Last Update: February 11, 2023, 09:47 IST
Romantic director Smriti Mundhra explains why Aditya Chopra will never do an on-camera interview again. (Photos: Instagram)
Before The Romantics, Aditya Chopra last gave an interview to a print magazine in 1995.
The trailer for Netflix’s upcoming four-part docu-series The Romantics has caught the attention of those who grew up on a staple diet of Hindi films. Billed as a tribute to the legacy of late filmmaker Yash Chopra, Yash Raj Films (YRF) and his cultural influence on them India and Indians around the world for the past 50 years, it is directed by Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Smriti Mundhra of Indian Matchmaking and Never Have I Ever fame. For the series, he has interviewed 35 prominent personalities from the Hindi film industry who have worked closely with YRF, including actors Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Ranveer Singh, Rani Mukerji, Hrithik Illumination included. Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma and the late Rishi Kapoor.
But what has surprised and excited many is the fact that it featured filmmaker Aditya Chopra, the reclusive head of YRF, sharing insights into how YRF and its generation-defying stories have shaped Hindi cinema. do. The last time he gave an interview to a print magazine was in 1995 and over the past 27 years, he has preferred to stay away from the shutterbugs and not engage in media interactions.
In an exclusive chat with News18, Smriti reveals what made her get Aditya in front of the camera for The Romantics, a project that started in 2019. When I started the whole process, the studio told me I could have access to all the archives, talk to whoever I wanted and they wouldn’t interfere creatively because Romantic was my vision. I was free to do what I wanted to do and the only condition they put in front of me was that Aditya Chopra would not be available,” she laughs.
However, the director of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) was heavily invested in the making of The Romantics and was involved as he provided a deep understanding of the legacy YRF has built over the years. “Slowly we started talking. Initially, he was willing to talk off the record and give me the story of the studio and of course his father’s story and context for his journey. But then, a Day, I told him why don’t we just record the audio?” Shares memory.
The Los Angeles-based producer adds, “And later, I suggested that we should record it on video so that he could archive it. I also told him that I would not use the video. Eventually, I edited his interview.” And then when he saw it, it was clear that for a series that has a certain legacy and talks about his father’s life and work, it feels like something is missing if Aditya Chopra doesn’t talk. About it on the record.
Smriti, however, says that this is an exception and Aditya has no plans to appear before the media and in front of the camera again. “I don’t think he would ever do that again. But he was really kind. It was all because of his love and respect for his father. Ask him about his reaction to the docu-series and he comments, “He had seen it but hasn’t reacted much yet. But since I’m still sitting here talking about it, I think he liked it (laughs).
The Romantics is about to premiere Netflix On Valentine’s Day. But what makes this February 14 special is the fact that Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge – the longest running film in the history of Indian cinema and one of YRF’s most memorable and iconic productions – will be rerun across 37 cities across the country. Will be released , Talking about it, Smriti said, “I am very excited! In the West, we have retrospectives of certain filmmakers, the French New Wave and Japanese cinema. Similarly, for Yash Raj Films and Yash Chopra Films, the entire retrospective should be planned like a festival.
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