Hema Malini almost rejected Ravi Chopra’s Baghban. Here’s why

Actor-MP Hema Malini has turned a year older today. Over the years, the veteran Bollywood star has acted in numerous acclaimed projects, one of them is the Ravi Chopra directorial, Baghban, which also starred the megastar Amitabh Bachchan. But did you know that Hema Malini was initially hesitant to take up the part?
In an earlier interview with Lehren Retro, the actor shared how she was reluctant to take on the role as it demanded her to portray the character of a mother to four adult men. Malini was only 55 at the time.
The actor asked, “Chaar itne bade bade ladkon ke maa ka role karne toh bol raha hai. How can I do all this? (I am being asked to play a mother to these four adult men. How could I?).”
“I remember when I was hearing the story from Ravi Chopra, my mother was sitting. And she said, ‘No, no no, you must do it!’ I said, ‘Why?’ ‘No, the story is very good. You must do it.’ How she was after me. I said, ‘Okay, I’ll do it.’ I wasn’t doing films. After a long gap, I was working. So I thought, ‘Why should I do this?’ But she said, ‘No, you must. The role is very nice,’” she concluded.
Baghban also starred Salman Khan, Mahima Chaudhry, Sameer Soni among others in pivotal roles.
After making her debut in the 1963 Tamil film, Idhu Sathiyam, Hema Malini acted in around 100 projects, including films such as Sholay, Dream Girl, Baghban, Seeta Aur Geeta among others. She was last seen in the 2020 release, Shimla Mirchi, where she essayed the role of Rukmini.