Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

English Babu Desi Mem

  • 1996
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 50m
IMDb RATING
4.6/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
Sonali Bendre and Shah Rukh Khan in English Babu Desi Mem (1996)
ComedyDramaMusicalRomance

After his brother dies, wealthy Vikram reluctantly goes back to India and forms a surprise bond with his orphaned nephew and the showgirl raising him.After his brother dies, wealthy Vikram reluctantly goes back to India and forms a surprise bond with his orphaned nephew and the showgirl raising him.After his brother dies, wealthy Vikram reluctantly goes back to India and forms a surprise bond with his orphaned nephew and the showgirl raising him.

  • Director
    • Praveen Nischol
  • Writers
    • G.M. Ayaz
    • S. Ali Raza
  • Stars
    • Shah Rukh Khan
    • Sonali Bendre
    • Rajeshwari
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.6/10
    2.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Praveen Nischol
    • Writers
      • G.M. Ayaz
      • S. Ali Raza
    • Stars
      • Shah Rukh Khan
      • Sonali Bendre
      • Rajeshwari
    • 11User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos6

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top cast38

    Edit
    Shah Rukh Khan
    Shah Rukh Khan
    • Vikram…
    Sonali Bendre
    Sonali Bendre
    • Bijuriya
    Rajeshwari
    • Katariya
    Saeed Jaffrey
    Saeed Jaffrey
    • Lawyer Madadgar
    Kiran Kumar
    Kiran Kumar
    • Bheema Khalasi
    Baba Brahmbhatt
    Ishita Haria
    James Bond Singh
    • Nandlal
    • (as Sunny Singh)
    Gulshan Bawra
    Gulshan Bawra
    Mrs. Sardar Jaffrey
    Sudhir Dalvi
    Sudhir Dalvi
    • Doctor
    Vijay Kashyap
    Vivek Vaswani
    Vivek Vaswani
    • Waitor
    Richard Lane Smith
      Gurbachan Singh
      Gurbachan Singh
        Shashi Kiran
        Shashi Kiran
        Suresh Bhagwat
        Suresh Bhagwat
        Ajay Wadhavkar
        Ajay Wadhavkar
          • Director
            • Praveen Nischol
          • Writers
            • G.M. Ayaz
            • S. Ali Raza
          • All cast & crew
          • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

          User reviews11

          4.62.7K
          1
          2
          3
          4
          5
          6
          7
          8
          9
          10

          Featured reviews

          2Violetvio24

          Not bad

          Funny but I Don't think that's what they want me to feel, but I laughed so much.

          I hate the underlying bedu, and how old the main character is, the age difference is the worse The sl*t shaming doesn't age that well "You don't know the child's happiness when you marry and have a husband" Please shut up she pretty much gave up everything for your sake 2/10 for SRK performance, I couldn't get anything from him and why he would be in love with the main character.

          I hate no I despite the child so much if I catch im, God only will save him, crying baby Again I think this story would be good for its time, not now in 2024.
          5ziggy9802

          Silly, but cute

          The general idea behind the movie is interesting. The movie itself was predictable. SRK was so funny at the beginning! The songs weren't that good; some were catchy, some weren't. The action scene left a lot to be desired by Western standards, but weren't that bad for a Hindi film. The ending was cute too.
          7GypsiB

          Predictable but Moving

          English businessman Vikram Mayur ( Shah Rukh Khan) learns that his deceased brother left a son, eight-year-old Nandu (Sunny Singh). Nandu has been raised in India by his young aunt, Bijuriya (Sonali Bendre), who supports them both by dancing in a club. Vikram goes to India to bring Nandu back with him, an event which leads to many emotional complications.

          This movie was declared a flop at release, but it's really not bad. The plot is predictable, but at times quite moving. The acting from the leads was solid, but the child actors were fantastic. Young Sunny Singh gave a compelling performance and the actress who played the child Bijuriya was a natural. (Unfortunately, I've been unable to find who this child was for certain, but it may have been Baba Brahmbhatt.) Bijuriya's near-vulgar dance routines are particularly unappealing, however, giving the film a sleazy feel not compatable with the innocence of the rest of the movie. While English Babu Desi Mem is not a stand-out movie, it's mostly enjoyable, and the child actors make it worth watching once.
          Chrysanthepop

          The Indian Englishman, The Beautiful Exotic Dancer and Their Nephew

          Pravin Nischol's 'English Babu Desi Mem' has been labled as Shahrukh Khan's worst movies. I last saw it more than a decade ago and have recently revisited it. 'Worst film' is an 'over' exaggeration. If this is Khan's worst then what are 'Koyla', 'Trimurti', 'RaOne' and 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna' (which are much worse in my opinion)? 'Engish Babu Desi Mem' certainly has its share of faults. The story's quite naive, sometimes even a bit silly and cheesy but on the other hand it doesn't pretend to be anything else.

