Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including five National Film Awards and ten Filmfare Awards. He is known for directing films such as the crime drama Parinda (1989), the patriotic romantic drama 1942: A Love Story (1994), the action drama Mission Kashmir (2000) and the biographical drama 12th Fail (2023).
Vidhu Vinod Chopra

SOAS Uni of London · n Conversation with Vidhu Vinod Chopra, SOAS, University of London · CC BY 3.0
- Name
- Vidhu Vinod Chopra
- Born
- 5 September 1952
- Birthplace
- Srinagar,Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Occupation
- * Film director
- Nationality
- India.
- Fields
- film, film direction and film production.
- Education
- Film and Television Institute of India.
- Honours
- Filmfare Award for Best Director, Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay and Filmfare Award for Best Story.
- Languages
- Hindi.
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Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including five National Film Awards and ten Filmfare Awards. He is known for directing films such as the crime drama Parinda (1989), the patriotic romantic drama 1942: A Love Story (1994), the action drama Mission Kashmir (2000) and the biographical drama 12th Fail (2023).
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In this article
Biography
Biography
He is also known for producing the Munna Bhai film series, 3 Idiots (2009), PK (2014), and Sanju (2018) under his banner Vinod Chopra Films.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra studied at Film and Television Institute of India. The recorded working language is Hindi. The field of work recorded is film, film direction and film production. Distinctions recorded are Filmfare Award for Best Director, Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay and Filmfare Award for Best Story.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra at the Jio MAMI Film Festival 2023.
Bollywood Hungama

Vidhu Vinod Chopra at the Jio MAMI Film Festival 2023.
Bollywood Hungama
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Vidhu Vinod Chopra • Born — 5 September 1952 • Birthplace — Srinagar,Jammu and Kashmir, India • Occupation — * Film director • film producer • screenwriter • editor • Children — 3, including Zuni Chopra and Agni Chopra • Relatives — * Ramanand Sagar (half-brother) • Kamna Chandra (mother-in-law) • Vikram Chandra (brother-in-law) • Tanuja Chandra (sister-in-law) • Website — vinodchoprafilms.com
Early life
Early life
Chopra was born and brought up in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India to a Punjabi Hindu family. His father was D. N. Chopra and veteran filmmaker Ramanand Sagar was his half-brother. His brother, Vir K. Chopra, was a scholar of Indian politics and worked as a producer. His parents were originally from Peshawar, British India. His mother was Shanti Devi Mahalakshmi, who left Kashmir, due to the Kashmir conflict in 1990. He dedicated his film Shikara to his mother. He studied film direction at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.
Career
Career
Chopra's first student short film, Murder at Monkey Hill (1976), won the National Film Award for Best Short Experimental Film and the Guru Dutt Memorial Award for Best Student Film. This was followed by a short documentary highlighting the plight of India's destitute children, called An Encounter with Faces (1976), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film in 1979. It also won the Grand Prix at the Tampere Film Festival in 1980. Sazaye Maut, his first full-length feature film, was an adaptation of his previous short, Murder at Monkey Hill. It starred Naseeruddin Shah, Radha Saluja and Dilip Dhawan. Vanraj Bhatia composed the music for the film. He founded his own production company, Vinod Chopra Films, in 1985. Since then, the company has gone on to produce major Bollywood films, and is currently one of the biggest and most successful film production houses in India. Chopra directed and produced Khamosh (1986), which starred prominent Indian actors such as Shabana Azmi, Amol Palekar, Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapoor, among others. The movie is set in Kashmir and has been praised by critics as an inventive meta thriller. His next directorial, the crime drama Parinda (1989), proved to be a landmark film in Hindi cinema. It expanded the orbit of the crime drama and the vocabulary of images used in Hindi films while garnering widespread critical acclaim and numerous awards. Several modern Indian filmmakers have expressed their admiration for and drawn inspiration from Chopra's film. Chopra's next film, 1942: A Love Story (1994), was a patriotic romantic drama set during the decline of the British Raj. With Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala in lead roles, it was also the last film to have its music composed by the legendary R. D. Burman. Burman received a Filmfare Award for Best Music Director and the film won a total of nine awards at the 40th Filmfare Awards. His following two films, Kareeb and Mission Kashmir, were also critically and commercially successful. Chopra then produced 5 films with filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani: Munna Bhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots, PK, and Sanju. The first 3, which Chopra also co-wrote, each won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and Lage Raho Munna Bhai also won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay. They were all also very commercially successful, with 3 Idiots and PK becoming the highest grossing Indian films of all time in India and worldwide, also breaking into East Asian markets. He also wrote and produced Parineeta, Ferrari Ki Sawaari, and Wazir. However, Chopra's next directorials after 2000 were not as successful. His 2007 film Eklavya: The Royal Guard was a financial disappointment. He also made his Hollywood directorial debut in 2015 with the film Broken Horses, a remake of his own film Parinda. However, it received a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 22%, and was a commercial disaster, only making Rs. 60 lakh in its opening weekend. His 2020 release Shikara was a romantic drama about the Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus. It became his lowest-grossing film since Khamosh. Chopra then saw a return to success with his 2023 release, the biopic 12th Fail. Despite a low opening day box office, due to great reviews and word of mouth, it became a financial hit, grossing 70 crores on a 20 crore budget. It then won 5 Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Director, Screenplay, and Editing for Chopra.