Raju Chacha

Raju Chacha (transl. Uncle Raju) is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language action-comedy film directed by Anil Devgan and produced by his cousin Ajay Devgn, debuting as a film producer under his banner Ajay Devgn FFilms (now Devgn Films). The film stars Ajay, Kajol and Rishi Kapoor, along with Sanjay Dutt in a special appearance. Raju Chacha was released theatrically on 29 December 2000 in India, whereas on 28 December 2000 (1 day before) in the United States. Reports suggest that Manisha Koirala was originally considered for the female lead in Raju Chacha, but she stepped away due to prior commitments. Subsequently, Ajay Devgn invited Kajol to join the project. The film tells the story of Shekhar (Devgn), a con artist who falls in love with Anna (Kajol), the governess of three children belonging to the wealthy widower Siddhant Rai (Kapoor). When Siddhant dies, his children are placed under the custody of their scheming relatives. Shekhar returns into their lives, posing as Rajit Rai, the long lost brother of Siddhant to save the three children and their fortune. With a budget of ₹250 million the film was one of the most anticipated films of the year. Upon release, the film received mixed reviews from critics, praising Devgn and Kapoor's performance and visual effects, but criticism for its slow pacing, screenplay and runtime. At the box office, the film failed to recoup its budget, grossing only ₹209.2 million worldwide It was the most expensive Indian film made until then.