BollyParty

It’s been a low phase for the Yash Chopra camp recently – both Tashan and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic haven’t done well. But Chopra takes it in his stride. “If my films aren’t doing well, there must be something wrong with them,” he says. “But we all learn from our mistakes, don’t we?” he smiles. That’s quite a brave admission from a man who’s been in the business for decades – “49 years”, to be exact – and who was in town recently to receive the Officier de la Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest civilian honour, from the French ambassador. Chopra admits that things have not been working in their favour, but also says that experiments like Chak De! India and Dhoom were well-received. “Like everyone else, we also like to experiment. Sometimes it works, like Chak De… India and Dhoom , and sometimes it doesn’t.”

That, however, is no reason to slow down. “We have to learn and then move on,” says Chopra, firmly. And so, after four years, he is going to direct his next movie. “The praise I got for Veer Zaara was overwhelming. I will start my next directorial venture in February or March next year,” he says, not wanting to reveal more. Not only does he have this let’s-get-on-with-it attitude, he also likes to move with the times. “Since corporates have entered the film industry, finances have not been an issue, and now, we are going great guns even when it comes to technology. However, the one thing we lack is good scriptwriters. The Indian audience today is too intelligent to be fooled by just glitzy packaging. I strongly feel that films are made by stories and not by stars, technicians, directors or producers. And that is why this blind spot in Indian cinema needs to be overcome soon,” he avers.

But his whole journey, he says, has been great, and he had never imagined that it would be like that. “I always knew the journey would be long and tough, but never had I imagined that I would be awarded for it from time to time!” he laughs. “It has been a beautiful experience. But if not for my brother BR Chopra, I would not have been here talking to you. From a boy in Jalandhar who would run around barefoot, to being acknowledged for whatever little I have done, humbles me.”