Elated Yash Chopra back from Berlin

People there love Bollywood songs, Chopra tells Diganta Guha.

Director Yash Chopra has just returned from the Berlin International Film Festival, where he was part of the jury. The septuagenarian with unflagging energy speaks to HT City on his Berlin experience and his plans for 2006.

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How was Berlin?
It was a wonderful experience. It was a personal honour for me as well as an honour for the Indian film industry. I was there for 12 days. It was a really fantastic and overwhelming experience. The best part was being able to share a platform with so many great people around the world.

Do you think our films are finally getting some recognition abroad?
Oh yes. My film Veer-Zaara was screened in Berlin last year and everyone liked it. Veer-Zaara was even shown on the national channel of Germany. I was there to present the second biggest award. All these things show we are being recognised on the global map. People love Indian cinema across the world. I was amazed to see that they appreciated the song sequences in Hindi films. I can see Indian cinema improving in terms of subject and treatment. But may be we need to broaden our horizons a bit more to get more exposure and recognition.

When can we see you back behind the camera?
(Laughs) I am still enjoying the critical acclaim my last film is getting everywhere internationally.

There was a rumour that Shah Rukh Khan and you had some problems. Your comments…
I never had any problem with Shah Rukh. He is very dear to me and no one can deny that he is a tremendous actor. There is no question of any kind of rift between us. In fact we are working together again... the film is to be directed by Shimit Amin.