Abhijat Joshi joins his 30-year collaborator for a wildly entertaining, unscripted masterclass that had the IFFI audience laughing, cheering, and tearing up.
At the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), legendary filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra didn’t just talk — he performed. He sang, enacted scenes, relived his early struggles, and turned his session with long-time collaborator Abhijat Joshi into a full-blown show. What was meant to be a simple conversation titled “Unscripted – The Art and Emotion of Filmmaking” quickly turned into one of IFFI’s most memorable moments — a mix of nostalgia, humour, raw emotion, and priceless Bollywood anecdotes.
For over 30 years, Chopra and Joshi have created modern Hindi cinema milestones like Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots, and the recent sleeper hit 12th Fail. But seeing them banter live on stage at Goa’s Kala Academy was pure cinematic magic.
A 73-Year-Old Filmmaker Who Performs Like a Newcomer
Chopra, now 73, didn’t just speak — he acted out scenes from his life. He even broke into song, sending the packed auditorium into applause. One moment that left the audience speechless was when he recreated the madness of preparing for his first-ever Oscar trip in 1979.
Back then, his documentary An Encounter With Faces had been nominated, but the director didn’t even have a visa or a valid passport. “I enacted the whole thing — how I begged, pleaded, and somehow got that visa,” Chopra said, laughing at his younger self. The audience, of course, loved every second of it.
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“Every Film Is Who I Am At That Moment” — Chopra Gets Candid
In a rare, introspective moment, Chopra described how his filmmaking style has evolved over five decades.
- “I was angry when I made Parinda,” he said.
- “You can see that anger in the violence of the film.”
Now calmer with age, Chopra says he reflects what he feels in each phase of life. That internal shift birthed 12th Fail.
“12th Fail was my reaction to the corruption around me. I wanted to say, ‘Let’s try being honest.’ If even 1% of the system changes, my job is done.”
It’s the kind of raw honesty that explains why the film touched millions.
The Emotional Return of ‘1942: A Love Story’ in 8K
One of the biggest IFFI highlights was the screening of the 8K restored version of Chopra’s 1994 classic 1942: A Love Story. Watching his own film in ultra-high resolution moved him deeply.
“I saw it in 8K for the first time. The colors, the sound — it made me emotional,” he admitted.
“I made that film because I was in love with the woman I married. That love shows in the movie.”
He added that he could never make that film again. Not because he couldn’t, but because he no longer inhabits that emotional space.
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A Filmmaker Obsessed With Detail — And Wild Stories
Chopra also revealed how intensely he prepares for emotional beats and visual moments. The audience got a taste of his trademark madness when he shared the story behind Manisha Koirala’s iconic shot from 1942 — the one where she runs as birds fly overhead.
There was no CGI in 1994.
So what did Chopra’s team do?
They scattered breadcrumbs across an entire mountaintop the night before, hoping that real birds would flock at sunrise.
It worked.
The theatre erupted at this revelation.
And then came the Jackie Shroff incident — the kind of Bollywood-on-Bollywood comedy that fans live for.
While visiting Chopra during 1942 prep, Shroff accidentally walked into the wrong apartment, woke up a sleeping woman, and handed her flowers meant for the director.
The woman believed she had dreamt the whole thing — until she told the entire building the next morning.
Only at an IFFI session could stories like these exist.
Why Chopra Refuses Sequels — Even Losing Crores
Abhijat Joshi revealed a long-guarded secret: for years, Chopra has been offered gigantic amounts of money to make sequels to 3 Idiots or Munna Bhai.
He refused.
Not because he’s stubborn, but because he’s waiting for the right story.
“Always make the film you believe in,” Chopra said.
“Stand by it. The journey is hard, but worth it.”
At a time when Bollywood is drowning in remakes, franchises, and spin-offs, that purity of intent is rare.
The ‘1942’ Team Reunites for an Emotional Finale
As the session neared its finale, two surprise guests joined Chopra and Joshi on stage:
- Kamna Chandra, writer of 1942: A Love Story
- Yogesh Ishwar, producer of the film’s new 8K restoration
Ishwar revealed how the restoration team spent months in Italy cleaning the film frame by frame, colour-correcting every sequence and remastering the sound—so the movie could finally look like the version Chopra dreamed of 30 years ago.
It was a powerful emotional moment — the past meeting the present, restored in all its cinematic beauty.
A Masterclass That Became a Performance
What could have been a simple talk turned into a moving, funny, unfiltered look inside the mind of one of Indian cinema’s most important filmmakers. Chopra wasn’t there to impress; he was there to remember, relive and revel in the madness that shaped him.
By the end, the audience didn’t just learn filmmaking.
They saw the filmmaker.
And Vidhu Vinod Chopra, at 73, proved he still knows how to command a stage — whether with a film or a story or just a song from the heart.
Note: For optimal viewing on mobile devices, rotate the screen.
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