The maverick movie director, Vidhu Vinod
Chopra was in fine form in the Masterclass series
as he and Shatanu Moitra exchanged anecdotes
and experiences during his film career. In very
good humor, Vidhu talked about the various
zero moments in his life. His first was when he
was still in Kashmir. His relative came visiting
from Mumbai who was associated with the film
industry and he promised to connect him
with Vijay Anand also known as Goldie.
Vidhu would go to check the post box
everyday after that but no letter or phone
call came. That memory stayed with him and
remains fresh in his mind.
Another moment was when he made the
movie, ‘Khamosh’ which everyone loved but
no one brought. Vinod met with the owner of
Regal Cinema who then offered to give him the
theatre for two weeks on a profit sharing basis.
The first show was empty with just him and his
then wife and a crew member being present.
At the break, he was frustrated and went to the
washroom. There, he met three men, one of
whom asked him if he had made the film. Vidhu
ignored him but he persisted and asked him and
said the night show was houseful. The three
men had purchased all the tickets for the show
and would sell them in black outside the theatre.
Vidhu said the theatre was empty but the tickets
were all sold out. That was another moment that
stood with him.
Vidhu has made several big movies and has
led a very interesting life. His fights with stars are
legendary and his encounter with Naseerudin
Shah is legendary. They had an argument over
the interpretation of a role and Naseer walked
out in a huff saying, “If you are a great actor then
make Jackie Shroff act.” Vidhu said dealing with
Jackie had its own challenges as Jackie would
leave everything to the director. Jackie could not
act without a mark and would continuously miss
it during the shoot. The first shot Vidhu advised
his crew to keep a mark that left Jackie fuming.
Anil Kapoor who also starred in the movie
brought him back to the set after he stormed
out. Vidhu told him he could stand wherever
he wanted. This got Jackie thinking and he said
he would stand next to the window and dream
about his brother, Anil. Vidhu said that was the
start of Jackie fow which he won the National
award for acting in Parinda. Vidhu said it was
important to follow the three “E’s” while making
a movie. It should entertain, educate and elevate
the audience. If that he said was achieved then
the movie was good. He made movies with his
heart and it was not important for a filmmaker to
understand the business.