BizAsia talks to Vidhu Vinod Chopra about ‘Broken Horses’

It is the first time an Indian filmmaker is taking his skills to Hollywood and this is what makes the forthcoming film ‘Broken Horses’ all the more interesting. Vidhu Vinod Chopra has given his heart to the film and is presenting it to a Hollywood audience. It should be a somewhat proud moment for any filmmaker but coming from a cinema with different sentiment, it is an even bigger deal.

BizAsia caught up with Chopra to talk about the film and his journey from an industry he knows well to a space that no other Indian filmmaker has gone to as yet.

I know you are recovering from swine flu or have recovered, are you ok now?

I am absolutely ok. I am 100% ok. I�۪m actually travelling tomorrow to USA. I�۪m absolutely fine, thank you so much for that.

After a very long gap you�۪ve returned to directing and that too with a Hollywood film. Why has there been such a long gap?

You know, actually, I�۪ve always taken gaps. Not just this time because even ��Ek Lavya�۪ (2007) was like six to seven years, after ��Parinda�۪ (1989) also I took a gap. This gap was also because of two things, we wrote ��3 Idiots�۪ (2009), ��3 Idiots�۪ got released and then I was writing this one and then ��PK�۪ (2014) came in between. So really speaking because those films also I�۪m involved, creatively they took a lot of my time but I have never been in a hurry to direct a movie, or even for that matter write and produce. As you know ��PK�۪ took five years after ��3 Idiots�۪. I like to make movies that I feel very proud of, I have done my best and that takes time. For me, I�۪m not like a factory. I don�۪t make movies because I have to make movies, I only make them because I love to.

You�۪re returning with ��Broken Horses�۪, which is a Hollywood film and you�۪ve become the first Indian producer-director-writer to make a Hollywood film. How does that feel?

I must tell you that coming from where I am coming from, from a small place called Amira Kadal in Srinagar, Kashmir, where I studied in a D.A.V school, I learnt my ABC when I was 16 years old. I did not even know the language. When I went to the film school, I did not know who Hamlet was and I didn�۪t know Shakespeare, which was ridiculous. I had never studied Shakespeare till I went to film school. When I was nominated for the Oscar in �۪79 it was so scary. I was young and a brat and thought I was going to win the Oscar but I had to make a speech in English. I remember I prepared my speech because I didn�۪t know how to speak English. So coming from there to actually writing, producing and directing is a wonderful journey. It�۪s challenging, wonderful, satisfying. If I had studied English, been to school where my kids are going now, to USA, UK, all of that, then it would be probably less satisfying I think.

How did the concept and the story of ��Broken Horses�۪ come to you?

Me and Abhijat Joshi were travelling in a train. ��Eklavya�۪ was very well reviewed worldwide and LA Times called it ���the lost work of David Lee�۝. Because of that we had screenings all over USA. We were travelling from New York to Boston and in the train we conceived this idea of actually adapting ��Parinda�۪, one of my earlier films, into a Hollywood film. We�۪d just seen ��Departed�۪ (2006) by Martin Scorsese; he had just adapted a Korean film and I personally prefer that Korean film to ��Departed�۪. That is how it all started really. It started like if they can do it, we can do it but it was more like a joke which became serious. We spent four years writing this script and then a lot of people including James Cameron read the script and really liked it. Suddenly, doors started opening. Nicholas Cage saw ��Eklavya�۪, read the script and committed himself to do the film. That is how the project took off. Finally, I did it with Vincent D�۪Onofrio but Nicholas Cage was the first big support that came my way and Jeremy Renner, who is now a big star. All these people came out of their way to support the movie and me personally so that was very nice.

Why did it have to be a Hollywood film, could it not have been a Bollywood film?

