desired. He narrated the story to her and she thought, it was his blessing because of which the film did well.
Till today, people talk about that film. She remembered when she was hearing the story from Ravi Chopra, her mother was sitting with her. After he left, she said how can she play the role of mother to four grown-up Chaar itne bade bade children? Her mother insisted that she must takes up the role since the story is good.
News Edit KV Raman
