The 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa hosted a memorable ‘In Conversation’ session titled ‘Unscripted – The Art and Emotion of Filmmaking,’ where acclaimed filmmaker and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra engaged in a candid discussion with screenwriter Abhijat Joshi. The session, held on November 22, offered a mix of deep artistic reflection, behind-the-scenes wisdom, and uproarious personal anecdotes, captivating the audience like a blockbuster opening.
The conversation, initiated by Abhijat Joshi—who first met Chopra on a vivid November day that led to collaborations like ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ and ‘3 Idiots’—explored the evolution of Chopra’s directorial style from ‘Parinda’ to the National Award-winning ‘12th Fail’.
Chopra’s response was insightful and raw, stating, “Every film reflects who I am at that point.” He confessed that he was “angry when I made ‘Parinda’,” a violence he said is visible in the movie, contrasting it with his current calmer state. His recent success, ‘12th Fail’, he explained, was a direct response to witnessing corruption, serving as his way of saying, “let’s be honest for a change.” He added that successfully changing “even one percent of the bureaucracy, that’s enough.” Reflecting on his restored 8K version of ‘1942: A Love Story’, he noted he wouldn’t make such a film today as he is no longer the same person.
Joshi affirmed that Chopra’s core strength is his unwavering loyalty to his own conviction, stating he “never cares about a film’s commercial fate, he values only its artistic fate.”
Chopra passionately discussed the preparation, vision, and pursuit of visual truth in filmmaking. He vividly recalled the challenging process behind a famous shot from ‘1942: A Love Story’, where he insisted on real birds flying across a mountain ridge, a feat achieved by the crew scattering breadcrumbs. Seeing the restored 8K version of that scene, he simply described it as “joy.”
The session was peppered with hilarious, nostalgic memories:
- He recounted writing ‘Khamosh’ in a small one-room flat, shouting dialogues and “cut, cut!” from the rooftop, which terrified his neighbors.
- A favorite crowd anecdote involved actor Jackie Shroff accidentally walking into the wrong apartment during rehearsals for ‘Parinda’, startling a woman but leaving her flowers, which led her to believe “she dreamt Jackie Shroff visited her.”
Chopra also detailed his fierce determination to collaborate with music composer R.D. Burman for ‘1942: A Love Story’, despite industry skepticism that Burman’s time was over. After bluntly rejecting Burman’s initial tunes as “bullshit” and demanding “the soul of S.D. Burman,” the composer eventually created the masterpiece ‘Kuch Na Kaho’. Chopra sang the melody on stage, joking, “This song exists because I said that one word.”
He revisited his famous National Award story, humorously recreating his argument with L.K. Advani over receiving an eight-year postal bond instead of the expected Rs. 4,000 in cash, leaving the hall roaring.
In a heartwarming moment, Kamna Chandra, the 92-year-old writer of ‘1942: A Love Story’ and Chopra’s mother-in-law, joined the stage. She spoke of her effort in crafting each dialogue and the emotional satisfaction of watching the restored version, feeling, “I’ve done something in life.” Producer Yogesh Ishwar elaborated on the meticulous 8K restoration process in Italy, cleaning the film frame by frame and remastering the sound, which Chopra confirmed “looks exactly like what I had imagined.”
Key Highlights:
- Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra engaged in a candid session at IFFI, explaining that his films, from the angry ‘Parinda’ to the calmer, anti-corruption message of ‘12th Fail’, are reflections of his current state of mind and convictions.
- He shared various nostalgic anecdotes, including his challenging collaboration with R.D. Burman for ‘1942: A Love Story’ (which produced the song ‘Kuch Na Kaho’) and a humorous story about Jackie Shroff accidentally walking into the wrong apartment during rehearsals.
- Chopra emphasized his dedication to artistic fate over commercial success and the pursuit of visual truth, recalling the meticulous effort to use real birds in a key scene from ‘1942: A Love Story’.
- The session also featured his mother-in-law, 92-year-old writer Kamna Chandra, and producer Yogesh Ishwar, who detailed the successful, frame-by-frame 8K restoration of ‘1942: A Love Story’.