Vidhu Vinod Chopra's father slapped him for wanting to be a director: 'Bhooka mar jaayega...'

The director-producer, known for films like Khamosh, Parinda, 1942: A Love Story, and Mission Kashmir, revealed at the IFP Festival that his father slapped him when he first mentioned wanting to make movies

Vidhu Vinod Chopra shared a story about how his father reacted when he said he wanted to become a filmmaker. The director-producer, known for films like Khamosh, Parinda, 1942: A Love Story, and Mission Kashmir, revealed at the IFP Festival that his father slapped him when he first mentioned wanting to make movies. Chopra explained that he had to work hard to get into FTII, where he learned filmmaking.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra on how his father's disapproval shaped his career

Vidhu Vinod Chopra said, “When I told my father in Kashmir, ‘Paaji, I want to make a film,’ he slapped me and said, ‘Bhooka mar jaayega Bombay mein. Kaise rahega? (You will die of starvation, how will you survive?)’. He couldn’t afford to send me anywhere so I thought about it, I struggled, I topped Kashmir University in Economics Honours, I am First Class First, so I could get Rs 250 as national scholarship from Government of India, which I got.”

“With that Rs 250 a month, I went to film school. Funny joke is, in 1979, when I was nominated for an Oscar, I told my father, ‘Paaji, meri picture nominate ho gayi hai. (My film has been nominated).’ He said, ‘Bahut acha ho gaya beta, kitne paise milenge? (That’s great news, how much money will you get?),” the director further added.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra on his life while learning filmmaking

Vidhu Vinod Chopra recently helmed 12th Fail. In an interview with Mid-Day, the filmmaker said, "There are a handful of honest people in the world, and this world is running because of them. The goodness in the world needs to be represented more. When I was an FTII [Film and Television Institute of India] graduate and had little money, I found farishtas who helped me out. The then I&B minister knew I was poor, so he put me on the Governing Council of film bodies. I used to get Rs 880 as airfare, and my then-wife Renu [Saluja] and I used to live on that money all month. I’d insist they put me on more committees, so that I could make more money. Once, a secretary told me, ‘Kya Vinod, paanch saal corrupt banke thode paise kama le.’ But I told him that if you turn corrupt even once in life, then it’s forever.”

Vidhu Vinod Chopra on Vikrant Massey

When you make such a personal story, it is crucial to find an actor who embodies the film’s spirit. To Chopra, Massey represented the integrity he was looking for. Recounting their first meeting, the filmmaker said in the same interview with Mid-Day, “When I asked him how he would play the 19-year-old, he sat on the ground in a child’s pose and started writing. We rehearsed together as a team for one year, and then shot for another year. This story is so important to me and Vikrant understood that.”

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