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Filmmaker and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra turned 73 today. In an old unpublished interview of his from 2003, he shared his views on mainstream Hindi cinema and more.
Birthday Boy Vidhu Vinod Chopra in an unpublished interview from 2003: “Lagaan is the only film I liked in recent years”
You seem the perennial outsider in Bollywood
I am. Look at the cinema we’re making! Tell me about the Hindi films in the last ten years that we can be proud of. When I need to be proud of Indian cinema, I go back to Guru Dutt, V. Shantaram, K Asif, Bimal Roy and the early Raj Kapoor. Look at the rubbish we’re making these days! Even the so-called crossover/multiplex cinema…. There isn’t a single film that I’d want to see. I hope the new lot of filmmakers make the films I’d want to see.
Didn’t you like Lagaan and Devdas?
No, I’ve great reservations about Devdas, though it’s made by someone very close to me. I did like Lagaan. It’s the only film I liked in recent years. But listen, go back in time. You’ll see Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor and Bimal Roy coming out with classics during the same year.
So, is Los Angeles your ultimate destination as a filmmaker?
My ultimate destination is to make great cinema. To an extent, I’ve done that already. I’m not setting distant goals for myself. During the last year, I was quite content focusing on my production Munnabhai MBBS. I’m so proud of this film. I want to make Move 5 in Hollywood. It’s the kind of subject I can’t make it in Mumbai. It’s about two people playing chess, one of them is dead. You get my point? Do you know what happened when I used the fadeout technique in Parinda? Many viewers thought there was a projection glitch. But I still love India too much to move away. At the age of 23, I had an option to live in LA when Parinda was nominated for an Oscar.
What did the Oscar mean to you at that age?
I was so arrogant. You’ll find none of my awards in my house. Awards mean nothing to me. I got so many for Parinda. The Golden Peacock for Parinda meant a lot because my father was alive to see me get it. I remember going the next day to a restaurant in Delhi and requesting my bill for tea and samosa to be written off because my photo was on the front page of a newspaper. I had no money! The only other award that meant something was the Filmfare Award for Best Director. My mother was sitting with me…. I was nominated alongside Yash Chopra for Chandni, Subhash Ghai for Ram Lakhan and Sooraj Barjatya for Maine Pyar Kiya. When they announced my name, I thought it was Yash Chopra. My mother told me it was me! I walked up to the stage with her.
What does money mean to you?
As a student of economics, I know the true value of money is only in its productive use. I’m using my earnings to produce the kind of films I believe in. I’ve never compromised in any of my films, be it 1942 (A Love Story) or Mission Kashmir.
But didn’t you have to restructure Hrithik Roshan’s role in Mission Kashmir after he became an overnight star?
I wouldn’t call that a compromise. When Hrithik became a success, I had to give him an introductory scene whereby the audience would know the hero had arrived. I had cast an actor. But he became a star with an image. And I had to do justice to his image. When I make Yagna with Amitabh Bachchan, he comes to me with the baggage of his image. Even if I work with Dustin Hoffman in Hollywood, I’ve to keep his image in mind. I hate compromises. Whether it’s Sanjay Bhansali or Raju Hirani, I don’t want anyone associated with me to make compromises.
How do you rate yourself as a human being?
I’ve a great opinion of myself. I must tell you what happened to me on a talk show recently... During the conversation, a guy walked up to me on camera. He looked familiar. When he said, “But for this man I’d be dead” I recalled how this guy was bleeding to death on a road after an accident. I had picked him up and took him to hospital. Then I returned to my set of 1942: A Love Story and forgot about the incident. Now, do you know why I’ve such a high opinion of myself? But do you know what’s the real tragedy of the human race? We get praised for something all of us should be doing by instinct.
Also Read: Vidhu Vinod Chopra on Parineeta: “Casting Vidya Balan was one of my best decisions”
More Pages: Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India Box Office Collection , Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India Movie Review
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