(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Vidhu Vinod Chopra is out to prove a point with his maiden Hollywood venture Broken Horses
Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Photo by Rahul Gajjar/ Khaleej Times
Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra is no stranger to commercial success or critical acclaim with blockbuster films like PK 1942 A Love Story and Parinda under his belt. But these were not the factors that motivated him to shift base to Hollywood for upcoming Mexican gang war drama Broken Horses which has already drawn praise from the likes of Alfonso Cuaron and James Cameron.
Chopra dropped into the Khaleej Times office yesterday (he remarked that it was his first promotional trip to any newspaper anywhere in the world) to speak about what inspired him to make Broken Horses which stars Vincent D’Onofrio Anton Yelchin and Thomas Jane.
“Whether you like it or not Hollywood looks down on Bollywood. It looks down on our culture – we are over the top we sing songs we speak loudly! So my idea was really to prove a point saying that we can do what you do as good as you do it if not better! We choose not to; I choose to put songs in my films I choose to make films over-the-top but that doesn’t mean I can’t do what you do. I didn’t want jokes about ‘Bollywood coming to Hollywood.’ When you see the film you will realise that the only thing Indian about the film is the spelling of my name. You will not believe that an Indian has made it. Broken Horses for me is already a success!”
Chopra was refreshingly candid about the difference between working with Hollywood and Bollywood stars. “What I did was take the warmth of my culture to a culture which is cold but I took their efficiency so it was like a marriage made in heaven.”
On what he wanted viewers to take away from the film he said “My target audience is the whole world but it is primarily Indian Pakistani and South Asian communities because it is a film they will hopefully feel very proud of. It’s about brothers and family and hopefully when you see it you will feel closer to your family. This holds particularly true for those living away from their home countries.”
So how did Dubai fit into the Broken Horses promotional schedule? “When I came here for PK (my first time visiting Dubai) I had a wonderful experience. I encountered people from different communities. When you’re in India you feel distant from other communities but here it’s different – I felt we are all together. I feel this (Broken Horses) is not just a film by an Indian but a South Asian. I okayed Dubai on the promotional tour because this is the hub of South Asia. This film is very close to my heart and I hope people go out and watch it. I hope there are more ‘James Camerons’ in Dubai who will love it.”
Broken Horses will release on April 9 in the UAE. Read our whole interview with Vidhu Vinod Chopra in City Times soon.