The scion of a Bollywood filmmaking dynasty is forging a career in Hollywood in a bid to emerge from the shadows of his legendary father -- and challenge common stereotypes of India.
Uday Chopra, younger son of the late Hindi film director Yash Chopra, set up a subsidiary of his father's production house in Los Angeles and this year appeared on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet alongside Nicole Kidman.
His three-year-old company Yash Raj Films (YRF) Entertainment co-produced the recent "Grace of Monaco" starring Kidman, upcoming Jason Bateman comedy "The Longest Week" and is finalising the script of "Seducing Ingrid Bergman".
The job has made Chopra one of only a handful of Indians in Hollywood, where he hopes to match the success of his father and award-winning filmmaker brother, Aditya Chopra, back home.
"I know that even in my greatest success I would be lucky to get the success they enjoy, and I will always be looked upon as the third Chopra in a way," the 41-year-old told AFP in Mumbai, India's entertainment capital where he was born.
"I wanted to do something challenging and be a part of filmmaking because that is all I know."
His father, who died in 2012, was best known for his romantic and emotional films in a stellar Bollywood career that spanned decades.
Uday has also acted in Bollywood and is best known for his role as police sidekick Ali in the hit Indian franchise "Dhoom" -- and he wants to invest in commercial hits in Hollywood rather than festival features.
"When I first went to LA, the idea was to do romantic comedies because that's a genre we have done successfully in India," he said.
"I thought I would convert some of my Hindi material to English but I soon realised that comedies are in the space of the big studios, which means big budgets and big stars."
Chopra then opened up to new possibilities, and one of his upcoming projects is "a female-centric thriller based in India".
"It's a completely American movie but with India as a backdrop. I can leverage my strength in India as a line producer," he said.
He wants the film to portray India "in a dark and gritty way" and challenge typical perceptions of the country.
"People in the West think 'Slumdog Millionaire' is a Bollywood film and they have that one image of India -- dirty and crazy," he added, referring to the Oscar-winner directed by Britain's Danny Boyle.
- From Bollywood to Hollywood -
While Bollywood has often been accused of ripping off plotlines from Hollywood, India has a limited presence in the US industry, where Ashok Amritraj's Hyde Park Entertainment and Anil Ambani's Reliance Entertainment are the best-known production companies.
The latter has invested in Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks Studios to produce films such as "Lincoln", "The Help" and "War Horse".
Chopra said Hollywood players often assumed he was as rich as Reliance and would therefore "throw money at them and they can go ahead and make their movie.
"Or they think you are this Indian guy coming to Hollywood to throw big parties, make some statements and then never return. I don't fit into either one of those categories," he said.
Chopra, who divides his time between America, India and elsewhere, says he nevertheless enjoys the anonymity he gets in Los Angeles.
"One day I should shave my head bald, wear all white and go to a meeting and say this is how we are in India. They would probably think I am so exotic and would want to work with me."
The reviews of "Grace of Monaco", the opening film at Cannes, have been far from complimentary, describing it as "airless", "fantastically silly" and even a "fire risk".
Chopra admits that the criticism hit him hard and has affected the movie's success.
"Maybe Cannes was the wrong platform for a fairytale film with a happy ending," he said.
"We are independent producers, but the content we are creating is more mainstream and commercial in nature, to make money to engage a larger audience."
For now, Chopra wants to keep investing in international films, but the long-term plan is to wholly produce and generate his own Hollywood stories under the YRF Entertainment banner.
He says if his budget runs out he will head back to India -- but he is hopeful that America's Tinseltown will be the place he makes his mark.
"Hopefully by next year things will turn around, and if that happens I will be there forever."
AFP
Mon Jun 30 2014
Indian producer Uday Chopra, (R), Spanish actress Paz Vega, (2R), Australian actress Nicole Kidman (2L) and French director Olivier Dahan pose during a photocall for the film "Grace of Monaco.- AFP PHOTO/ALBERTO PIZZOLI/FILES
X kini beralih kepada domain X.com, tidak lagi guna jenama Twitter
https://amanz.my/2024454834/
Serangan Balai Polis Ulu Tiram: Gerakan JI di negara ini masih terkawal - Saifuddin
Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail memberi jaminan gerakan Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) di negara ini masih terkawal.
iPhone 17 Slim dijangka hadir dengan rekaan kamera belakang di bahagian atas-tengah
iPhone 17
Filem baharu Mawi kupas kisah penyakit misteri Ustaz Kazim
Semasa penggambaram filem Zim Zim Ala Kazim, penyakit misteri Ustaz Kazim datang balik, darah keluar dari kulit badan penceramah itu.
