Tuesday,
May
30,
2006
New
Delhi
(UNI):
The
Hindi
films
today
may
be
technically
superior
than
those
in
the
60s
and
the
70s
but
in
the
drive
to
become
'chic'
and
'polished',
Indian
cinema
has,
somewhere,
lost
out
on
the
basic
content
that
is
the
essential
ingredient
of
any
film,
veteran
filmmaker
Yash
Chopra
says.
''There's
been
so
much
progress
in
the
Hindi
film
industry
over
the
last
few
decades
on
the
digital
and
technical
side.
Too
many
people
are
talking
about
looks,
costumes
and
make-up;
everything
must
be
flawless.
But
I
think
we
have
lost
something.
We
are
not
giving
so
much
importance
to
content
as
we
did
before,''
Yash
Chopra
said
in
an
interview
to
the
CNN,
to
be
aired
this
week.
Talking
in
the
interview
to
CNN's
'The
Scene'
programme,
to
be
aired
throughout
this
week
at
1930
hours,
the
filmmaker
said,
''Today,
we
are
bothered
more
by
the
form
and
less
by
the
content.
But
the
thing
that
makes
a
good
picture
is
still
the
story.
I
know
very
good
young
filmmakers-very
competent,
very
ambitious
-
but
they
have
to
give
more
thought
to
the
content
than
the
film.''
''I
feel
the
greatest
need
today
is
for
ideas.
Someone
called
it
complete
intellectual
bankruptcy.
Now
people
are
coming
with
new
ideas
but
for
such
a
big
country
we
don't
have
good
writers,
we
don't
have
scripts.
The
greatest
need
for
our
film
industry
is
stories,
scripts
and
actors.
Only
then
can
we
make
good
films,''
Chopra
added.
At
the
same
time,
he
also
bemoaned
the
fall
in
standards
of
film
music
today.
''If
you
ask
me
on
the
music
side,
I
think
we
have
lost
the
soul.
There
is
no
soul
in
music
now.
(Earlier)
people
used
to
write
meaningful
lyrics
from
the
heart''
he
said.
Chopra,
considered
the
most
charismatic
and
powerful
director
of
the
Mumbai
film
industry
with
a
series
of
hit
films
to
his
credit
in
the
recent
years,
talked
about
his
career
as
a
filmmaker,
his
fond
memories
of
Mumbai
as
well
as
his
favourite
films.
It
was
60
years
ago,
when
he
was
in
college
that
Yash
Chopra
decided
to
be
a
filmmaker.
His
brother,
B.
R.
Chopra
taught
him
filmmaking
and
gave
him
a
chance
in
1958.
The
legend
was
given
his
first
directorial
opportunity
with
Dhool
Ka
Phool
in
1959.
Having
directed
many
memorable
films
since
his
debut,
from
Waqt
to
Deewar,Kabhi
Kabhi
to
Chandni,
Lamhe,Dil
To
Paagal
Hai
to
Veer
Zaara,
Chopra
seems
still
as
passionate
about
filmmaking
as
he
was
when
he
came
to
Mumbai
54
years
ago.
''Even
today
I
don't
feel
like
I
have
done
enough
as
a
filmmaker.
It
may
sound
like
a
cliche,
but
with
every
good
film
or
a
big
film
your
passion
increases.
Today
I'm
dying
to
make
a
fantastic
film.
Some
subject
must
excite
me.
Yesterday
is
not
exciting.
I'm
looking
for
something,
looking
for
a
script.
I'm
dying
to
go
on
the
set
and
say,''Start,
go,
cut,''
he
said.
Among
all
his
films,
Chopra
considers
"Silsila" and
"Lamhe"
closest
to
his
heart.
''I've
been
able
to
make
some
wonderful
films
but
sometimes
you
make
films
with
great
passion,
great
belief
and
these
films
slightly
don't
work
at
the
box
office
and
they
become
your
favourite
films.
So
when
I
say
that
Silsila
and
Lamhe
are
my
favorites
and
not,
say,
Deewar
or
Kabhi
Kabhi
or
Chandni,
I
don't
degrade
those
films.
But
these
two
films
I
say
didn't
get
the
success
they
deserved.
So,
these
films
are
very,
very
close
to
my
heart.
But
I
also
think
there
must
be
something
wrong
in
the
films,
some
weakness,
because
audiences
they
want
to
go
and
like
the
film,''the
filmmaker
said.
Heading
for
the
Hollywood
may
be
the
"in
thing"
today
both
among
Bollywood
actors
as
well
as
filmmaker,
but
Chopra
has
no
desires
for
Hollywood.
Asked
whether
he
visualised
himself
directing
a
Hollywood
film
in
the
near
future,
he
said,''I
don't
know,
maybe
if
somebody
offers
but
I
don't
think
anybody
ever
asked
me!
I'm
happy
in
India
because
I
don't
think
Hollywood
is
the
end
of
anybody's
journey.
I
am
very
proud
of
being
an
Indian
film
director.''