Gharwali Baharwali (translation: Wife and Mistress) is a 1998 Indian comedy drama film directed by David Dhawan and produced by Tutu Sharma. It stars Anil Kapoor, Raveena Tandon and Rambha in pivotal roles. The film is a remake of the Tamil film Thaikulame Thaikulame (1995) .
The plot revolves around Arun (Anil Kapoor), a married man who is unable to conceive a child with his wife Kaajal (Raveena Tandon) due to her infertility. His father Hiralal (Kader Khan) wants a grandchild and urges Arun to remarry, but Arun refuses. On a trip to Nepal, Arun is tricked by his friend Jumbo (Satish Kaushik) into marrying Manisha (Rambha), a local girl who is pregnant with his child. Arun returns to India and adopts his own son Rinku with Kaajal, while keeping Manisha as a secret second wife. Hilarity ensues as Arun tries to balance his two marriages and keep his father and wife happy.
The film is a typical David Dhawan comedy, full of slapstick humor, witty dialogues and hilarious situations. The film also features a special appearance by Madhuri Dixit in a song sequence. The music of the film is composed by Anu Malik, who delivers some catchy tunes like "Tara Rara Tara Rara" and "Ek Taraf Hai Gharwali". The film was a moderate success at the box office, earning Rs 11.65 crore . The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the lead actors but criticized the plot for being illogical and insensitive .
Gharwali Baharwali is a film that can be enjoyed as a light-hearted comedy, without expecting much logic or realism. The film explores the theme of infertility and polygamy in a humorous way, without being preachy or judgmental. The film also showcases the culture and beauty of Nepal, where some of the scenes were shot. The film is available for streaming on various platforms like Netflix, Hotstar and Hooq .