This cultural and cinematic transplant is the film’s greatest risk. It is self-aware—Vijju directly references Bachchan’s old hits ( Zanjeer , Deewar , Don ) and famously quips, “Main aaj bhi phenkta hoon patthar” (I still throw stones). However, the film lacks the gritty, urban angst of those 70s classics. Instead, it offers a cartoonish, larger-than-life version of that anger, which can feel either thrillingly postmodern or frustratingly hollow.

The story is deliberately simple. Bachchan plays Vijju, a 60-year-old, chain-smoking, wise-cracking former gangster now living in Paris. When a young Indian couple (played by Hema Malini’s real-life daughter, Esha Deol, and an earnest Sonu Sood) face threats from an international crime lord (Prakash Raj), Vijju steps in. But the plot is merely a clothesline. The film’s true purpose is to hang its star’s legendary status on full display—complete with growling monologues, slow-motion entrances, and a moral compass that operates on street justice.

Watch it not for the story, but for the spectacle of Amitabh Bachchan, in his late 60s, walking into a room, lighting a cigarette, and reminding everyone why, for decades, he was the undisputed sheriff of Indian popular cinema. It’s a strange, loud, and defiant roar—a Buddha who still fights like a devil.

Yet, in retrospect, Buddha Hoga Tera Baap is a fascinating artifact. It arrived at a time when Bollywood was unsure how to use its aging superstars. Unlike the dignified patriarch roles Bachchan would later play in Piku or Pink , this film allowed him to be aggressive, sexual (in a suggestive, leery way), and physically dominant. It is a flawed, messy, and deeply fascinating failure—a film that tries to deconstruct the Angry Young Man by turning him into a meme before memes were mainstream.

Is Buddha Hoga Tera Baap a good movie? By traditional metrics—no. The screenplay is thin, the action is absurd, and the tonal shifts are jarring. But as a performative piece of meta-cinema, a love letter from a Telugu action director to a Hindi screen god, it is unforgettable.

Critics were sharply divided. Some praised the film’s audacity and Bachchan’s sheer presence, calling it a fun, no-holds-barred tribute. Most, however, panned it for its weak script, excessive loudness, and the strange mismatch between Puri’s Telugu-style direction and Hindi sensibilities. The film was a commercial failure, grossing significantly less than its budget.