Vinod Chopra ko gussa kyon aata hai?
RAJEEV MASAND

There are mixed reports in the media concerning the fate of Mission Kashmir. You tell us, is it a hit or a flop?
It's the biggest hit of my career. I've been away for five weeks since the release, and within three days of my return, I've received overflow cheques from distributors of four circuits: Bombay, Delhi-UP, Bengal and Punjab. It has done Rs 5 crore business in Mumbai, so where's the question of it being a flop?

Isn't it true that Mohabbatein which released on the same day as your film, is faring better..?
I'm only competing with myself. None of my previous films have done the kind of business that Mission Kashmirhas, and that gives me immense pleasure. I don't want to be a part of the rat-race, because I believe that even if you do win this race, you still remain a rat.Mohabbatein is doing very well, and congratulations to Aditya Chopra, but I'm concerned only with my film.

So why has the media been running down Mission Kashmir?
I wasn't around when any of the reviews were printed, and besides, I'm not complaining if they were unfavourable. If you didn't like my film, that's okay. Hopefully you will like the next one. But what I am very upset about is the fact that one particular newspaper group has been running down the film at every available opportunity. They banned my film before release, but still went ahead and reviewed it. What kind of morality is that? I, on the other hand, turned down a request from another newspaper to review the film directed by the film critic of that paper because I have no respect for the man. I can't understand how a prominent newspaper group can behave so unprofessional and immoral.

Is Mission Kashmir your favourite film from among those that you've made so far?
Yes. Mission Kashmir has done what no other film of mine has. I'm told that the film has somwhere bridged the gap between the government and the militants in Kashmir. Farokh Abdullah called me recently to say that the film has made waves in Kashmir. Apparently, the militants have said that it's not a propaganda film, and that, according to me, is a commendable achievement. BBC has been calling me for an interview they want to do -- they believe that the film has somewhere contributed to the peace process in Kashmir. After the screening we had in New Delhi for the President, he spoke to me about the film for half an hour. All this makes me very happy and very proud.

People say the film opened to an impressive start because of Hrithik Roshan's presence on the credits...
I haven't exploited Hrithik's stardom for the benefit of my film. I've been true to the story I wrote. I didn't increase his scenes or add a dance sequence after he became a star with Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. The film industry laughed at me for not capitalising on his popularity. They said it was foolish on my part not to put a fashionable picture of his on my audio cassette covers. They said I was being stupid when I used only the masked photos of both Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik on the posters... To be able to safeguard yourself from the market forces and yet make a hit is a big achievement.

You released a record number of prints all over the country. Was that overconfidence on your part?
I released 514 prints of the film -- and that's a good 100 prints more than Mohabbatein, and many more than Hum Saath Saath Hain too. It was not my decision. The distributors decide these things. I don't want to be a baniya who sits and counts his figures. I'm not concerned once I finish my film and design my publicity.

Haven't people liked Mohabbatein more than Mission Kashmir?
This is a pointless argument. Both are different kinds of films, and very different from each other. Assuming you give someone an Archie comic on one hand, and Shakespeare on the other. More people may choose to read Archie, but that doesn't mean Shakespeare is nonsense. It is only a reflection on the literacy of the person in question. I think, in the context of these two films, if Shakespeare sells upto Rs 6 crore and the Archie sells Rs 7 crore, then that's a big achievement for the Shakespeare book.

What next?
While one section of the press was busy tearing down my film, I was vacationing in Florida with my children. I didn't call my office until two weeks after the film's release. I just wanted to stay detatched, and I strongly recommend the practice. While I was in the US, I finished writing my next film. It's called Din, Raat Aur Subah, and it's a champagne-and-popcorn sort of film. I want to have fun now. Enough intensity. I'll also take about six months to write a film called < I>The Other Side, an English-language film which I might direct for Columbia Tristar.

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.