          An energetic Shahrukh Khan and sizzling Sonali Bendre make a terrific screen pair. Their chemistry is solid. Shahrukh had already established himself as a versatile actor and his scenes with Sonali and child actor Sunny Singh are some of the best moments of the film Sonali Bendre is outstanding. Not only did she show great potential as an actress back then but she also gets to display her versatile dancing skill. Child actor Sunny Singh does a good enough job. Saeed Jaffrey is also quite likable. All the actors seem to have played off each other and have had a good time filming.

          The songs are enjoyable. The lyrics aren't anything particularly great but the melody's fine and it certainly has you tapping your feet or even humming. The visualization of the tracks is also well done and they are paced out well throughout the film.

          On the technical side, I was positively surprised by the cinematography which is brilliant here. In the 90s, poor cinematography was quite abundant in Hindi films.

          To me 'English Babu Desi Mem' is solid entertainment, with heart. It has all the ingredients of a successful masala (spicy) film and perhaps above all, it's sincere.
          3Peter_Young

          The English sir, the Indian madam

          Along with Guddu, English Babu Desi Mem is known to be one of Shahrukh Khan's worst films. It is. The movie starts with a melodramatic sequence which is a kind of a prologue to the entire story. One couple dies upon the birth of their son. The deceased wife's little sister decides to bring this baby up all alone. Right after that it moves several years forward and we are presented with a young Sonali Bendre dancing in a bar. Her nephew Nandu is now 8 years old and she works hard to feed him. But Vikram Mayur, Nandu's paternal uncle, has come to India to take the kid to England, as he is the successor of their dynasty. That's the basic story of this movie, and it just does not work. Maybe it's got to do something with the fact that we expect more from Khan and his movies. Khan himself is pretty good and as expected he has a great chemistry with the leading lady. Sonali Bendre is very pretty and she does a fairly good job as well. The kid is okay. The film's music does not add that much. English Babu Desi Mem has its moments, but they are few and are not enough to make a watchable film. If anything, this one is worthy of a one-time watch and nothing more.

          More like this

          Chaahat
          5.5
          Chaahat
          Ram Jaane
          5.4
          Ram Jaane
          Trimurti
          4.9
          Trimurti
          One 2 Ka 4
          5.5
          One 2 Ka 4
          Anjaam
          6.6
          Anjaam
          Duplicate
          5.6
          Duplicate
          Zamaana Deewana
          4.7
          Zamaana Deewana
          Guddu
          4.1
          Guddu
          Oh Darling Yeh Hai India
          4.0
          Oh Darling Yeh Hai India
          Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman
          6.7
          Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman
          Chamatkar
          6.5
          Chamatkar
          Deewana
          6.7
          Deewana

          Storyline

          Edit

          Did you know

          Edit
          • Trivia
            This movie is loosely based on the 1960 Clark Gable - Sophie Loren movie 'It Started in Naples'.
          • Connections
            Remake of It Started in Naples (1960)

          Top picks

          Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
          Sign in

          FAQ15

          • How long is English Babu Desi Mem?Powered by Alexa

          Details

          Edit
          • Release date
            • January 26, 1996 (India)
          • Country of origin
            • India
          • Language
            • Hindi
          • Also known as
            • English Sir, Indian Madam
          • Filming locations
            • Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
          • Production company
            • Daasa Movies
          • See more company credits at IMDbPro

          Tech specs

          Edit
          • Runtime
            2 hours 50 minutes
          • Color
            • Color
          • Sound mix
            • Dolby Digital

          Related news

          Contribute to this page

          Suggest an edit or add missing content
          Sonali Bendre and Shah Rukh Khan in English Babu Desi Mem (1996)
          Top Gap
          What is the Spanish language plot outline for English Babu Desi Mem (1996)?
          Answer
          • See more gaps
          • Learn more about contributing
          Edit page

          More to explore

          Recently viewed

          Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
          Get the IMDb app
          Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
          Follow IMDb on social
          Get the IMDb app
          For Android and iOS
          Get the IMDb app
          • Help
          • Site Index
          • IMDbPro
          • Box Office Mojo
          • License IMDb Data
          • Press Room
          • Advertising
          • Jobs
          • Conditions of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Your Ads Privacy Choices
          IMDb, an Amazon company

          © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.