4 minutes of readingBombayFebruary 9, 2026 12:54 pm IST
There is no film more definitive for the Boomer generation than Ravi Chopra’s 2003 family drama Baghban. The Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini starrer revolved around the ordeals of a retired elderly couple struggling to pass the time. with his four children and their families. Bachchan’s climactic monologue aimed at the ungrateful millennial generation still makes every boomer feel seen and heard.
Now, 23 years after the release of Baghban, Samir Soni shared a reel on Instagram, in which a Gen Z girl denounces Baghban for what it is: boomer propaganda. The actor, who played Sanjay Malhotra, Raj Malhotra’s second son from Bachchan and Hema. Pooja Malhotrasupported the idea that he was not a villain, but actually a “green flag.”
The Gen-Z influencer praised Samir’s character for being punctual and responsive to his wife’s concerns. “He is also an intellectual because he asks his father why he doesn’t have FD (fixed deposits), tips or savings. But then a very emotional song plays in the background. The son becomes a villain. Brother, your son is right. Why don’t you have savings? It’s not that you worked in a very bad place. You worked in a very reputed bank,” the influencer argued.
Another example that the influencer cited is the typewriter scene. When Sanjay’s wife asks him to ask his father not to use the typewriter late at night in the living room, he patiently and politely asks his father to take it to his room or save it for the morning because his wife has to get up early in the morning, send their son to school, prepare breakfast for everyone before going to work herself. But Bachchan’s character is quite offended and does not even pay attention to his grandson’s request to use a laptop for the sake of a calmer environment.
The third argument in favor of Samir Soni’s character is that of Karva Chauth scene, when his hungry wife assumes that her father-in-law would eat at the cafe he frequents as he does every day, so they go out to dinner. But that is the day Bachchan’s character decides to skip dinner at the cafe, despite the insistence of the owner (Lillete Dubey) and cannot find food for him at home.
“Baghban has not traumatized any other generation more than he has traumatized us,” said the influencer. Samir Soni shared the Instagram reel on his account and wrote in the caption, “(Laughing with tear emojis) Finally some redemption after 20 years. Love the new generation.” Produced by BR Chopra’s BR Films, Baghban also stars Salman Khan, Mahima Chaudhry, Aman Verma, Divya DuttaRimi Sen and Paresh Rawal, among others.
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In an earlier interview with SCREEN, Samir Soni recalled the response he received after the film became a hit. “When the movie came out, I was happy, but the response we got was incredible. I remember one time an old lady came up to me, in a shopping mall, and I thought she would recognize me after the movie and say something nice, but she came and scolded me for being a ‘very bad son, you’ve misbehaved!’ People identified with Amit ji and Hema ji so much that we turned them into bad guys overnight, but that shows the success of the film, the fact that it has such a big impact,” he had said.
He also said it was the parents’ point of view. “The movie was made from the parents’ point of view. It wasn’t so much about showing that the children are bad, which they are, but about showing life from the parents’ perspective. If it had been shown from the point of view of the children and the responsibilities they have (in their personal and professional lives), then it would have been a different movie.”