How is B R Chopra sahab ? How did his birthday party go?
He’s very well, thank you. He enjoyed watching films in the last two days. We had a celebration with family in the evening and the next day a small do with the staff, as is the tradition at BR Films.

Which is Choprasahab’s favourite among his films?
Although he enjoyed making all of his films, his top three favourites are Waqt, Gumrah and Naya Daur. Waqt because it was the first multistarrer and Gumrah as it addressed the bold theme of a married woman’s infidelity in those times and also it worked commercially breaking new grounds. Naya Daur was the first film to be shot entirely outdoors in Bhopal and Pune in times when no film unit anywhere ventured beyond China Creek in the outskirts of Mumbai.

Was it mandatory for him to make socially-meaningful films?
It’s not as if dad felt that he had to make a message-oriented film, but if the script had one he highlighted it. But we are not averse to making wacky comic capers at all!

Which was his biggest blockbuster?
In terms of the money spent at that time and profits accrued it was Naya Daur. It is also the second biggest blockbuster of all times in Bollywood (Mughal-E-Azam being the first and Sholay third). Naya Daur was made in around Rs 15 lakhs then.

What are your fondest memories from your dad’s sets?
I was in school when he made Gumrah and I remember going for it’s outdoor shoot in Nainital. A couple of songs were being filmed and I remember having a whale of a time then.

As a filmmaker what is the one quality of your father’s that you adopted yourself?
As a director, I love his total dedication to his script. He worked totally with his script. Nothing else mattered to him other than telling the story in the best possible manner.
As a producer, I loved the way he treated his unit and treated everyone at par. From his times till today, everybody eats the same food on our sets. We have in-house catering. The idea is that we all work as one big, happy family.

Was there any particular dish that Choprasahab wished to have on the sets?
When he was shooting he never cared about food, he was only involved in his film. But my mother used to make sure that he had home-made food on the sets. She would send food for the entire unit earlier but when the unit got bigger we started the in-house catering facility which my wife Renu supervises now.

After Naya Daur, which of B R classics are you planning to colorise?
I want to colorise all of his films, but we are starting with Gumrah and then it will be Kanoon and Dhool Ka Phool. All his films are classics and I want to keep those alive. Those who want to watch only in colour can watch them as well. We have tied up with Westwings Corporation for it.

After Baghban and Baabul, are there story ideas of his waiting to be made into films?
Yes, there are a couple of story ideas of his that I am definitely making into films. One is against brain drain and the other is about the institution of marriage. Next year hopefully, I shall film these.

Is Choprasahab interested in films still?
Dad’s only interest is films, unfortunately he can no longer be actively involved in the process. Nonetheless, he likes to know what films we are making.

What does he have to say about grandson Abhay’s directorial debut?
Oh, he is particularly very fond of Abhay and ever since he won the Student Oscar for his 24-minute film Karma - starring Ranbir Kapoor as a part of his final year in film college in the US - he’s thrilled about him becoming a director. He keeps asking me why the film is being delayed.

Last but not the least, what did you gift him this year on his birthday?
We are not ‘gift’ people in the worldy sense, but I try to bring the whole family together and enjoy that moment. He loves to spend time with his siblings. And that’s what we did.