Vidhu Vinod Chopra: Don’t Make Films With Audience in Mind
“I AM LITTLE BIT LIKE RANCHO FROM 3 IDIOTS. WHAT DRIVES ME IS EXCELLENCE AND CHALLENGE, NOT MONEY,” SAID VIDHU VINOD CHOPRA
Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra has explored the uncharted territory of English movies with Broken Horses and he says he is not worried about getting an audience for the film.
The 62-year-old director-producer, who has produced blockbusters like Munnabhai series, 3 Idiots and PK, said he made the film as he took it as a challenge and the thought of minting money never crossed his mind.
“It is a huge challenge. I don’t make a film keeping the audience in mind. If I do that, then it means I am making money for me. Then I could have probably have made a 4 Idiots because my audience is ready and I would have made another 200 crores. That has never driven me. I am little bit like Rancho from 3 Idiots. What drives me is excellence and challenge, not money,” Mr Chopra told PTI.
Broken Horses, starring Vincent D’Onofrio, Anton Yelchin Chris Marquette, among others is set to hit theatres on April 10. Even before its release,Broken Horses has garnered widespread acclaim.
Mr Chopra said he finds all the accolades over whelming.
“It is actually unbelievable. It began in New York, I got a standing ovation. I had a screening in LA. Then I went to London. Then I came to India and they took me to Bangalore where people said it was not a movie but a revolution. It is all very over whelming,” he said.
Mr Chopra said another reason he took up the difficult task of directing an American film was because he wanted to show Hollywood that even Indian filmmakers are capable of making films beyond the usual song and dance routine.
“That was a huge point I wanted to make. Bollywood is looked down upon by Hollywood, whether you like it or not.
They think we do over-the-top, song and dance. They think we can’t do what they do. I wanted to show them that we can do something as good as them, if not better. That is what I was seeking,” Mr Chopra said.
The filmmaker said he is currently busy writing and is also in talks with some major Hollywood studios.
“I take time to write. I am writing Hindi and I am writing English. There are some major studios who have shown interest in me. There is also a gentleman here who has written a book and I want to see if we can make a script out of it,” he said.
