Vidhu Vinod Chopra recently recalled his past conflict with Naseeruddin Shah regarding the film ‘Parinda’. He initially wanted Naseer to play the character Kishan, but faced pushback from a well-wisher who noted that Kishan lacked a romantic interest. This led to a heated exchange, with Chopra expressing his frustration and ultimately casting Jackie Shroff in the role.
At IFFI Goa 2024, Chopra shared the incident and said, “There were two characters, Kishan and Karan in the film ‘Parinda’. Kishan was the one which was played by Jackie, which I wanted Naseeruddin to play. And some of his well-wishers said, oh, but he doesn’t have a heroine, which means he doesn’t have a lady love at that time. I said, he’s a low down, he cannot have it. And the well-wisher said, but Anil Kapoor has a girl. So, it was really conceptually, it was a conceptual part. That time I lost my temper. So, I really screamed at that well-wisher saying, you know nothing about it. And he didn’t like that. So, he said, you cannot say shut up to my well-wisher. I can say, I can do anything. So, it was very, very brotherly. I love him still. He loves me still. We meet again, but this is what triggered. This is how Jackie came into the film.”
Directed and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, ‘Parinda’ featured Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, and Madhuri Dixit. The film explores themes of loyalty and betrayal within the underworld, focusing on two brothers caught in a gang war. Acclaimed for its realistic portrayal of crime, ‘Parinda’ won several awards, becoming a cult classic in Indian cinema, and India’s official entry for the 1990 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
