'I don't believe in labelling cinema'

Vinita Bharadwaj meets Yash Chopra, the producer-director whose superhit films keep setting the standard for Bollywood.

A Yash Chopra film automatically means a great opening. The Indian producer-director's films are known for their romantic themes, glamorous cast and music. Chopra was in Dubai as he was one of the honourees at this year's edition of the Dubai International Film Festival. Soon after his felicitation, Chopra sat down to talk about his faith in upcoming Indian filmmakers and his own favourites, and defended the concept of camps within the industry.

As a veteran in Bollywood, what's your opinion of the film industry in 2005?
Bollywood is in a process of evolution today. There are so many young filmmakers who are coming in with their own ideas and their own concepts. Both filmmakers and audiences are bored with the formulaic approach and they're all looking for something new in cinema. So the search for finding that new element is making this a very exciting time to be in Bollywood.
There are films being made without music. Films are shorter, though I still make them three hours long. And I think the advent of multiplexes is the best thing to have happened to India.

Why do you say that?
Because it means that there is scope for new and more subjects. It means more choice and more audiences will be pulled out to go watch movies.

Pulled out to go watch movies? Isn't there a huge problem of piracy in India?
Yes there is. But, the complete cinematic experience is still something that audiences enjoy and if it's a good film, then they still go out to watch it.

There's a lot of labelling in Bollywood movies - commercial, art, crossover etc. Why can't they just make good movies?
I don't believe in labelling cinema. There's a lot of film happening and there are some brilliant directors and I call them complete filmmakers. Like Aditya Chopra [Yash Chopra's son], Karan Johar [son of another big producer Yash Johar] they follow everything from writing their own scripts, planning every detail, almost composing their own music. They know exactly what they want from the film. They can never make a film unless they have conceived or scripted it themselves.
There is no need to label cinema. There is a need to be original and to thrill. The cinema audience is changing and filmmakers are trying something "different".

Throughout your career, even though all your films were different, you always made them around a romantic theme. Are you a romantic person?
I don't know (laughs). People say so, so I must be. I've made movies on romance for 54 years.

Why was there such a long gap between your latest Veer-Zaara and Dil To Pagal Hai?
I can contribute to cinema only when I'm excited by the story and until my son told me the story of Veer-Zaara I just wasn't excited by any script. There were scripts in between, but we also thought we should give a chance to younger filmmakers.

What was your reaction to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge the first time you watched it? Did you ever think it would have the sort of success it's had?
The first time Aditya told me the story, he was just 23 and I was so touched that a young man so young could come up with something so emotional and beautiful. I had tears in my eyes. When I saw it for the first time, I knew it would be a big hit. But I never thought it would be such a big hit. Today a blockbuster is not defined only by the money it makes, but by its appeal.
Today's blockbuster is a movie that appeals to everybody and it's very difficult to make one because so much is changing everyday.

Considering music is such an important part of Indian movies, what's your take on the music industry?
The music market is finished. With radio and MP3s it's impossible to make money purely through music, so the pressure on filmmakers to deliver a good composite film has increased a lot.

And finally, you've often been accused as having created camps within the industry and working only with certain people. How would you defend that?
There are camps everywhere. Where there are human beings there are groups and camps. I would call them more of having a good working rapport with some people. Camps are not formed, they're made. There are favourites and that's because I'm comfortable with them. I've worked with Amitabh for 35 years and Shahrukh has done my last 6 films. Today if I tell them about a film, they won't ask me about the story, character and we never talk money. They just give me the dates. It's a question of faith.