The Romantics Maker Reflects On Aditya Chopra's 1st Ever Video Interview For YRF Tribute Series

One name that is synonymous with romance is - the legendary Yash Chopra!

It's difficult to forget the films that Yash Chopra has made. No matter what generation, his films continue to touch people belonging to all generations. His legacy is timeless. Therefore, a docu series called "The Romantics" is about to debut and, hopefully, win over admirers as a tribute to the filmmaker.

The show features anecdotes from various famous people as well as some never-before-seen moments!

Smriti Mundhra, the series' director, spoke in-depth with Indiatimes about the show's concept, celebrities, Yash Raj phenomena, Hindi films and everything in between.

Ever since it was revealed that Rishi Kapoor's final interview will be featured in the show, audiences have been anticipating it with vigour.

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Talking about it, Smriti recalled her experience and said that she considers herself grateful and lucky.

She added, ¡°It was such a special interview. He was in such good spirits and robust. He was at his best that day, we could not believe that we would lose him a short time later. So I am incredibly grateful that I got to capture some of his precious memories before his passing.¡±

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The director had also managed to interview 35 celebs for the show.

When asked about what she noted about those stars while interviewing them, she said, ¡°It sounds a little obvious but one thing I think that like really struck me is that all these big stars are at the forefront of the industry and apart of the history of Hindi film industry but they are also just like fans of films first and to talk to them on those terms was really interesting. Just talking about the films they grew up watching and their formative experiences with movies. It was great to hear them fan out over different films, stars and more.¡±

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Another element that probably everyone including stars are excited for is Aditya Chopra¡¯s first ever video interview.

Well to let you know, his last interview was for a print magazine in 1995! Surprising isn't it?

Talking about the same and revealing what it took to get him on camera, Smriti said, ¡°It was not easy. It took many many months, years in fact to convince him to do that and it obviously was a big leap for him. But I think fortunately the more further along we got into making the series and the more clear it became that we are making something special and that it would be incomplete without his perspective. Because they weren't just father and son but they were also colleagues. It would have been incomplete without him. And thankfully overtime i was able to convince him of that.¡±

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The director recently said that it's surprising for her to note that celebs hate the word Bollywood.

When asked what might be the reason behind it and since when celebs started feeling this way, the director said, ¡°I don't know if i specifically asked everyone that when that term started falling out of favor. But I will say that its not that surprising to me that people don't prefer that term, because who wants to be defined in the shadow of something totally different. The whole reason for asking the question is that, I always had a cringey moment every time i say or hear the word Bollywood. I think its the uniformity and the degree to which people prefer to no longer use it and really don't like it was surprising to me. "

"It is a catchy phrase, and to some degree it has been reclaimed. I don't think there was a tipping point moment where people decided collectively that this is not the right word to use. It doesn't surprise me specially today, with the world globalising with the Hindi film industry, broadly speaking Indian film industry being where it is in terms of its influence and its economic scope and availability around the world. It just feels like too small and reductive to define in the shadow of another industry ¡°, she further added.

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Since she is making a series dedicated to Yash Chopra, we asked her which is her favorite YRF movie and she instantly said ¡®Chandni¡¯ and called it ¡®enchanting.¡¯

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Well, if you are unaware, Smriti directed Indian Matchmaking. A series that had divided reactions. Some said that it enforced ¡®stereotypes¡¯ while some watched it despite calling it ¡®cringe¡¯. A part of viewers were even upset about things Sima Taparia said on the show.

Talking about it and how she dealt with these reactions, Smriti said, ¡°If you are any kind of filmmaker or artist the greatest aim of your work is to elicit strong reactions. It's great when your work is loved but it is just as valuable when it becomes controversial or debated. No matter at what end of the spectrum people fall, hardly anyone has told me that it's inaccurate. Because of the show, we are actually debating where we are and where we have to be culturally. "

She continued, "If that show becomes a flashpoint and a lens for the same, then it's a great debate to have when it comes to marriage and relationships. That is how culture changes and how we evolve. "

She councluded saying, " If Indian Matchmaking played any role in that, it makes me proud."

Ever though of a DDLJ remake? Sounds impossible right? We asked Smriti who would she cast if it were to be made again.

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She couldn't control her laughter and said, ¡°Oh my god! There are no two names I could say that wont feel inadequate next to Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, there's no way.¡±

She even called SRK and Kajol one of the best onscreen pairings.

Smriti also wishes to become that type of a filmmaker who can identify the right casting for a movie. Because that time it took a visionary to see the pairing and know that it would be right.

In conclusion, The Romantics is definitely going to be a fantastic watch with so many A-listers sharing their insights and experiences including the final interview with Rishi Kapoor, Aditya Chopra's debut video interview, and much more!

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You can watch the trailer here:

You can now stream The Romantics on Netflix.