Vidhu Vinod Chopra says he was offered ₹10 lakh to change Parinda's 'unconventional' ending

12th Fail director Vidhu Vinod Chopra recently recalled an incident from his early filmmaking career when he was almost arm-twisted to make a major change to his story, but refused to do so. 

(Vidhu Vinod Chopra on the sets of 12th Fail | Image: Vidhu Vinod Chopra)

Distributors asked me kill Jackie's character, let Anil, Madhuri live: Vidhu Vinod Chopra

The filmmaker was in a conversation with film critic and Galatta editor Baradwaj Rangan, talking about his upcoming release twelfth fail when he recounted an incident while making his 1989 film Parinda. The 12th Fail director, who up until then had only directed experimental low-budget films like Sazaa-e-Maut and Khamoshi had faced multiple challenges while shooting Parinda with big stars like Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff.  

(Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit in a still from Parinda | Image: IMDB)

In the film, Anna (Nana Patekar’s character) shoots and kills Paro (Madhuri Dixit) and Karan (Anil Kapoor) at the end. Chopra, 71, recalled how his after watching the film, the distributors offered him 10 lakh rupees to change this element. He remembers the distributors telling him, “Here it is - hardcore money - this is for you, sir. All you have to do is not kill Anil and Madhuri, but kill Jackie Shroff.” Chopra added further, “They had pooled in 2 lakhs from each territory, and they were raising the price of each territory. I said no.”

Chopra said further, explaining his unflinching stance, “If I do that, then I am not saying what I wanted to say, that is ‘violence leads to violence, violence leads to solitude.’ They didn’t get it.”

I want to die with a smile, says Chopra

Chopra further recalled that he has this kind of clarity about being honest, right from his film institute days in mid 1970s. He added, “If I have all my films’ DVD around me, and that’s the last thing I see, I want to die with a smile.”

(File image of Vidhu Vinod Chopra | Image: Instagram/Vidhu Vinod Chopra)

While Parinda was not a major box office success, it won several big awards. The 1989 film was also selected as India’s official entry for the 1990 Academy awards. In 2015, Vidhu Vinod Chopra adapted Parinda for Hollywood to make a film titled Broken Horses.

Meanwhile, Chopra's next 12th Fail is schedule to release on October 27, where it clashes with Kangana Ranaut-starrer Tejas and Sajini Shinde ka Viral Video