No. See, these are two very different dreams. When I was in Kashmir all I dreamt of was making one Hindi movie before I die but then when I got nominated for an Oscar, my dream changed and I said you know what, I will make an English film. These are not movies. For me, ��Broken Horses�۪ is not just a movie. It�۪s like a dream of a mad man who doesn�۪t even know the language and he says you know I�۪m going to do this. It�۪s completely crazy and instead of making a ��3 Idiots part 2�۪, ��4 Idiots�۪ or whatever, that I go for five years and live in a rented apartment and start writing a movie for an English language. People who know me in India, some of the actors had come to visit me in India and then they saw me in LA, they said how can you do it? But for me it was like anti-aging. I was back in LA, treated like a kid from school with a script that was good and you know, how is he going to do it, how is he going to make it happen. Really speaking, Bollywood and Hollywood are two completely different playgrounds. They don�۪t make the same kind of movies actually and when you will see ��Broken Horses�۪ you will realise that only in the end when it says ��directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra�۪ you will say Oh my God, an Indian has written, produced and directed it. You�۪ll forget it, I�۪m telling you and that to me is a big challenge.

How did you go about casting the film?

I had a choice to go for some of the starry names or go for people my gut says were the best people and Vincent D�۪Onofrio, in my opinion, is one of the best actors in the world. If you see him in ��Full Metal Jacket�۪ (1987) he is just outstanding, if you see him in a small film called ��Five Minutes, Mr. Welles�۪ (2005) that he did, he�۪s just amazing. When I met Vincent in New York, I knew I wanted to work with him. He just did a play with Ethan Hawke; he was on stage, absolutely mesmerising. I actually went and looked for people like Anton Yelchin, Thomas Jane, Maria Valverde who�۪s a Spanish actress, she was in ��Exodus�۪. I actually hand-picked these actors for these roles. And Chris Marquette, this is his first major film, has a role where he plays the elder brother and he�۪s a little slow, incredible performance. I looked for the right people for the right part. It�۪s like I can�۪t imagine Munnabhai without Sanjay Dutt, he was the right cast for Munnabhai. I had at that time also some bigger name who wanted to do Munnabhai. It�۪s exactly the same thing so I cast the right guy for the right role, which I do in India also.

During the launch of the trailer yesterday, you said that you haven�۪t thought about making the film in Hindi. Do you think that maybe given another 2 to 5 years that the film may be remade for Bollywood audiences?

Absolutely, anything is possible. If I can make a movie in the English language and be talking to you, let me tell you, anything is possible in this world. This is like an impossible dream that is actually happening, so anything is possible.

You�۪ve already mentioned the nomination for the Oscar. Do you have any personal milestones for ��Broken Horses�۪ like that?

I never make a movie, whether it�۪s ��3 Idiots�۪, ��PK�۪ or whatever for awards, actually I don�۪t even go for awards. I am not a great award-freak. But the Oscars are a big circus, it�۪s not just an award, it�۪s really like we�۪re in a political race now. If I am invited to the circus, I would love to go there but for me it still remains a circus.

Someone on Twitter got in touch with us and wanted to say now that you�۪ve made a step into Hollywood, does it mean less Bollywood?

No, not at all. I belong to India, I live here. I don�۪t live in LA and I won�۪t ever live there. My heart, my life, my relationships, my children, my wife, my family we all belong here. This was really more of an Indian going out there to prove a point. I don�۪t think so. I have been offered for films in the US after ��Broken Horses�۪ and I will maybe land up making one or two but it doesn�۪t mean I will go away from India. Not at all. This is where I belong.

You launched the trailer with two of Bollywood�۪s biggest stars: Mr Amitabh Bachchan and Mr Aamir Khan. What was the reason for that? I know they are very dear friends of yours but was it to kind of engage a Bollywood interest of the Bollywood audience for your film?

This film is very difficult to market. It doesn�۪t have huge stars, it doesn�۪t have Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt in it and it�۪s a good movie. I want all of us, people who believe in this movie, to go out there and really promote it, to take it to the world. Amitabh and Aamir are very close to me, both have worked with me, both like what I do, so they were the natural choice and it was very nice of them to come out of their busy schedules and spend almost one and a half hours there talking about the movie. Amitabh has a whole history with me. When I came out of film school, he was a big star in �۪78 and he told me then he saw my diploma film ��Murder at Monkey Hill�۪ (1976) and said ���when do we work together?�۝ So I will owe to Amitabh Bachchan the end of my struggles, so to say, because he was a big star and said he would work with me at that time.

BizAsia thanks Vidhu Vinod Chopra for taking the time to talk to us. ‘Broken Horses’ is slated for release on 10th April.