Mahima Chaudhry was ‘reluctant’ to work in 'Baghban' with Salman Khan

Some movies stand the test of time and age well, while others don’t. And then there are a few that tear the audience base in two with highly polarised reviews, even years or decades after their release. Some love the movie, while others hate it. Director Ravi Chopra’s ‘Baghban’ (2003) - starring a large ensemble including Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Salman Khan and Mahima Chaudhry - is one such film.

Although it opened to critical and commercial success and still enjoys a solid fan base, the ‘family drama’ has earned significant backlash over the years for gaslighting youngsters into believing that prioritising their parents over their own lives was of utmost importance and then guilt-tripping them if they don’t. Nonetheless, it provided a major break for its cast and crew and remains one of the most celebrated works for many of them.

While Salman and Mahima’s presence is felt throughout the movie, they technically had only extended cameos as Raj (Amitabh Bachchan) and Pooja Malhotra’s (Hema Malini) adopted son, Alok and his wife, Arpita, respectively. Since it was yet another guest appearance, Mahima had even considered turning down the offer initially.

“When Ravi ji called me for ‘Baghban’, I had no intention of doing the movie because he said Salman and I had guest appearances,” she shared during a recent conversation with ‘Bollywood Hungama’.

During that period, Mahima mentioned she had done so many cameos that it almost felt like that was all people called her for. “People started feeling that if they included me in one of their songs, the movie would become a hit. It was very nice to be considered a lucky mascot, but all I was getting were two to four scenes or a song. I was very reluctant.”

However, since the call came from Ravi Chopra, Mahima decided to pay him a visit - as she had immense respect for him and his father, legendary director-producer BR Chopra - and politely decline the offer. “When he suggested coming and meeting me, I immediately told him that I would come over. I went to say no to him, but I couldn’t. My secretary at that time even stepped in, saying he would do it. But I stopped him, saying, ‘I will do this one more movie. It’s okay’,” she noted.

But that, she explained, turned out to be one of the best decisions she ever made, as she continues to receive immense love and respect for the film. “I am so happy today. Not just that I got to work with Amitabh Bachchan, but the movie continues to have a very good shelf-life. Even now, people come up to me saying they love the film and its songs. Good came out of it.”