MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: UDAY CHOPRA

By Fuad Omar.

Vikram Kapoor is a totally flamboyant and happy-go-lucky prankster with a big heart and smile to match. Not surprisingly his alter-ego and of screen incarnation, actor Uday Chopra resembles Vicky very much. Meeting Uday is a pleasure as he welcomes me into his home to discuss the success of Mohabbatein and to gain an insight into the man who brought life to the fun loving youngster who became besotted with his adorable on screen partner Ishika Dhanrajgir.

Dressed in a tee and jeans, Uday is as cool and calm as his Mohabbatein character. Sporting a short stubble and biceps to put some wrestlers to shame, he is more than happy to discuss what has become the biggest Hindi UK box office success of the year and the experience that has ensured some love stories live forever.

"It feels great Mohabbatein is such a success," he says with a smile, "not only because it's my first film but also because it's my own production, I'm really happy it's been so well-received internationally."
I congratulate him on his recent performance at the Screen Videocon Awards where all six newcomers danced on stage to a medley of the blockbuster's hits, and ask how life has changed post-Mohabbatein.

"There's been a gradual change, life does tend to change a little because now that you've shown what you can do, people expect you to do as well as that or do even better and also you have expectations from yourself to do better as well. After doing your debut film you have to stand on your own feet and make it. So in that way I think there has been a change where work is concerned. Besides that we have gained recognition in the sense that we were newcomers and now after this movie we're being recognised on the street, so it feels great!"

I joke with him about how I recognised him from before as if you carefully watch the Making of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge you can catch a glimpse of Kajol applying make-up to Uday, to which he laughs justifying: "I've been assisting my father since the time of Lamhe up until Dil To Pagal Hai and was even assisting Adi(Aditya Chopra) in DDLJ so I think when you're someone's brother you become friendly with the cast and the story behind that section where you see Kajol putting make up on me is this: We had been out for a long time in the sun and so I just asked the make-up person to put some on me so I wouldn't get sun burns and Kajol overheard and just started putting make-up on me!"

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge certainly is a film full of debuts with Aditya Chopra's first directorial venture and the public's first glimpse of Karan Johar before Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I wonder if Uday is in the film too which is fast proving to be a lucky mascot for all those involved in whatever way.

"I'm in the film in a small segment, you know the song Ho Gaya Hai Tujko to Pyar Sajna?" he asks as I hum the song inside my head and cast my mind back to the beautiful visuals of the celluloid masterpiece.
"Well, there's a shot when Kajol is walking in the park and Shahrukh goes past her then holds onto her hand and pulls back his hood revealing it's him, there's one person cycling away in the background and that's me!" he says as we laugh remembering the scene. It seems the film's magic has spread further than to it's viewers and will hopefully be one where people will be searching for Uday in it very soon as he is catapulted to superstardom.

We come back to Mohabbatein and Vicky and how close Uday is to the character, as he reveals how the role was written with him in mind.
"When Adi was writing the role he had me in mind as he wanted someone who was like Vicky a little, and with the kind of flamboyance he had and the exuberance and that fun-loving extrovert it's all close to me, so I guess if people have liked my character that's because it was very easy for me to do those scenes as it was how I would've done those things and what I would've said. Vicky is a little exaggerated as is the case with Hindi cinema but otherwise it's me."

Of course Uday has not been through all his character in Mohabbatein has and so his acting skills came into play. I ask about what training he had received before Mohabbatein and how he prepared for the role.
"I had taken a 15 day workshop with Mr Anupam Kher and that got my juices flowing and into acting, after that I enrolled in the acting classes run by Kishore Nimit Kapoor where I learnt to open up and to shed my inhibitions. Once we had started Mohabbetin we had a lot of in-house training in that we used to perform scenes and songs and rehearse for hours in front of the camera. Then we did a workshop with Mr Barry John from Delhi which really showed me that to acting there's so much more and that acting can be everything, and on top of that we had classes for make-up and diction and dance classes, so ultimately we had a good one and a half years of solid hard work before we went on with the film," he says reminiscing.

We move onto the real Uday Chopra who I am fast realising is an articulate actor who puts thought into his performances and believes in hard work and being a good person. So to delve deeper into his psyche I ask who he'd say was his inspiration be it a real person or fictitious character, and he surprises me again as he quotes me lines from Ayn Rand's Fountainhead and states:
"I read this book which inspired who I became and the character was Howard Roark. He said things like 'a man should have a purpose and the most pitiful person is a man without a purpose,' and 'ego is the fountainhead of all human progress and selfishness is a virtue if you use it right, it can help get you somewhere'. So these things hit me at the time as I had never thought of life like that. Successful people are like that, like my brother and they are true go-getters so if they want something they get it. And they do it for their own personal satisfaction and nothing else, anything else is a by-product. That is what hit me and I realised that is the person one needs to be to achieve something great. That inspired me."

Stunned by what I'd consider as one of the best quotes I've got in a while, I probe further and ask what he aspires to be, and again his response does not disappoint but is an intriguing view of life.
"I really don't know where I want to go, all I know is that I want to keep going there. I don't want to make plans because I think life is so dynamic and every day you wake up with a new dream and I want to have all those dreams. I don't want to limit myself and go towards just one dream or direction, I want everything. I just want to keep going and maybe one day I'll get there, or maybe I'll never get there and that's the excitement of life that it's just a journey and you just keep going forward."

"I have one film on the floor which is my own production called Mujhse Dosti Karogi which is directed by Kunal Kohli who used to host the show Chalo Cinema. The film has Hrithik, Kareena and Rani and I'm doing a special appearance in the film. So that'll be out next year, and there have been some other interesting subjects I'm considering but I haven't signed anything as yet."

We go on to discuss everything from his clothes to how he loves London and the cold and his workout regime, as well as the common passions we share such as his favourite places in London like Leicester Square and his passion for movies and appreciation for the cinematic experience. Before we end our conversation I ask him to say something to the many millions of cine-goers who will be reading this and have appreciated his performance in Mohabbatein:
"Thank you for liking me in my first film, I have a lot more to do and a lot more to achieve. I want to play many more characters so don't judge me on just my first performance and hopefully you'll enjoy the ride, just go with the flow."

Without betraying his cool exterior he thanks me for a 'different' interview and leaves me with a sense of big things coming his way. Maybe the DDLJ magic will sprinkle some more success on this young newcomer whose sights are set high and heart burning with passion. Uday Chopra leaves me restless to interview him again and has revealed there is so much more to the man who gave life to Vicky Kapoor, and that there is as much depth to this man whose eyes are sparkling with dreams and took me into his world for an afternoon, proving in every sense that some meetings live forever.



COMPETITION

To celebrate the success of Mohabbatein we are running a competition in which we are giving away an exclusively signed print of Uday from Mohabbatein. To win just answer the following question:
In Mohabbatein, what is the name of Uday's character and who does he fall in love with?

Answers via email including your name and address, please..
Closing date for this competition is June 5th so hurry!

Watch this space for more Mohabbatein giveaways and exclusive interviews coming your way soon!