Tiada bekalan perubatan diterima di Gaza selama 10 hari - WHO
Penutupan lintasan Rafah ke Gaza oleh Israel telah menyebabkan "situasi yang sukar."
[TERKINI] Tujuh individu direman di IPD Seri Alam
Tujuh individu, termasuk lima ahli keluarga suspek, akan direman di IPD Seri Alam bagi membantu siasatan serangan di Balai Polis Ulu Tiram. Dua anggota polis maut dalam kejadian tersebut.
[TERKINI] Penyerang tiada agenda besar, bertindak sendirian – Saifuddin
Suspek utama yang menyerang Balai Polis Ulu Tiram di sini pada Jumaat, hingga menyebabkan kematian dua anggota polis, didapati tidak mempunyai motif atau agenda yang lebih besar, kata Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Ibu bapa menabung bolehkan 8 sekeluarga tunai haji bersama
Bagi musim haji 1445H/2024M, kehadiran lapan sekeluarga termasuk lima beradik mendapat rezeki mengerjakan haji serentak disumbang hasil perancangan serta simpanan wang selama lebih 18 tahun oleh ibu bapa mereka, yang berhajat mahukan semua anaknya menunaikan haji di usia muda.
[LAPOR LANGSUNG] Serangan Balai Polis Ulu Tiram: 7 individu termasuk warga Singapura direman 7 hari
Tujuh individu termasuk seorang warga Singapura yang dipercayai terlibat dalam insiden serangan Balai Polis Ulu Tiram, direman tujuh hari.
Serangan Balai Polis Ulu Tiram: 7 individu termasuk warga Singapura direman 7 hari
Tujuh individu yang dipercayai terlibat dalam insiden serangan Balai Polis Ulu Tiram, direman selama tujuh hari hingga 24 Mei.
Rumah tangga didakwa bakal musnah, Aishwarya Rai dan Abhishek Bachchan pamer keharmonian
Keharmonian rumah tangga pasangan tersohor Bollywood, Aishwarya Rai dan Abhishek Bachchan menjadi bualan hangat kebelakangan ini.
Bakal blockbuster! Sunny Deol jadi hero filem terbaharu Aamir Khan 'Lahore 1947'
Peminat menyifatkan kerjasama yang terjalin akan membuat filem tersebut menjadi karya pecah panggung.
Shah Rukh Khan lakukan pembedahan hidung di Amerika Syarikat
Shah Rukh Khan dikatakan telah mengalami kemalangan sewaktu terbabit dalam sebuah projek yang dijalankan di Los Angeles.
Kajol dakwa berdepan ujian terberat, hapus semua foto, rehat dari media sosial
Pesohor Bollywood, Kajol membuat kejutan kepada warganet dan peminat apabila mengumumkan berehat daripada dunia media sosial.
Sangkut dalam kesesakan, Amitabh Bachchan tumpang motor ke set penggambaran
Salah seorang pesohor yang tidak terlepas daripada masalah kesesakan jalan raya adalah Amitabh Bachchan.
Deepika Padukone ajak pasangan muda ikut petua perkahwinan orang lama
Aktres Bollywood, Deepika Padukone baru muncul sebagai wajah sampul majalah berprestij Time yang mengiktirafnya sebagai Global Star.
Filem baharu Salman Khan, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan tak laku
Filem terkini Salman Khan, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan dilaporkan tidak mencapai sasaran atau kutipan pecah panggung meski ia turut dibintangi oleh ramai pelakon gred A Bollywood.
'Jangan melampau, ini India' - Salman Khan selar kandungan berbaur seks di Bollywood
Tegas Salman, semua konten bersifat sedemikian patut ditapis terlebih dahulu atau sama sekali tidak ditayangkan langsung.
Penat dengan politik Bollywood punca Priyanka Chopra bawa diri
Chopra Jonas menyifatkan kehadirannya dalam industri Bollywood seolah ditolak ke satu sudut ketika itu.
Filem Pathaan lakonan Shah Rukh Khan pecah rekod, kutip RM130 juta dalam lima hari
Pathaan merupakan filem lakonan Shah Rukh Khan yang amat dinanti-nantikan oleh peminat di seluruh dunia dalam tempoh empat tahun.