Welcome to Episode 11 of the Khandaan Podcast and 1999’s Hum Saath Saath Hain, Sooraj Barjatya’s follow-up to his game-changing Bollywood classic, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun... Starring Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, and Mohnish Behl alongside the regular Rajshri cast of Reema Lagoo as Maa, Alok Nath as Babuji, Shakti Kapoor as lower income (Muslim) dost, and other assorted stereotypes, this film was the biggest hit of the year when it came out. Together, the reunited trio of Asim, Sujoy and Amrita investigate whether it has held up or indeed, if there is anything to hold up at all. A remake of the Ramayana, this movie isn’t short on homilies on the ideal family – and it is an orgy of patriarchy upheld by traditional gender roles interrupted by mediocre songs laboriously staged for minutes on end. Others have brilliantly lampooned the cultural aspects of this film already, so we kept our discussion to the film itself. HSSH provides many a LOL, none of them intentional. It is not a film we would recommend to anyone, not even budding Salman Khan fans. Our audience might disagree – and we read out a few responses from our listeners on why they chose this movie. The three of us also discuss exciting trailers for upcoming movies (Bhavesh Joshi, Veere di Wedding, and the Madhuri Dixit-starrer Bucket List) and defend Sujoy’s honor on the internet. Note: The Khandaan podcast is an interactive experience! Please click here to vote for the next movie you think we should feature.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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