OPINIONCOMMENT

Published:January2,201601:13IST|Updated:January2,201601:13IST
January2,2016

Whileyouareentertaining,youcantsellyoursoul

SankhayanGhosh

AbhijatJoshiandVidhuVinodChoprainMumbai.Photo:ArunangsuRoyChowdhury

AmitabhBachchan

FarhanAkhtar
VidhuVinodChopraandAbhijatJoshiontheformulabehindtheEverymanappealoftheirmovies
AgypsywithhiskaleidoscopeentertainstwochildrensomewhereinthedesertsofRajasthan.Withtheirheadshuddledtogetheratoneendof
theinstrument,thechildrenseemtobelostintheinternalworldoftheboxlikemachinethathasstickersof90sBollywoodstarsonits
surface.Bangoppositethisphotograph,spreadlikeatwofoldmuralintheofficeofVinodChopraPvt.ltd.,isaquotebyJapaneseauteur

AkiraKurosawa,abouttheimportanceofcollaborationinfilmmaking.
Theimageandthequote,bothofwhichhereferstoduringtheinterview,couldbookendVidhuVinodChoprasideaofcinema,inspiredby
thecuttingedgeinnovationsinworldcinemabutrootedinthebasicjoyofmovingimages.
IcomefromalittlevillageinKashmirandImakemoviesthatIenjoy.IamacommonmanandIbelievethatgoodcinemaisforeverybody,
hesayswhilefinishinghisandarotibeforerushingtoanearbystudioforthesoundmixingofWazir,hislatestproduction.StarringAmitabh
BachchanandFarhanAkhtar,thefilmiswrittenbyChopraandAbhijatJoshi.Thelatterisbestknownforbeingthewritingpartnerof
RajkumarHiraniinLageRahoMunnaBhai(2006),3Idiots(2009)andPK(2014),allblockbusters.Thesefilms,whichwereproducedby
Chopra,werealsorareinstanceswherethebigbucksearnedwerenotaresultofmarketinggimmicksbuttheaudienceslove.
AlothasbeenwrittenabouttheHiraniJoshipartnershiportheChopraHiranipartnership,butlittlehasbeensaidaboutJoshiandChopra,
whogowaybacktoKareeb(1998).UnderChoprasbanner,theteamofthreehasbeenabletocreateitsownbrandofcinemaquality
mainstreamfilmsthatcutacrossclassandgeography.
Joshi,whocallsitChoprasthreecommandments,breaksdowntheformula.First,youshouldmakeamovieforyourselftherewillbeat
leastonepersonwholovesit.Butonemustentertain.Youcanhaveacomplexthemebutyouhavetopresentitinanentertainingway.
Second,whileyouareentertaining,youcantsellyoursoul.Youcantthinkintermsofwhatthepeoplelikeanddontlike,itisimpossibleto
secondguesslikethat,hesays.Third,makeeveryfilmasifitsyourlast.Youcantmakeonefilmformoney,thinkingyoullmakeyour
masterpieceinthenextone.Andmakesureitrecoversitsmoneysothatyoucanmakeyournext.
JoshiandChoprahavepreviouslysharedcreditsasscreenwritersintheChopradirectedMissionKashmir(2000),Eklavya:TheRoyal
Guard(2007)andtherecentEnglishfilm,BrokenHorses(2015).
ButWazirdatesbacktoatimeevenbeforethebeginningoftheirfriendship.Choprawrotethefirstdraftafterhereadaboutthescandalous
murdercaseofthebadmintonstar,SyedModi.HereviveditwithJoshifrom2000to2004,theydevelopeditforaHollywoodfilmwith
WarnerBrotherscalledFifthMovestarringDustinHoffman.Buttheprojectgotshelvedwiththedeathofoneoftheproducers.So,another
twoyearswerespentinfinetuningthescriptforaHindifilm.JoshiandChoprahavewritten,rewrittenandeditedWazir.Theresult,they
