Watch the full video and support Khandaan on Patreon → https://www.patreon.com/khandaanpodcast
We revisit English Babu Desi Mem, the 1996 Shah Rukh Khan film that gives us three SRKs and somehow still leaves us wanting less.
Sujoy chose English Babu Desi Mem. Amrita would like to know why.
In this episode of Khandaan: A Bollywood Podcast, Asim, Amrita and Sujoy revisit one of the strangest films in Shah Rukh Khan’s 1990s filmography. Loosely remade from the Clark Gable and Sophia Loren film It Started in Naples, it features Shah Rukh in a triple role, Sonali Bendre as a cabaret dancer raising his nephew and a plot that appears to abandon logic almost immediately.
We discuss Shah Rukh’s wigs, accents and aggressively broad performance, Sonali Bendre’s place in 1990s Bollywood, the film’s peculiar ideas about British Indians, Sujoy’s enduring love for the soundtrack and whether the voiceovers, flashbacks and abrupt ending suggest that the production simply ran out of money.
Is this really one of Shah Rukh Khan’s worst films? And more importantly, should Sujoy ever be allowed to choose the movie again?
📺 Full video episodes, early access and exclusive bonus content:
https://www.patreon.com/khandaanpodcast
Follow Khandaan:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khandaanpodcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@khandaanpodcast
Chapters
00:00 Sujoy arrives unprepared 02:27 Why did he choose English Babu Desi Mem? 03:45 Shah Rukh Khan’s only triple role 05:12 Remaking It Started in Naples 09:16 The film’s extraordinary SRK introduction 13:24 Diwali becomes a fatal disaster 15:14 The child-rearing gets increasingly disturbing 17:17 Sonali Bendre enters the story 19:34 Revisiting Sonali Bendre’s career 24:17 Is Shah Rukh actually terrible in this? 25:35 Did the production run out of money? 28:35 Bhima Khalasi and committed villainy 30:20 The child who was supposed to carry the film 33:35 Sujoy defends the soundtrack 35:22 The troubling history behind the songs 37:36 Have Bollywood item songs disappeared? 41:06 What did we actually enjoy? 42:45 Ranking Shah Rukh Khan’s worst films 47:35 Sujoy’s final warning 49:23 Should listeners choose the next film?