Ravi Chopra left us after a painful and prolonged illness in 2014. Happily, his Baghban became a blockbuster before his death. He was the son of the illustrious B.
R. Chopra, who has given us reformist films like Dharmputra (about communal harmony), Sadhana (rehabilitation of prostitutes), Kanoon (loopholes in the legal system), Insaaf Ka Tarazu (aftermath of rape), Nikaah (Muslim marriage laws), and Aaj Ki Awaaz (crime and the common man). He comes in as the surprising winner of the year.
Written off by cynical sections of the film trade in Mumbai Baghban, an ode to autumnal people, became one of the most influential films in Amitabh Bachchan’s career. In an unpublished interview, Ravi celebrated his banner’s belated success and lashed out at unhealthy cinematic trends. Your banner, though legendary, hadn’t tasted success for years? Baghban came as a boon for us.
Though we've continued to be a success on television, we haven’t been fortunate in cinema. In fact, we haven't made a film in years. BR Films makes films for family audiences.
The era of video in the 1980s diminished the impact of our films. We took a sabbatical from cinema to concentrate on television. But now we’re back because the audience is back.
It’s a euphoric feeling. The audience loved Baghban from Day 1. But a section of Mumbai’s trade insists on dubbing the film a flop even when I was giving them the correct box office figures.
Distributors in every corner of the world are already collecting.