promise,isasmooth99minutefilmabouttheunlikelyfriendshipforgedbetweenaretiredchessmaster(Bachchan)andanAntiTerrorism
Squadofficer(Akhtar)overthegameofchess.
Tome,itislikeRakeshMariaandViswanathanAnandplayingchess.WemadeitmoreoperaticthantheEnglishone.Inthatsenseitsalong
thelinesofParinda,Choprasays,evenasheacknowledgesthehugetonaldifferencebetweenthetwofilms.Whilethe1989cultgangster
filmstarringNanaPatekar,AnilKapoorandJackieShroffadheredtoastyleofmelodramathatwasrelevanttothe80s,Wazirfeaturesthe
consistentlyunderstatedAkhtar.ItalsohasBejoyNambiarasthedirector,astylishfilmmakerknownforhisedgy,indiesensibilities.Ijust
sawa20minutetrack,theblackandwhiteportionofDavid[2013],andIsaidIwanttoworkwiththisguy.Therestwasrubbishbutthat
portionwasamazing,saysChopra.
AtoweringfigureinHindicinema,ChoprahasmadememorablefilmssuchasKhamosh(1985),Parinda,1942:ALoveStory(1994).Over
theyears,afteraslewofnotsosuccessfulfilmsasadirector,Choprastruckgoldasaproducerwithaknackforbackingtherightpeople.For
instance,heproducedPradeepSarkarsParineeta(2005).ButwhatpaidoffthemostwaschampioninganunderdogfilmsuchasMunna
BhaiM.B.B.S.(2003).
WhenIseetalent,Ijustgetdrawntoit,Choprasays.In1994,whenhesawAShaftofSunlight,aplayaboutHinduMuslimconflictinpost
riothitAhmedabad,inatheatreinBirmingham,helefthisvisitingcardfortheplaywright.ItbecameJoshistickettoBollywood.Fromafull
timeprofessorofEnglishatOtterbeinUniversityinWesterville,Ohio,andasmalltimeplaywright,Joshihasbecomeoneoftheforces
behindthemostsuccessfulmoviesinHindifilmhistory.
HiraniandJoshiareknowntotakelongwalksinordertohaveacrackattheirscripts.WhatisChopraandJoshiswritingprocesslike?I
dontknowwhereheendsandIbegin.Thelikemindednessiscritical.Themostimportantthingiswhetheryouareworkingwithsomeone
whosonthesamepage,saysChopra,whohasalsowrittenthelyricsofoneofthefilmssongs,TereBin.
WhatthetwoalsoshareisacommonloveforthelanguageofHindicinema,withallitsdramaandsongs.Ihaveaproblemwiththeterm
commercialcinema.ItsnotthatIhavesomeotherfilminmyheadandendingupmakingsomethingelse.Thisisthekindofcinemawelove
watching.Thedrama,laughter,andemotionareessential.Ifinditbizarrewhentheymakeanonlinearnarrativeforthesakeofstyle,says
Joshi.
Butafterhavingspentover30yearsmakingmovies,Chopra,oflate,hasshuthimselfoutfromthebanalityofBollywoodquiteliterallythe
windowsofhisofficeroomaredoubleglassed.HeonlywatchesHindifilmsthathiswifeandfilmcriticAnupamaChoprarecommends.I
watchedMasaanandIenjoyedit.SometimesIgobacktothefilmsofRitwikGhatak,myguru.JustyesterdayIwaswatchingGladiator,says
theFilmandTelevisionInstituteofIndiagraduate.
ButhesoundsdisappointedbyHindicinemasrefusaltoevolve.IfyouaskmewhatisterribleaboutHindifilms,itsthemediocrity,the
artificiality.Itsnotrealyoulookatitandyouaskyourself,whatisitthatyouarewatching?Youcantconnect.AtleastIcant.
sankhayan.ghosh@thehindu.co.in
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