Beta (film)

Beta is the story of how greediness overtakes family values, portrayed by Aruna Irani as Laxmi and Madhuri Dixit as Saraswati in key roles, followed by Raju (Anil Kapoor), as the only child of a widower multi-millionaire father.

After the death of his wife, the widower (Raju's father) looks for a woman who can provide his son with a mother's love. Raju's father believes he can accomplish this for his son by marrying Laxmi (Aruna Irani), thinking that she will care for Raju as her natural son. Unfortunately, the step-mother is cruel and cunning. Even though Raju becomes devoted to his stepmother, with love and respect does whatever she asks of him - she cunningly convinces Raju that he should always remain naïve and uneducated. As Raju grows older, his stepmother increasingly isolates his aging father from the family, overpowering him and considering him mentally incompetent, locked up in a room of the family home.

Raju meets Saraswati (Madhuri Dixit) at a local fair, and after some dating, they fall in love. Despite the villager's rumours that Saraswati is not chaste, Raju wishes to marry her. After the marriage, Saraswati lives in the extended family home as a good and happy wife but later discovers that her stepmother-in-law's love for Raju is a ruse to discredit Raju's father and that Laxmi has the family fortune diverted to Raju's half-brother (greed for a family fortune). A battle of wits between the stepmother and the stepdaughter-in-law ensues.

Laxmi sees that her influence over the family is challenged by Saraswati, who insists that Raju's father leave behind his prison and return to the family circle as there is nothing wrong with him. Whenever Saraswati tries to draw the attention of Raju of the intentions of his step-mother, Laxmi starts to abuse and embarrass Saraswati with all the family members present.

Not being able to bear embarrassment any longer, Saraswati is ready to leave, but then, to protect her husband from Laxmi's evil intentions, she decides to apologise to her mother-in-law. Saraswati then cleverly starts exposing Laxmi's every effort and intention in a dignified manner so that her husband will not be offended.

For example; The medical school degree of Raju's step-brother was bought rather than earned through studies. Saraswati also plans for Laxmi to slip and fall and get a fracture which will force her to remain bedridden, and Raju would serve her like a good "son". In this way, Laxmi never has a moment to plan her cunning schemes.

A few years later, Saraswati becoming pregnant, which prompts Laxmi to attempt to kill Raju's unborn child (who will inherit the wealth) with poison in saffron and milk. Saraswati, being wary and cautious of her mother in law's cruelty) discovers this scheme and informs her husband. Obviously, blinded by his mother, refuses to believe her accusations. Raju defends his step-mother and offers to prove that Saraswati is wrong by drinking the milk and then coughs up blood.

At this point, near death, Raju realises that indeed what Saraswati said is true about his step-mother's evil intentions. In his usual innocent manner, he asks the culprit the reason why, and told her that all she had to do (as his mother) was simply "ask" for the wealth — he would have happily agreed to give her all of it. He tells Laxmi that his wish to die in peace would be accomplished if she, to at least once without malice, call him "her son". His words so deeply touch Laxmi that she realises her cruelty has gone too far.

The film concludes with Raju slowly recovering, agreeing to give to his "stepmother" his worldly possessions, and leaving home with his wife and father and unborn child. At the last moment, Laxmi begs him not to leave and to prove her remorse she tears-up the legal papers and tells him that all she wants is nothing more than "her son".

• Anil Kapoor as Rajat "Raju" Verma
• Madhuri Dixit as Saraswati Verma
• Aruna Irani as Laxmi Devi
• Laxmikant Berde as Pandu
• Anupam Kher as Totaram
• Priya Arun as Champa
• Akash Khurana as Yogesh Verma
• Kunika as Kunika
• Adi Irani as Ramesh
• Bharati Achrekar as Mainavati

All songs sung by Anuradha Paudwal with male Co-singers The soundtrack of Beta was the second best selling album of the year.[4] Anand-Milind were nominated in the Filmfare, Best Music Directors category, but lost out to Nadeem-Shravan for Deewana. Anuradha Paudwal won her third consecutive Filmfare award for Best Female playback singer. Music directors Dilip Sen–Sameer Sen, Amar-Utpal and Naresh Sharma's compositions are included in the album but not in the film, nor are they credited in the film titles. Audio is available on T-Series.

38th Filmfare Awards

Won

• Best Actor – Anil Kapoor
• Best Actress – Madhuri Dixit
• Best Supporting Actress – Aruna Irani
• Best Female Singer – Anuradha Paudwal – "Dhak Dhak Karne Laga"
• Best Choreographer – Saroj Khan – "Dhak Dhak Karne Laga"

Nominated

• Best Film – Indra Kumar, Ashok Thakeria
• Best Director – Indra Kumar
• Best Performance in a Comic Role – Laxmikant Berde
• Best Music Director – Anand-Milind

The story line has been inspiration for various movies and has had various remakes in Indian film industry.

• Beta on IMDb