as Vikram Sinha Pramod Moutho as Prabhakar Sinha Smita Jaykar as Mother Superior Anil Nagrath as Magistrate Sanjay Dutt as Gafoor / Rajit Rai a.k.a. Raju Chacha (special appearance) Kaivalya Chheda as Daddu, Pramod's son Production Manisha Koirala was signed for the lead role, but opted out due to her commitments to other films. The producer, Ajay Devgn then approached Sunny Deol to play a special appearance as the real Raju Chacha in the film, but Deol was busy with his other projects so Devgn decided to scrap the role from the film. Then, Devgn asked his wife Kajol to play the lead role of Anna for which she agreed. Anil Devgan was signed in to direct the film, thus making his debut as a director. The film's visual effects were provided by Pentamedia Graphics. Release Raju Chacha premiered at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' theatres in the United States on 28 December 2000 and was released worldwide on the next day. Critical reception The film received mixed reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated the film 3/5, stating,"Both Ajay Devgan and Kajol are seasoned performers and they don't disappoint you one bit. Ajay impresses more in the second half, while Kajol is, like always, more comfortable in dramatic scenes. However, Ajay looks dull in some portions, mainly because he has lost weight. Rishi Kapoor is just about okay. Sanjay Dutt's introduction startles the viewer, but his scenes could've been much more impactful. The kids are confident and camera-friendly." Rediff stated that, "Kajol and Ajay Devgan have perfected the deep-sighing-and-yearning-in-the-eyes look. But their love story has no layers nor dimensions. One can feel the chemistry brewing but, alas, all we get is a faint and unsatisfying whiff of it". Box Office The film grossed ₹209.2 million worldwide against a budget of ₹250 million, and was declared as a "Disaster" by Box Office India. Awards Star Screen Awards Won Best Special Effects Nominated Best Action Director - Jaisingh Nijjar Best Art Direction - Nitin Chandrakant Desai Music The soundtrack of the film contains 7 songs. The music is composed by Jatin–Lalit, with lyrics authored by Anand Bakshi. References External links Ajay Devgn 2000 films 2000s Hindi-language films Films scored by Jatin–Lalit Films shot in Ooty Indian children's films Indian comedy-drama films Nuns in fiction Films with screenplays by Robin Bhatt Indian films with live action and