30 years of Parinda: ‘We created entire film in budget of just Rs 12 lakhs’, recalls Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Madhuri Dixit’s film Parinda is celebrating 30 years. Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra revisits the film.

Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra talks about his directorial venture, Parinda completing 30 years of its release. The film not only proved to be a milestone in his filmmaking journey but also changed the fate of actors it featured including Madhuri Dixit, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff. In an interview with us, Chopra reminisces the memories from those years and why it remains on the most special films for him.

Anil Kapoor with Jackie Shroff in Parinda.

The fact that Parinda completes 30 years of its release on November 3, what are some of the memories/anecdotes you’re reminded of when you look back at the journey of making this film?

When I look back at my journey of 30 years with Parinda, strangely it feels like it was just yesterday. When I think back to that time though, the most striking aspect for me that I recall would be that we created the entire film in a budget of just 12 lakhs, which was too less for a movie of that scale. But what it did was that it lend an even greater authenticity to the film, because we couldn’t go beyond our budget but wouldn’t compromise the integrity of the story, so the locations, the crowds screaming – they were all real. It helped the film stay true to the city that we were portraying. So our weakness became our strength.

We heard that your mother had especially come down from Kashmir to attend the special premiere of Parinda in Mumbai when it released. Do you remember her reaction on seeing the film?

Ans. When my mother first saw the film, I still remember her turning towards me in utter surprise and asking me, “You have made it? Really, you?” (laughs). She was staying in Kashmir then and when I first planned on calling her to Mumbai, her main concern was if I could afford the fare! She was well aware that money was scarce. I managed to send her an air ticket though, and she came with very little baggage since travelling by air for us was rare. But sadly, after this visit to Mumbai she could never return to Kashmir as disturbances broke out in the Valley.

At a time when ensemble cast films weren’t the norm, Parinda earned all the appreciation it deserved. Was it tough back then to bring together and direct so many actors including the likes of Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar among others?

At the time when we were bringing together Parinda, Madhuri was totally unknown. She tested for the role. It was one of her first films and she was yet to achieve the stardom that would come her way. Nana Patekar was a known name in the theatre circuit though unknown in films. It was his first major film role. I had watched Nana’s theatre play ‘Purush’ in Dadar and wanted to cast him for the film. So in fact, it wasn’t really difficult as there were two new-comers and then, the only two stars were Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor, and they were like brothers to me. So I never felt that I was doing a big star cast film. It was more like a family coming together to make a movie.

While Parinda received critical acclaim, over the years, it also attained a cult status and remains one of the iconic films of its time. In what sense would you say that the film is still relevant to today’s evolved audience?

Parinda, at the heart of it, is a film about the relationship between two brothers. I believe the reason why the film cannot age, is that it deals with two brothers and the relationship & affection between them, and that is a bond that is as valid today. I dedicated this film to my brother, Vir. Like our relationship has not aged, the bond between brothers is timeless and so is Parinda.

Besides winning two National Film Awards, Parinda also was India’s official selection for the 1990 Oscar Awards for Best Foreign Language Film though it wasn’t nominated. Did awards, especially the Oscars, matter as much as they do in today’s time?

Before Parinda, I was actually nominated for the Oscars in 1979 for my short film An Encounter with Faces, and I did attend the Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles that year. But not many know about this as there was no social media in those days, and the noise levels around it were less. And therefore I guess the perception of an award was much muted as compared to today’s time.

With your next film, based on the 1990s exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, you are returning to direction after 12 years since Eklavya. How’s the feeling like?

I do not indulge in the business of making films but strongly believe in the joy of making cinema. And on top of that, I’m lazy. That’s why such a long gap. I didn’t find a story I wanted to tell. But during this time, despite my laid back nature, I have brought together some widely appreciated cinema including Munnabhai, 3 idiots, Parineeta, Wazir among others.

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