Like to work with nice people: Vidhu Vinod Chopra on why he turns down big stars

Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra believes a strong bond between a director and his actors is essential to making a good film. Ahead of the re-release of 1942: A Love Story, Chopra spoke exclusively to India Today about why he would rather turn down even a big star than work with someone he doesn’t connect with.Talking about the same, he said, “I like to work with nice people. That’s my first thing. There may be a very big star. I just met some people who are now big stars who say, ‘We are dying to work with you.’ But I told them, ‘I can’t work with you.’ They said, ‘No, we work with Sanjay Bhansali also.’ I said, ‘I can’t.’ I have to really love you to work with you.”“If I don’t love a person, I cannot work even if they are the biggest stars in the world because I’ll make a shit film. Because I don’t like him,” he added.Vidhu Vinod Chopra says he loves Anil Kapoor, Jackie ShroffChopra went on to talk about his equation with Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff, with whom he worked on 1942: A Love Story. For the filmmaker, the affection between the people behind a film is as important as the story they are trying to tell.“I love Anil and Jackie. I think this happens because, as a family, we care for each other and collaborate. Now, the kind of horror stories I hear about today’s actors, which I can’t say. My wife has trained me: ‘Don’t talk about them or anyone,'"Adding, "1942: A Love Story, or any film of this kind, cannot be made if the people who make it don’t care for and love each other. It simply can’t be done.”‘In 12th Fail, which superstar did I take?’Chopra also pointed to his 2023 film 12th Fail as an example of why he has never viewed filmmaking through the conventional superstar-driven lens. The film, starring Vikrant Massey and Medha Shankar, went on to become one of the most acclaimed films of 2023.“In 12th Fail, which superstar did I take? Which song is happening? In that film too, there is love. There is love for the actors and characters. You get together and put those 5,000 people and make a movie,” Chopra said.That approach, he feels, was also at the heart of 1942: A Love Story, which required a massive effort despite Chopra working with limited resources.‘I didn’t have money’: Chopra recalls shooting 1,000 people in one dayChopra recalled the scale of the climax of 1942: A Love Story, revealing that he had around 1,000 people on set for a single day of filming.“In the climax of 1942, we had 1,000 people for one day because I didn’t have money. Can you imagine?” he recalled.The sequence was shot with the help of multiple filmmakers and technicians, who operated different units simultaneously.“Shekhar Kapoor, Ashok Mehta, Govind Nihalani, these directors, with cameraman Rajan Kothari, there were like 10 units shooting different bits. That’s how we finished 1,000 people in one day and that’s how these films are made. They are handcrafted with love, which comes across,” Chopra said.1942: A Love Story, starring Anil Kapoor, Manisha Koirala and Jackie Shroff, released in 1994. The film, set against the backdrop of India’s freedom struggle, is remembered for its performances, visual scale and its iconic music by RD Burman, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.- EndsPublished By: Prachi aryaPublished On: Aug 19, 2026 09:41 IST