Both Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Amitabh Bachchan are stalwarts of the Hindi film industry. While there is no one that can beat Big B’s versatility, Vidhu Vinod Chopra is known for his hard-hitting films. The film-maker recently revealed that he had once turned down the opportunity to work with Amitabh Bachchan after he was offered a better prospect.
In a video that was shared by Zee Studios, Vidhu Vinod Chopra recalled the time when his National-award winning student film Murder at Monkey Hill was screened for Amitabh Bachchan by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The actor was so impressed that he wanted to work with Vidhu Vinod Chopra. He shared, “When he said that, I thought my struggle is over. He helped me get rid of my insecurity. I wrote something and I told him, ‘I don’t have money, give me ₹1200 or so.’ But he told me I must pay him as I am the writer, director. I told him that I had no money and he promised to think think about it.”
He added, “While he was thinking, I got a call from Doordarshan’s head and was tol ‘You do anything for us. I won’t you ask you any questions.’ I was being given ₹1500 for direction, ₹500 for dialogues, ₹500 for costumes – it was ₹4,500 all together. I was also offered a vehicle for commuting and I asked if I could get the car right away. I then sat in that white ambassador, and immediately went to see Amitabh in Mohan Studios. I told him that I got a better offer and won’t be working with him that film.”
When Amitabh Bachchan heard this news, he asked Vidhu, “You will not make a film with me, but you will make one for Doordarshan?”
To this, the film-maker shared that the channel told him that he ‘could do anything’, “Amitabh said, ‘Are you crazy? You can do anything with me as well.’ I said, ‘No, you are Amitabh Bachchan. You will say anything now and refuse later. What will happen to me then?’” stated Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
Renowned filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, celebrated for his critically acclaimed works like Parinda, 1942: A Love Story, and Mission Kashmir, made a highly anticipated return to the director’s chair after a three-year hiatus with the Vikrant Massey starrer 12th Fail.
12th Fail is based on Anurag Pathak’s best-selling novel, chronicling the incredible journeys of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma and IRS officer Shraddha Joshi. The film offers a glimpse into the lives of aspirants preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams. It goes beyond the confines of a single exam and encourages aspirants not to lose hope in the face of failure but to regroup and forge ahead.
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