Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vidhu Vinod Chopra

• Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s ancestors are from Peshawar, British India (now Pakistan).

  

• He was an intelligent student in school. His father wanted him to become a doctor. He was even a national scholar in school. He also had a keen interest in various sports like cricket.

• He did not learn English till the age of 15. He started learning the English alphabet for the first time when he was 16 years old. ^[6]Telegraph India

• Vidhu Vinod was born to a poor family. Once, he even didn’t have Rs 5 to pay doctor’s fees. ^[7]Dainik Bhaskar

• In his teens, he developed an interest in films. His brother advised him to join FTII, Pune to learn more about filmmaking. His brother used to pay his fees of Rs 250 and even supported him financially, while he was studying there.

  

• During his first year in FTII, he was so afraid of ragging that he used to carry a knife with him to the FTII campus. He once shared that if somebody had ragged him there, he would have even killed his seniors with a knife. ^[8]The Times of India

• In an interview, he shared that he once thought of studying at the University of California, Los Angeles, but his financial condition was not good enough to pay the fees of that college. ^[9]The Times of India

• While studying at FTII, he met his first wife Renu Saluja (Indian film editor). However, their marriage ended in 1983, as Renu did not want to have a child.

• In 1976, Vidhu worked as a director in the Hindi-English short film ‘Murder at Monkey Hill.’

• He directed the Hindi documentary film ‘An Encounter with Faces’ in 1978.

• He has directed various Hindi films such as ‘Parinda’ (1989), ‘1942: A Love Story’ (1994), ‘Mission Kashmir’ (2000), ‘Shikara’ (2020), and ’12th Fail’ (2023).

  

• He denied the offer of an interview with the Indian film critic Anupama Chopra in 1989. Later, through her mother, Anupama approached Vidhu. They then started meeting often and soon, fell in love with each other. In an interview, he shared that he dedicated his directorial Hindi film ‘Kareeb’ to Anupama.

• In the 1983 Hindi film ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro,’ he made a small appearance.

• He has worked as a writer in many Hindi films like ‘Parinda’ (1989), ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ (2003), ‘Parineeta’ (2005), ‘3 Idiots’ (2009), ‘Shikara’ (2020), and ‘12th Fail’ (2023).

• He has produced a few Hindi films such as ‘1942: A Love Story’ (1994), ‘Mission Kashmir’ (2000), ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ (2003), ‘3 Idiots’ (2009), ‘Sanju’ (2018), and ‘12th Fail’ (2023).

• In 2005, he worked as a supervising editor in the Hindi film ‘Parineeta.’

• In the 2006 Hindi film ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai,’ he was an associate writer and lyricist too.

• As a screenplay associate, he worked in the Hindi film ‘3 Idiots’ in 2009.

• In 2015, he worked as a writer-director-producer in the English film ‘Broken Horses.’

• His mother’s last dream was that he make a film on the struggles of Kashmiri Pandit. In 2020, he directed the Hindi film ‘Shikara’ as a tribute to his mother. He was also the co-writer of the film.

• He co-wrote the book ‘Unscripted: Conversation on Life And Cinema’ in 2021.

• Apart from films, he has produced advertisements for a few brands like Lehar Pepsi.

• He also owns a merchandise clothing store named Creative Ideas.

  

• He often consumes alcoholic beverages at various parties and events. ^[10]The Economic Times

• He loves to travel to different places in his spare time.

  

• He loves animals and owns a few pet dogs.

  

• He does not use a few social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook.

• He has a good relationship with the Indian politician LK Advani. He once talked about his first meeting with Advani. He said,
  

  The first Rs 5000 I earned in my life was given to me by Mr LK Advani for the National Award. When I went on stage and they gave me the National Award and it was encashable after 8 years as it was a postal certificate. Then I made a lot of noise which I don’t want to go into but he was the I&B minister and he called me the next day to his office and gave me breakfast. Then he sent me to Gol Dak Khana in Delhi and I actually got my first Rs 5000 from him and that I will never ever forget.”

  

• At the time, he was nominated for Oscar, LK Advani helped him financially as Vidhu’s financial condition was not good at that time. Advani bought him an Air India ticket and $20 a day till his stay in the US. ^[11]The Times of India

• His work videos are uploaded on the YouTube channel of his production house.

  

• He once gifted Amitabh Bachchan a Rolls Royce worth Rs 4.5 crore. In an interview, he mentioned that he owned only a Maruti van at that time. He also claimed that his mother slapped him for gifting Amitabh a 4 crore car while he drove a Maruti.