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Amitabh Bachchan remembers
BR Chopra
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Bollywood superstar Amitabh
Bachchan remembers legendary filmmaker BR Chopra as a firm believer in
aesthetics whose films highlighted issues of social and moral conflict.
"He was a pillar of the industry.
We've lost a stalwart. The core of humanism and social relevance remained
with Chopra saab till the end," Big B told IANS from Udaipur where he's
currently resting.
"Chopra saab and I go back
a long way. I've worked for many years with him. When Chopra saab's son
Ravi started his career as a director with Zameer, I played the lead in
it," he added.
Chopra died here on Wednesday
after a prolonged illness. The winner of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was
94.
Amitabh says that his films
and television series revealed a novel approach to filmmaking.
"Chopra saab, his brother
Yashji and their family have given so much to the industry. Another brother
Dharam Chopra was a cinematographer while a fourth brother was into distribution.
So it's a family dedicated to cinema. They always believed in aesthetics
and not just the commercial viability. One never came away from a B.R.
Chopra film without absorbing a social and moral conflict. That's why his
films are relevant even today.
"Sadly there's a complete
absence of all social relevance in today's cinema. Chopra saab always remained
steadfast in his belief that cinema has to have a special message. When
Ravi returned to cinema after so many years with Baghban - his idea of
honouring one's parents sounded so archaic. But look at the relevance of
his film! It was so unbelievable. In fact, BR Chopra saab himself wanted
to direct it at one time. Again in Baabul they took on the theme of widow
remarriage."
The last film that the Big
B did for BR Films was Bhootnath. |
"A lot of people dismissed it
as a children's film. But it was the fifth largest grosser of 2008 alongside
Singh Is Kinng and Race. Recently, at the Kids Star Awards Bhootnath was
voted the most popular kids' film. I couldn't attend due to my health.
But they asked me about the film's popularity. And I said it wasn't me,
it was the theme. Chopra saab's films have always brought in the theme
of tradition versus modernism."
Amitabh says BR Chopra was
open to ideas.
"In Bhootnath, the pitra-paksh,
the last rites for the parents' soul, was brought in. And I had a hand
in it. I suggested the pitra-paksh be incorporated into the script. Yes,
that suggestion was incorporated by Chopra saab and his son Ravi. They
were always open to ideas.
"Chopra saab valued tradition
and culture. He'd always tell Ravi, 'Where's the moral of the story?' Now
we're working on another film Pocket Maar. We're 75 percent through with
the plot. But I am not happy with where it's going. I can sit with them
and sort it out. That's the kind of relationship I shared with Chopra saab
and then his son.
"The script is very important
for them. For Baghban, we wrote 15-16 drafts. We took advice from many
people including Javed Akhtar saab. And that's how we came up with the
final screenplay. My main idea was - we must not look down on our parents,
because they are the ones who bring us up. Such thoughts ran beautifully
through Chopra saab's cinema. Such lovely moments are lost in our cinema
today.
"I lament this loss. Chopra
saab wasn't making movies for the money. He made some of our most relevant
movies of our times like Naya Daur, Dharmputra and Gumrah. After Baghban,
many real life parent-child equations changed. I hope Ravi Chopra continues
his father's legacy. I'm blessed to have worked with both."
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