# English Babu Desi Mem
**English Babu Desi Mem** is a 1996 Hindi-language comedy-drama-musical film directed and produced by Praveen Nischol, starring [Shah Rukh Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/shah-rukh-khan), Sonali Bendre, and [Saeed Jaffrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/saeed-jaffrey). It was released in India on 26 January 1996 under the Daasa Movies banner and was a box office failure.[1](https://www.redchillies.com/movies/english-babu-desi-mem) • [2](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2829) • [3](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/english-babu-desi-mem)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 26 January 1996 (India), Hindi language[1](https://www.redchillies.com/movies/english-babu-desi-mem) |
| Director / producer | Praveen Nischol, for the banner Daasa Movies[4](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2829) |
| Lead cast | Shah Rukh Khan as Vikram / Hari / Gopal Mayur; Sonali Bendre as Bijuriya; Sunny Singh as Nandlal[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/fullcredits/) |
| Music | Nikhil-Vinay; lyrics by Rani Malik and Yogesh[4](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2829) |
| Writers | S. Ali Raza (story, screenplay, dialogue); G.M. Ayaz (associate script)[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/fullcredits/) |
| Box office | Verdict: Flop; India nett ₹37,800,000 against a budget of ₹35,000,000[2](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2829) |
| Basis | Loosely based on the 1960 film *It Started in Naples* with Clark Gable and Sophia Loren[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Vikram Mayur, an NRI (non-resident Indian) born and raised in England, returns to his ancestral home in India after his brother's death to look after his eight-year-old nephew Nandu, who is being raised by the showgirl Bijuriya.[1](https://www.redchillies.com/movies/english-babu-desi-mem) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/english-babu-desi-mem/umc.cmc.3xsxci6kauln9yk43vd3g6f4o) Vikram is torn between taking the boy back to England to learn the family business and staying in India, where he slowly falls in love with Bijuriya.[7](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/english-babu-desi-mem/umc.cmc.3xsxci6kauln9yk43vd3g6f4o)
The film's official press booklet, reproduced by Cinemaazi, frames the conflict around money and emotion. The lawyer Mr. Madadgar, described as a Godfather-like figure to Bijuriya, is the one who reveals the boy's existence and brings Vikram to Indian soil. Vikram, a successful businessman, assumes he can settle accounts with Bijuriya for eight years of raising Nandu, but finds that what she has given the boy amounts to her entire life, a debt his wealth cannot pay. He tries money, affection, and love, and cannot separate the boy from her; the conflict between his western upbringing and his Indian roots grows to a climax.[8](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/film/english-babu-desi-mem)
Shah Rukh Khan plays multiple roles, credited as Vikram / Hari / Gopal Mayur.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/fullcredits/)
## Cast and crew
The supporting cast includes [Rajeshwari Sachdev](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajeshwari-sachdev) as Katariya, Saeed Jaffrey as the lawyer Madadgar, Kiran Kumar as Bheema Khalasi, Mushtaq Khan as a hitman, [Anju Mahendru](https://www.edgepedia.org/anju-mahendru) as a TV interviewer, Sudhir Dalvi as a doctor, and Gulshan Bawra, Vivek Vaswani, and Gurbachchan Singh among others.[4](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2829) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/fullcredits/) The child role of Nandu/Nandlal is credited to Sunny Singh (James Bond Singh), with Arhan Singh and Master Sunny also listed as Nandu on IMDb.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/fullcredits/)
Behind the camera, Ravikant Reddy was the cinematographer, V.N. Mayekar the editor, and Sudhendu Roy the art director. Choreography was by [Saroj Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/saroj-khan), Raju Khan, and [Farah Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/farah-khan), action was composed by Akbar Bakshi, and the costume credits include [Gauri Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/gauri-khan).[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/fullcredits/) • [8](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/film/english-babu-desi-mem) The playback singers on the soundtrack included Asha Bhosle, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Poornima, and Vinod Rathod.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/english-babu-desi-mem/cast/) Songs in the Tips music catalog for the film include "O Bijuria Sun" and "Kaise Mukhde Se".[10](https://www.novex.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Tips-Catalogue.pdf)
## Box office
The film was a commercial failure. Box Office India records a first-day take of ₹31,00,000, a first weekend of ₹1,00,00,000, and a first week of ₹1,64,50,000, on 145 screens, for a total India nett gross of ₹37,800,000 against a budget of ₹35,000,000. India gross was ₹6,40,00,000, overseas gross was $135,000, and worldwide gross was ₹6,89,61,250, with about 4,006,000 footfalls.[2](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2829) Bollywood Hungama's day-wise report gives the same India nett total of 37.8 million (3.78 crore) and lists the verdict as Flop.[11](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/english-babu-desi-mem/box-office/) In Box Office India's year-end ranking of 1996 releases, the film carries the verdict Flop.[12](https://boxofficeindia.com/hit-down.php?year=1996)
## Reception and legacy
The film has drawn low ratings on aggregate sites: IMDb shows 4.6/10 from about 3,000 users, and the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter stands at 37% from more than 500 audience ratings, with no critic reviews tallied on the Tomatometer.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/) • [13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/english_babu_desi_mem) IMDb trivia describes it as loosely based on the 1960 [Clark Gable](https://www.edgepedia.org/clark-gable) and [Sophia Loren](https://www.edgepedia.org/sophia-loren) film *It Started in Naples*, and lists it as a remake of that film.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/)
Reported runtimes differ by source: Box Office India lists 166 minutes, Apple TV lists 2 hours 36 minutes, and IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes list 2 hours 50 minutes.[2](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2829) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/english-babu-desi-mem/umc.cmc.3xsxci6kauln9yk43vd3g6f4o) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/)
The film remains available decades after release: it streams on Netflix and can be rented or bought on Apple TV, with [Red Chillies Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-chillies-entertainment) listed as the studio holding the current release.[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/english_babu_desi_mem) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/english-babu-desi-mem/umc.cmc.3xsxci6kauln9yk43vd3g6f4o)
## References
1. [English Babu Desi Mem, Red Chillies Entertainment](https://www.redchillies.com/movies/english-babu-desi-mem)
2. [English Babu Desi Mem, Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2829)
3. [English Babu Desi Mem, MUBI](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/english-babu-desi-mem)
4. [English Babu Desi Mem cast and crew, Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2829)
5. [English Babu Desi Mem (1996) Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/fullcredits/)
6. [English Babu Desi Mem (1996), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136153/)
7. [English Babu Desi Mem, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/english-babu-desi-mem/umc.cmc.3xsxci6kauln9yk43vd3g6f4o)
8. [English Babu Desi Mem (1996), Cinemaazi](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/film/english-babu-desi-mem)
9. [English Babu Desi Mem cast list, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/english-babu-desi-mem/cast/)
10. [Tips Catalogue, Novex](https://www.novex.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Tips-Catalogue.pdf)
11. [English Babu Desi Mem box office collection, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/english-babu-desi-mem/box-office/)
12. [Top Hits 1996, Box Office India](https://boxofficeindia.com/hit-down.php?year=1996)
13. [English Babu Desi Mem, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/english_babu_desi_mem)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 1990s › Romance and drama films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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