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

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Age: 72 Years
Wife: Anupama Chopra
Hometown: Srinagar, Jammu And Kashmir

Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Bio/Wiki
Other NameVVC [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 ColourDark Brown
Hair ColourBlack
Career
DebutFilm (As a director-writer-producer): Sazaye Maut (1981)
Sazaaye Maut
AwardsNational 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
Vidhu Vinod Chopra receiving the National Award
Filmfare Awards
1990: Best Film for the film Parinda
Vidhu Vinod Chopra after receiving the 35th Filmfare Award
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 Birth5 September 1952 (Friday)
Age (as of 2024) 72 Years
BirthplaceSrinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Zodiac signVirgo
NationalityIndian
HometownSrinagar
SchoolDAV 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
ReligionHinduism [3]The Times of India
EthnicityPunjabi-Kashmiri
Food HabitNon-Vegetarian [4]The Economic Times
ControversiesAllegations 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
Chetan Bhagat's tweet on Vidhu Vinod Chopra

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 StatusMarried
Affairs/Girlfriends• Renu Saluja (film editor; died of cancer)
• Shabnam Sukhdev ​(filmmaker)
Anupama Chopra (film critic)
Marriage DateFirst Marriage: Year, 1976
Second Marriage: Year, 1985
Third Marriage: 1 June 1990
Family
Wife/SpouseFirst Wife: Renu Saluja ​(div. 1983)​
Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Renu Saluja
Second Wife: Shabnam Sukhdev ​(div. 1989)​
Vidhu Vinod Chopra's second wife Shabnam
Third Wife: Anupama Chopra
Vidhu Vinod Chopra with Anupama Chopra and his children
ChildrenSon- 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)
Vidhu Vinod Chopra with his daughter Ishaa
• Zuni Chopra (writer; from Anupama Chopra) (image in wife's section)
ParentsFather- Lala Dinanath Chopra aka DN Chopra (manager at an insurance company in Srinagar and poet)
Mother- Shanti Devi Mahalakshmi
Vidhu Vinod Chopra's mother
SiblingsBrother- Veer Chopra (elder; owned a motorcycle company) (deceased)
Vidhu Vinod Chopra's brother
Sister- Shailija Dhar (younger; film director) (played the role of lady at Mona Singh’s wedding in the Hindi film 3 Idiots)
Vidhu Vinod Chopra's sister
Other RelativesHalf Brother: Ramanand Sagar (director and produce; from his father’s side)
Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s half-brother Ramanand Sagar
Father-in-Law- Navin Chandra (ex-executive of Union Carbide)
Mother-in-Law- Kamna Chandra (scriptwriter)
Anupama Chopra sister Tanuja Chandra

Vidhu Vinod Chopra's parents-in-law
Brother-in-Law- Vikram Chandra (American-Indian writer)
Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s brother-in-law
Sister-in-Law- Tanuja Chandra (director, writer)
Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s sister-in-law
Favourites
Filmmaker(s)Steven Spielberg, James Cameron
Film(s)Ajantrik (1958), Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960)
Film GenreThriller, Comedy
Actor(s)Sanjay Dutt, Aamir Khan, Dilip Kumar
DessertRasgulla
SportCricket

Vidhu Vinod Chopra

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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    Vidhu Vinod Chopra during his vacation

  • He loves animals and owns a few pet dogs.

    Vidhu Vinod Chopra with 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

    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

    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.