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Film — Credit as — Notes • Director — Writer — Producer • 1976 — Murder at Monkey Hill — Diploma film; also Actor • 1978 — An Encounter with Faces — Documentary film, nominated for the Oscars. • 1981 — Sazaye Maut • 1983 — Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro — Production Controller — also Actor • 1986 — Khamosh • 1989 — Parinda • 1994 — 1942: A Love Story • 1998 — Kareeb • 2000 — Mission Kashmir • 2003 — Munna Bhai MBBS • 2005 — Parineeta — Supervising Editor • 2006 — Lage Raho Munna Bhai — Associate writer; lyricist • 2007 — Eklavya: The Royal Guard • 2009 — 3 Idiots — Screenplay Associate • 2012 — Ferrari Ki Sawaari • 2014 — PK • 2015 — Broken Horses — English Film • 2016 — Wazir — also Editor • 2018 — Sanju • 2019 — Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga • 2020 — Shikara — co-writers: Rahul Pandita and Abhijat Joshi • 2023 — 12th Fail — Also Editor; Singer, "Restart" and "Restart" (Rap 'N' Folk) • 2024 — Zero Se Restart — Documentary
Television
Television
• Title — Year — Role — Notes • Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (DD National) — 1984 — Himself — Episode 32: "Dieting"
Personal life
Personal life
He has been married thrice, his first wife was noted editor Renu Saluja (m. 1976–1983), he was then married to filmmaker Shabnam Sukhdev (m. 1985–1989), the daughter of S. Sukhdev (1933–1979) a well known director of documentaries for the Films Division of India. He has a daughter with Shabnam, Ishaa Chopra, who works as a dance instructor and choreographer. He is currently married to Indian film critic Anupama Chopra, whom he married on 1 June 1990. He has two children with her, a son, Agni and a daughter, Zuni Chopra.
Tampere International Short Film Festival
• 1980: Winner, Grand Prix for An Encounter with Faces
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Vidhu Vinod Chopra”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1607373: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Unverified · Wikidata
Awards and nominations
Awards and nominations
List of Vidhu Vinod Chopra awards and nominations • Year — Category — Nominated work — Result — Ref. Reference(s) • National Film Awards • 2003 — Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment — Munna Bhai MBBS • 2006 — Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment — Lage Raho Munna Bhai • Best Screenplay • 2009 — Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment — 3 Idiots • 2023 — Best Feature Film — 12th Fail • Filmfare Awards • 1990 — Best Film — Parinda • Best Director • 1995 — Best Film — 1942: A Love Story • Best Director • 2001 — Best Film — Mission Kashmir • Best Director • 2004 — Best Film — Munna Bhai MBBS • Best Screenplay • 2007 — Best Film — Lage Raho Munna Bhai • Best Story • Best Dialogue • 2010 — Best Film — 3 Idiots • Best Screenplay • 2014 — Best Film — PK • 2019 — Best Film — Sanju • 2024 — Best Film — 12th Fail • Best Director • Best Film (Critics) • Best Screenplay • Best Dialogue • Best Editing
IIFA Awards
IIFA Awards
• 2007: Winner, Best Screenplay for Lage Raho Munna Bhai • 2001: Nominated, IIFA Award for Best Director for Mission Kashmir • 2010: Winner, Best Screenplay for 3 Idiots
Stardust Awards
Stardust Awards
• 2009: Winner, Readers' Choice Award for 3 Idiots
FICCI Awards
FICCI Awards
• 2009: Winner, Most Successful Film of the Year for 3 Idiots
Screen Awards
Screen Awards
• 2006: Winner, Best Film for Lage Raho Munnabhai • 2006: Nominated, Best Screenplay for Lage Raho Munna Bhai • 2009: Winner, Best Film, 3 Idiots • 2009: Winner, Best Screenplay, 3 Idiots
Zee Cine Awards
Zee Cine Awards
• 2007: Winner, Best Screenplay for Lage Raho Munna Bhai • 2005: Winner, Best Dialogue for Parineeta • 2005: Winner, Best Director for Mission Kashmir
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Vidhu Vinod Chopra recalls troubled time in Kashmir – NDTV Movies. ndtv.com. 6 February 2013.
- 2.In Bollywood, everyone's related!. The Times of India. 14 June 2009.
- 3.Obituary: Vir K. Chopra Ranbir Singh - Mainstream Weekly. mainstreamweekly.net.
- 4.Vidhu Vinod Chopra: I was arrogant, volatile and violent, living with Anu has changed me. The Times of India. 9 April 2015.
- 5.Vidhu Vinod Chopra on Shikara: It is about those who have been refugees in India for over three decades. India Today. January 7, 2020.
- 6.IANS. Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 45 years in films make for a compelling biopic. IANS News. 2023-10-20.
- 7.Murder at Monkey Hill. Rudraa.
- 8.Tampere International Short Film Festival (1980). IMDb.
- 9.3 Idiots – Lifetime Box Office Collection, Budget, Reviews, Cast, etc. BOTY. 4 July 2018.
- 10.Rotten Tomatoes. Broken Horses.
- 11.Broken Horses Is An Epic Disaster – Box Office India. boxofficeindia.com.
- 12.12th Fail Box Office Collection. Bollywood Hungama. 27 October 2023.
- 13.Vidhu Vinod Chopra's New Book 'Unscripted' 2021. Times Of India. 12 January 2021.
- 14.Watch: A documentary revisits S. Sukhdev's life and career. Scroll.in.
- 15.Sleeping with the Enemy. OPEN Magazine. 6 May 2010.
- 16.Zuni Chopra, the quirky millennial author, at her candid best. in.com.
References
Citations
References
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