Filmmaker Siddharth P. Malhotra, who has made his mark with films like We Are Family, Hichki, and most recently Maharaj, opened up about his early days in the industry, working under celebrated director Vidhu Vinod Chopra. In a candid conversation with Cyrus Broacha, Malhotra shared memories of being an assistant director on Chopra’s 1998 film Kareeb, calling the experience both demanding and unforgettable. “He is a genius but at the same time, he wants what he wants,” Malhotra said. “So I remember that all of us as his assistants were very enthusiastic, and he was like, ‘Who can swim here?’ And I was like, ‘I can swim.’” What followed was a far cry from what they’d expected.
“As assistants, we had no idea that we were going into the water to hold one rope, because he wanted a thousand candles to be aligned while Bobby Deol is in the water. So all the people who practically knew swimming were below water, holding the bloody rope so that the song Chori Chori Jab Nazrein Mili could happen.” Malhotra recalled the the intensity of working under Chopra. “I remember as an assistant, a call used to come and then I used to run, go somewhere and then come back… ragging would happen, thappads would happen, everything happened,” he said. Despite coming from a prominent film family, he is the grandson of veteran actor Prem Nath and related to Raj Kapoor and Prem Chopra, Malhotra insisted no special privileges were afforded to him. In fact, he revealed that his father personally requested Chopra to make him work hard. “My father made a call to Vinod and asked him to grind me as an assistant,” he said. “And Vinod once laughingly said, ‘Your father has asked me to raggado him, so I’m doing that.’”
Malhotra also reminisced about a personal milestone in Chopra’s life that coincided with the making of Kareeb. “I think it was at that time he had just married Anu [film critic and author Anupama Chopra], so the temperament was still high then. But now it has come down,” he said. “I really love him though. The way he uses the camera, I don’t think anyone else can.” Vidhu Vinod Chopra most recently directed 12th Fail, a film that was met with widespread critical acclaim and went on to become a sleeper box office success. The film won accolades for its storytelling, Chopra’s direction and editing, and a standout performance by Vikrant Massey.
