Khandaan- A Bollywood Podcast

Watch the full video and support Khandaan on Patreon → https://www.patreon.com/khandaanpodcastWe 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?

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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?

Watch the full video version exclusively on Patreon: Khandaan on Patreon

Asim, Amrita and Sujoy
are finally back together for Episode 317, with two very different
movies on the agenda: Yash and Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic,
and Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna in Cocktail
2.

Toxic leads us into
a surprisingly complicated conversation about masculinity, the female gaze,
sex, violence and whether Geetu Mohandas has actually smuggled something
interesting into a giant Yash mass movie... or whether Asim and Amrita are
giving the film far more credit than Sujoy thinks it deserves.

Then there’s Cocktail
2: part relationship drama, part Judaai, part Reddit AITA post. We discuss
Shahid Kapoor’s increasingly intense screen persona, Kriti and Rashmika, the
original Cocktail, and how Bollywood romance somehow went from grand
declarations of love to “tu meri phati hui T-shirt hai.”

Plus, Asim recommends Babitha
Singh Reporting, Amrita brings us Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, and your
listener questions take us into Bollywood’s sequel obsession, David Dhawan’s
retirement, Varun Dhawan’s career, whether the Khans will ever play
grandfathers, and what happened to the stars who emerged in the 2000s.

And we end with a wonderful email from longtime listener
Pragati, who has been with Khandaan since the Irrfan and Rishi Kapoor episodes
and, most importantly, would like slow motion to finally retire.



00:00 Amrita Is Late & Khandaan
Is Getting Older09:20 Toxic Review28:00 Toxic: Masculinity, Women
& the Female Gaze38:00 Are We Reading Too Much Into
Toxic?46:50 Yash, Kiara Advani &
Final Toxic Thoughts53:50 Bethlehem Kudumba Unit56:30 Babitha Singh Reporting1:02:00 Cocktail 2 Review1:07:00 Cocktail 2: AITA Meets Judaai1:11:00 What Happened to Shahid
Kapoor?1:17:00 Listener Questions:
Bollywood’s Best & Worst Sequels1:22:00 David Dhawan, Varun Dhawan
& the Khans as Grandpas1:27:00 What Happened to Bollywood’s
2000s Stars?1:34:00 Email & the
Khandaan Community1:39:00 Wrap-Up

🎧 Support Khandaan and get exclusive episodes and bonus content:⁠Khandaan Patreon⁠📺 Watch our video episodes:⁠Khandaan Podcast on YouTube

🎧 BONUS ON PATREON: This week we're also reacting to the completely bonkers trailer for Yash's Toxic. Is it spectacular maximalist action, Manosphere: The Movie, or are Asim and Sujoy simply too old for this shit?

Watch the full video reaction exclusively on Khandaan Patreon

Asim and Sujoy catch up on the latest releases, starting with Awarapan 2 and the enduring appeal of Emraan Hashmi before turning to Rajkumar Santoshi's Batwara 1947 and its surprisingly nuanced take on Partition.

Then they attempt to survive David Dhawan's Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, which raises the bigger question of whether Bollywood has forgotten how to make mainstream comedy. Plus: Varun Dhawan's identity crisis, Asim's inexplicable rage at Manish Paul, and why Maa Vaapas Aunga turned out to be one of the most moving films Asim has seen recently.

Timestamps:

02:30 — Awarapan 212:11 — Batwara 194723:36 — Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai33:38 — Maa Wapas Aunga39:07 — Cocktail 2 & what's next40:21 — Toxic on Patreon

💬 Join the conversation:Do you think Awarapan 2 earns its nostalgia? Has Sunny Deol's recent filmography hurt Batwara 1947? And when was the last genuinely great mainstream Bollywood comedy?

🎧 Support Khandaan and get exclusive episodes and bonus content:Khandaan Patreon

📺 Watch our video episodes:Khandaan Podcast on YouTube

#Awarapan2 #EmraanHashmi #Batwara1947 #SunnyDeol #VarunDhawan #Bollywood #KhandaanPodcast

🎧 Support us on Patreon → [https://www.patreon.com/khandaanpodcast](https://www.patreon.com/khandaanpodcast)

👥 Hosts:
Asim | Amrita | Sujoy

What makes an unforgettable opening scene? Is it spectacle, character, music—or simply making you fall in love with a film in the very first five minutes?

This week Asim, Amrita and Sujoy celebrate some of Bollywood's greatest openings, including Om Shanti Om, Rang De Basanti, Don, Don 2, Special 26, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Andaz Apna Apna, Jab We Met, Parvarish and the iconic musical openings of Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Dil To Pagal Hai and Bunty Aur Babli.

Which opening scene would make your list?

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© Khandaan Podcast. All rights reserved.

🎧 Where to listen:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bZLrLZHCuLDmJzgm9MPm0
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/khandaan-a-bollywood-podcast/id1362881501

Khandaan is a weekly Bollywood podcast covering Hindi cinema, Indian pop culture, celebrity news, movie reviews, streaming releases and the history of Bollywood.

Copyright Disclaimer:
This podcast contains commentary, criticism and discussion for educational and entertainment purposes. All film clips, music and images remain the property of their respective copyright holders.

🎧 Support Khandaan on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/khandaanpodcast

This week Asim, Amrita and Sujoy had originally planned to review English Babu Desi Mem... but life (and perhaps self-preservation) got in the way.

Instead, they dive into one of the busiest weeks in film fandom.

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey continues to dominate conversation, but should adaptations stay faithful to the source? The team discusses translator Emily Wilson's criticism and why myths are meant to evolve.

Then it's time for the biggest Bollywood trailer of the year: Namit Malhotra's Ramayana. Is Ranbir Kapoor convincing as Ram? Does Yash's Ravana have enough complexity? And can a film rooted in Indian mythology truly connect with a global audience?

They also react to Sunny Deol's Batwara 1947, discussing Partition cinema, changing political narratives and whether Rajkumar Santoshi can still deliver.

Finally, Asim and Sujoy give their spoiler-free thoughts on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with the full review available exclusively on Patreon.

Chapters

00:00 Why English Babu Desi Mem was postponed

02:30 The Odyssey obsession continues

03:30 Emily Wilson vs Nolan

08:20 Troy vs The Odyssey

13:00 Asim survives internet comments

15:00 Ramayana trailer reaction

37:00 Batwara 1947 trailer reaction

59:55 Spider-Man review moves to Patreon

Follow Khandaan:

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Twitter/Xhttps://twitter.com/khandaanpod

Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/khandaanpodcast