Vidhu Vinod Chopra Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Other Name	VVC [1]Business Today
Profession(s)	Film Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Editor
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 175 cm in meters- 1.75 m in feet & inches- 5’ 9”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 75 kg in pounds- 165 lbs
Body Measurements (approx.)	- Chest: 40 Inches - Waist: 32 Inches - Biceps: 12 Inches
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Debut	Film (As a director-writer-producer): Sazaye Maut (1981)
Awards	National Film Awards • 1976: National Film Award for Best Short Experimental Film • 2003: Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for the film Munna Bhai MBBS • 2006: Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai • 2006: Best Screenplay for the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai • 2009: Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for the film 3 Idiots Filmfare Awards • 1990: Best Film for the film Parinda • 2004: Best Film for the film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. • 2004: Best Screenplay for the film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. • 2007: Best Dialogue for the film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. • 2007: Best Story for the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai • 2007: Best film (Critics) for the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai • 2010: Best Screenplay for the film 3 Idiots • 2010: Best Film for the film 3 Idiots • 2024: Best Editing for the film 12th Fail • 2024: Best Screenplay for the film 12th Fail • 2024: Best Director for the film 12th Fail Awards of the International Indian Film Academy • 2004: Best Screenplay for the film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. • 2006: Best Story for the film Parineeta • 2010: Best Screenplay for the film 3 Idiots • 2010: Best Story for the film 3 Idiots • 2010: Best Film for 3 Idiots ETC Bollywood Business Awards • 2015: The 300 Crore Club for the film PK • 2019: The 300 Crore Club for the film Sanju • 2019: Highest Grosser of the Year for the film Sanju Screen Awards • 2007: Best Story for the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai • 2010: Best Screenplay for the film 3 Idiots • 2010: Best Film for 3 Idiots Bengal Film Journalists’ Award • 2004: Best Film for Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. • 2007: Best Film for Lage Raho Munna Bhai FOI Online Awards • 2023: Best Film Editing for the film 12th Fail • 2023: Best Screenplay (adapted) for the film 12th Fail Other Awards • 1976: Oscars Nominations for the Hindi-English short film Murder on Monkey Hill • 1980: Won Grand Prix at Tampere Film Festival for the documentary An Encounter with Faces • 1995: Won Best Film at Shanghai International Film Festival for the film 1942: A Love Story • 2006: Best Story for the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai • 2007: Won Best Film by Bollywood Awards for the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai • 2010: Won Best Film by Annual Central European Bollywood Awards for the film 3 Idiots • 2010: Won Best Film by Stardust Awards for the film 3 Idiots • 2015: Won Best Film by Apsara Film Producers Guild Awards for the film PK • 2015: Won Best Film by IBN Live Movie Awards for the film PK • 2019: Won Best Film by Zee Cine Awards for the film Sanju • 2024: Won Best Director for 12th Fail
Personal Life
Date of Birth	5 September 1952 (Friday)
Age (as of 2024)	72 Years
Birthplace	Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Zodiac sign	Virgo
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Srinagar
School	DAV Institute Magarmal Bagh Srinagar, Kashmir
College/University	• Sir Parashurambhau College, Pune • Film and Television Institute of India in Pune
Educational Qualification(s)	• BA at Sir Parashurambhau College, Pune • A Film Course at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune [2]Telegraph India
Religion	Hinduism [3]The Times of India
Ethnicity	Punjabi-Kashmiri
Food Habit	Non-Vegetarian [4]The Economic Times
Controversies	• Allegations by Chetan Bhagat Following the release of his Hindi film 3 Idiots, he called for a press conference to clear the rumours regarding Chetan Bhagat's copyright infringement allegations. However, Chopra lost his cool while responding to a journalist's questions and asked him to 'shut up.' Later, he apologised to the journalist. In 2020, in a tweet Chetan Bhagat accused him of bullying and harassing. [5]NDTV • Yelled at a Journalist In October 2016, at a film festival in Mumbai, Chopra again lost his cool on a journalist. Although the reporter's question could not be ascertained, Chopra was heard saying, "Don't tell me what to speak about, why the F**K should I speak."
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Affairs/Girlfriends	• Renu Saluja (film editor; died of cancer) • Shabnam Sukhdev ​(filmmaker) • Anupama Chopra (film critic)
Marriage Date	First Marriage: Year, 1976 Second Marriage: Year, 1985 Third Marriage: 1 June 1990
Family
Wife/Spouse	• First Wife: Renu Saluja ​(div. 1983)​ • Second Wife: Shabnam Sukhdev ​(div. 1989)​ • Third Wife: Anupama Chopra
Children	Son- Agni Dev Chopra (cricketer; from Anupama Chopra) (image in wife's section) Daughter(s)- 2 • Ishaa Vinod Chopra (dancer, filmmaker, and author; from Shabnam Sukhdev) • Zuni Chopra (writer; from Anupama Chopra) (image in wife's section)
Parents	Father- Lala Dinanath Chopra aka DN Chopra (manager at an insurance company in Srinagar and poet) Mother- Shanti Devi Mahalakshmi
Siblings	Brother- Veer Chopra (elder; owned a motorcycle company) (deceased) Sister- Shailija Dhar (younger; film director) (played the role of lady at Mona Singh’s wedding in the Hindi film 3 Idiots)
Other Relatives	• Half Brother: Ramanand Sagar (director and produce; from his father’s side) • Father-in-Law- Navin Chandra (ex-executive of Union Carbide) • Mother-in-Law- Kamna Chandra (scriptwriter) • Brother-in-Law- Vikram Chandra (American-Indian writer) • Sister-in-Law- Tanuja Chandra (director, writer)
Favourites
Filmmaker(s)	Steven Spielberg, James Cameron
Film(s)	Ajantrik (1958), Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960)
Film Genre	Thriller, Comedy
Actor(s)	Sanjay Dutt, Aamir Khan, Dilip Kumar
Dessert	Rasgulla
Sport	Cricket

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vidhu Vinod Chopra

• Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s ancestors are from Peshawar, British India (now Pakistan).
  

  Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s childhood picture with his mother

• He was an intelligent student in school. His father wanted him to become a doctor. He was even a national scholar in school. He also had a keen interest in various sports like cricket.

• He did not learn English till the age of 15. He started learning the English alphabet for the first time when he was 16 years old. ^[6]Telegraph India

• Vidhu Vinod was born to a poor family. Once, he even didn’t have Rs 5 to pay doctor’s fees. ^[7]Dainik Bhaskar

• In his teens, he developed an interest in films. His brother advised him to join FTII, Pune to learn more about filmmaking. His brother used to pay his fees of Rs 250 and even supported him financially, while he was studying there.
  

  Vidhu Vinod Chopra in his younger days

• During his first year in FTII, he was so afraid of ragging that he used to carry a knife with him to the FTII campus. He once shared that if somebody had ragged him there, he would have even killed his seniors with a knife. ^[8]The Times of India

• In an interview, he shared that he once thought of studying at the University of California, Los Angeles, but his financial condition was not good enough to pay the fees of that college. ^[9]The Times of India

• While studying at FTII, he met his first wife Renu Saluja (Indian film editor). However, their marriage ended in 1983, as Renu did not want to have a child.

• In 1976, Vidhu worked as a director in the Hindi-English short film ‘Murder at Monkey Hill.’

• He directed the Hindi documentary film ‘An Encounter with Faces’ in 1978.

• He has directed various Hindi films such as ‘Parinda’ (1989), ‘1942: A Love Story’ (1994), ‘Mission Kashmir’ (2000), ‘Shikara’ (2020), and ’12th Fail’ (2023).
  

  Vidhu Vinod Chopra on the sets of 12th Fail

• He denied the offer of an interview with the Indian film critic Anupama Chopra in 1989. Later, through her mother, Anupama approached Vidhu. They then started meeting often and soon, fell in love with each other. In an interview, he shared that he dedicated his directorial Hindi film ‘Kareeb’ to Anupama.

• In the 1983 Hindi film ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro,’ he made a small appearance.

• He has worked as a writer in many Hindi films like ‘Parinda’ (1989), ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ (2003), ‘Parineeta’ (2005), ‘3 Idiots’ (2009), ‘Shikara’ (2020), and ‘12th Fail’ (2023).

• He has produced a few Hindi films such as ‘1942: A Love Story’ (1994), ‘Mission Kashmir’ (2000), ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ (2003), ‘3 Idiots’ (2009), ‘Sanju’ (2018), and ‘12th Fail’ (2023).

• In 2005, he worked as a supervising editor in the Hindi film ‘Parineeta.’

• In the 2006 Hindi film ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai,’ he was an associate writer and lyricist too.

• As a screenplay associate, he worked in the Hindi film ‘3 Idiots’ in 2009.

• In 2015, he worked as a writer-director-producer in the English film ‘Broken Horses.’

• His mother’s last dream was that he make a film on the struggles of Kashmiri Pandit. In 2020, he directed the Hindi film ‘Shikara’ as a tribute to his mother. He was also the co-writer of the film.

• He co-wrote the book ‘Unscripted: Conversation on Life And Cinema’ in 2021.

• Apart from films, he has produced advertisements for a few brands like Lehar Pepsi.

• He also owns a merchandise clothing store named Creative Ideas.
  

  T-Shirt of Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s store

• He often consumes alcoholic beverages at various parties and events. ^[10]The Economic Times

• He loves to travel to different places in his spare time.
  

  Vidhu Vinod Chopra during his vacation

• He loves animals and owns a few pet dogs.
  

  Vidhu Vinod Chopra with dogs

• He does not use a few social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook.

• He has a good relationship with the Indian politician LK Advani. He once talked about his first meeting with Advani. He said,
  

  The first Rs 5000 I earned in my life was given to me by Mr LK Advani for the National Award. When I went on stage and they gave me the National Award and it was encashable after 8 years as it was a postal certificate. Then I made a lot of noise which I don’t want to go into but he was the I&B minister and he called me the next day to his office and gave me breakfast. Then he sent me to Gol Dak Khana in Delhi and I actually got my first Rs 5000 from him and that I will never ever forget.”

  

  Vidhu Vinod Chopra with LK Advani

• At the time, he was nominated for Oscar, LK Advani helped him financially as Vidhu’s financial condition was not good at that time. Advani bought him an Air India ticket and $20 a day till his stay in the US. ^[11]The Times of India

• His work videos are uploaded on the YouTube channel of his production house.
  

  Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films YouTube channel

• He once gifted Amitabh Bachchan a Rolls Royce worth Rs 4.5 crore. In an interview, he mentioned that he owned only a Maruti van at that time. He also claimed that his mother slapped him for gifting Amitabh a 4 crore car while he drove a Maruti.