Does Aditya Chopra actually exist? He does, friends. He does. I have actually met him, albeit briefly and when he was told I was a journalist he fled , literally ran away.
Such are the dream encounters that make life worth living.
If the truth be told, I was far closer to Aditya’s father, the great Yash Chopra who was rightly very proud of his elder son. Yashji loved people. He loved meeting them. Whenever he came to know I am in Mumbai he cleared his appointments and made space for me.
During one of our meeting dear Yashji spoke about his sons. “My younger son Udit is the people’s person. He loves to go out , party,meet friends. My elder son Aditya is a complete recluse. Earlier I used to tell him to go out and meet friends. But he preferred to be home, writing films. When he came to me with Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge I was bowled over. I was so proud of Adi. I told him, ‘Beta do what you want to. Take whatever you like. Just make the film’. How was I to know it would become the biggest moneyspinner in the history of Yash Raj Films?! The film ran and ran and ran and is still running. I had never seen so much revenue before.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell Yashji that I didn’t think much of DDLJ. I know that sounds awful to those who consider it the last stopover for romantic films. But I found the premise to be trite . Though the lead pair Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol were wildly compatible , Kajol was way too loud and screechy.
Then came Mohabbatein which was three-and-a-half-hours of sheer slog.
No, I preferred Aditya Chopra’s third film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. An outlandish premise of a boring husband who turns into a cheesy loverboy to win over his wife, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi showed Aditya’s love for Satyajit Ray . In beginning of the film Shah Rukh steps in to marry bride Anushka Sharma whose bridegroom has died suddenly. This prelude owes its allegiance to Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar.
Not many know this. But Aditya Chopra is an avid movie buff. He watches films from all over the world. Until recently , pre-pandemic, he watched every Hindi film in the theatre on the Friday of its opening. Sometimes keen fellow-spectators would recognize him. Adi would pretend to be someone else. Just like Shah Rukh in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.
We haven’t seen him direct a truly outstanding film since… well since forever. Mohabbatein had come five years after DDLJ. And Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi came eight years after Mohabbatein. Aditya Chopra’s last director was the execrable Befikre in 2016.
He needs to come out of his shell, meet people other than those who work with him. Maybe he can’t be as gregarious as his wife Rani Mukerjee. But at least he should stop fleeing from company.
After the unparalleled success of Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, his proud father couldn’t stop preening.
Yashji confided in me, “I had never seen so much money before! Log pagal nahin hain jo roz DDLJ dekhne jaate hain. Adi ne dil se banayee yeh picture. When it completed 200 weeks I thought we had had our innings. But DDLJ kept growing. Now after 500 weeks the general-manager of Maratha Mandir tells me it can easily go on for six more months. It still goes houseful during weekends! Aditya was only 23 when he made DDLJ. I still remember the first time when he narrated the story to me. I had tears in my eyes for two reasons. Firstly, it was because my son had written it. And secondly because it was such a heartwarming story. I knew it was going to be a hit film. But to this extent?! Never. It touched a chord in Indians all over the world. It prompted them to go back to their country, traditions and roots. DDLJ was the first romance where the boy takes the girl away only with the parents’ consent. The whole process of winning over the girl’s family was unique.”
Proud father Yash Chopra was happy to hand over the mantel to Adi. He told me, “Adi handles the creative side of our productions. I handle the financial aspect. When Aditya or I make a film then we discuss everything in detail. But a film like Dhoom is orchestrated entirely by him. Being a romantic film Hum Tum wasn’t so costly. But Dhoom being an action film was very expensive.”
Today Aditya Chopra is in an enviable position. He sits on a film empire known to give the entertainment industry startling new talent and super-successful films. I don’t know what Adi will direct next. Lekin ek bio-pic on Yashji toh banta hai, boss. Preferably starring SRK as Yash Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor as Adi Chopra. Alia can play Rani.
