Vidhu Vinod's Hollywood quest

Did you know that Bollywood's leading filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra owes his name to Bengali director Ritwik Ghatak?

Chopra told reporters in Kolkata this week that when he went to study at Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, his name was Vinod Kumar Chopra.

Ghatak, his teacher at the Institute, did not like his name and suggested that he add 'Vidhu' to his name.

 “He (Ritwik Ghatak) said you put Vidhu Vinod Chopra. That's a good name. I owe my name to him,” said Chopra, who is making his Hollywood debut with the English film “Broken Horses”. Set in the shadows of US-Mexico border gang wars, “Broken Horses” is a thriller about the bonds of brotherhood, laws of loyalty and futility of violence. Its principal cast features Vincent D'Onofrio, Anton Yelchin, Chris Marquette and Maria Valverde. 

Chopra said he learnt from Ghatak that if one chased excellence, success would follow. “This is what I said in '3 Idiots', and that's what I say in real life,” he said.

On his experience in Hollywood, Chopra said “They look down upon Bollywood film thinking we are loud people who make only song-and-dance films. They really don't respect (Bollywood). After Satyajit Ray, they don't even know Ritwik Ghatak,” he said, adding he wanted to prove that Bollywood can do it as good as Hollywood -- if not better.

Directed by Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan-starrer “Eklavya-The Royal Guard” was India's 2007 Oscar entry. His 2009 film “An Encounter with Faces” was also nominated for an Academy Award in the documentary short subject category.

Asked about his dream for the Oscars, Chopra said he did not care about the Academy Awards any more. “Nowadays, awards have become more of a marketing and television show-off. Unfortunately even the Oscars,” he said.

 On his future projects in Hollywood, Chopra said he is already in talks with two studios. “If I have a script that is challenging, I will do it,” he said.