Anupama Chopra Explained

Anupama Chopra
Birthname:Anupama Chandra
Birth Place:Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Mother:Kamna Chandra
Children:Zuni Chopra and Agni Chopra

Anupama Chopra is an Indian author, journalist and film critic who served as the festival director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2023.[1] She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written several books on Indian cinema and has been a film critic for NDTV, India Today,[2] as well as the Hindustan Times. She also hosted a weekly film review show The Front Row With Anupama Chopra, on Star World.[3] She won the 2000 National Film Award for Best Book on Cinema for her first book . She presently critiques movies and interviews celebrities for Film Companion.

Early life and background

Born as Anupama Chandra in Calcutta, India to Chandra Prasad family, she has also lived in Badayun, a city in Uttar Pradesh. Her father, Navin Chandra, was the eldest among his siblings. Anupama's grandfather, originally from Delhi, was an executive with Union Carbide in Kolkata. Her mother, Kamna Chandra, was a scriptwriter who wrote dialogue for such films as Prem Rog (1982) and Chandni (1989). Chopra grew up with her brother and sister in Mumbai, where her family lived in the Nepean Sea Road neighbourhood, and then in Cuffe Parade. Her sister, Tanuja Chandra, is an Indian film director and screenwriter; her brother, Vikram Chandra, is a novelist, who splits his time between California and India. She also lived in Hong Kong for several years as a teenager. She graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai with a BA in English Literature in 1987.

Later, Chopra earned her MA in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. She won the Harrington Award for "academic excellence and promise for success in the field of magazine journalism" while at Medill. She later said, "Film journalism was untouchable at the time. Everybody was ashamed and nobody wanted to admit that I worked for movies."[4]

Career

After her education, Chopra started her career as a film journalist and critic and over the years has written several books on films, especially Hindi cinema. She has written about the Hindi film industry since 1993 and has explored cinema in several mediums – print, television and digital. Her first book (2000) won the 2001 National Film Award for Best Book on Cinema (India).[5] Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (The Bravehearted Will Take The Bride) (2002) was published by the British Film Institute as part of their Modern Classics Series. Her book, King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema, was featured on the annual "Editor's Choice" list of the New York Times Book Review. It was also translated into German, Indonesian and Polish.

Chopra's 2011 book First Day First Show: Writings from the Bollywood Trenches, is a compilation of her articles on Hindi cinema over two decades, published by Penguin India.[6]

Chopra's work has been published in India Today, India's largest English-language magazine. She has also written about Hindi films for various international publications such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Variety and Sight & Sound and is a contributing editor to Vogue India.

Chopra hosted film review show, Picture This on NDTV 24X7 news channel.[7] In 2012, she started her weekly review show called The Front Row with Anupama Chopra, on Star World, which ran until June 2014.[8] [9] In 2013, she released two books, Freeze Frame based on the interviews with film makers and actors on the TV show,[10] and 100 Films to See before You Die based on her weekly film columns.[11] In 2014, she also did a Hindi show called 'Star Verdict' on Star Plus.

Currently she hosts Film Companion on YouTube which replaced "The Front Row With Anupama Chopra" where she critiques Hindi Film movies.[12] She has written several books on cinema. Anupama's latest book, The Front Row: Conversations on Cinema published by HarperCollins is a collection of her televised interviews with both Indian Film and Hollywood personalities. She is also actively involved in works related to film festivals happening in India.

In November 2014, Chopra replaced Srinivasan Narayanan to become the festival director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival organized by the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI).[13] [14] She remained in this role until June 2024, when she stepped down and was replaced by interim festival director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.

Film Companion

In July 2014, Chopra founded the website Film Companion as a pan-India platform for entertainment journalism. The platform carries reviews, interviews, features and masterclasses around cinema, television and web series. Chopra, Rahul Desai, Sucharita Tyagi and Pratayush Parasuraman write for the platform.[15] [16] [17] [18] Baradwaj Rangan also wrote for many years before leaving on 15 March 2022.[19] In July 2024, Chopra announced she was leaving Film Companion, and the site itself was closing.[20] [21]

Awards

Personal life

Chopra is married to Vidhu Vinod Chopra, a producer and director of Hindi films.[22] Her daughter Zuni Chopra (born 2001/2002) is the author of three books, including a novel and two books in poetry.[23] Her son Agni Dev Chopra is a cricketer.[24]

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: x.com . 2024-06-16 . X (formerly Twitter).
  2. http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_Review.aspx?id=510 Anupama Chopra, Consulting Editor, Films, NDTV
  3. News: Chopra . Anupama . 2 March 2012 . Anupama Chopra's review: Paan Singh Tomar . Hindustan Times . dead . 6 March 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120303000220/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Reviews/Anupama-Chopra-s-review-Paan-Singh-Tomar/Article1-819886.aspx . 3 March 2012 . Starting today, Anupama Chopra becomes Hindustan Times' film critic..
  4. News: Ramnath . Nandini . Home truths Anupama Chopra . Time Out Mumbai . 6 March 2012.
  5. Web site: 48th National Film Awards . . 8 June 2013 . 7 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171107004102/http://dff.nic.in/2011/48th_nff_2001.pdf . live.
  6. http://worldcat.org/search?q=au%3AAnupama+Chopra&qt=hot_author Results for 'au:Anupama Chopra' books
  7. Web site: Rajyasree Sen . 30 April 2012 . The Front Row with Anupama Chopra is the reel thing . 27 July 2014 . Firstpost . 24 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924045736/http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/the-front-row-with-anupama-chopra-is-the-reel-thing-292783.html . live.
  8. Web site: The Front Row with Anupama Chopra . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140314060758/http://thefrontrow.starworld.in/fullepisodes . 14 March 2014 . 27 July 2014 . STAR World.
  9. Web site: The Front Row with Anupama Chopra . 27 July 2014 . STAR Tv India . 27 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140727205201/http://www.startv.in/show/the-front-row-with-anupama-chopra/424 . dead.
  10. Web site: 26 January 2014 . A look at what's on celebs' minds . 27 July 2014 . . 8 August 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140808230437/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140126/spectrum/book2.htm . live.
  11. Web site: August 2013 . "I am not a film snob" – Anupama Chopra . https://web.archive.org/web/20140810143229/http://cineblitz.liveinstyle.com/features/detail/i-am-not-a-film-snob-anupama-chopra1 . 10 August 2014 . 27 July 2014 . Cine Blitz.
  12. Web site: August 2014 . Film Companion in Anupama (Land) . 1 January 2016 . Book My Show . 20 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220120757/https://in.bookmyshow.com/entertainment/film-companion-anupama-land/44263 . live.
  13. News: MAMI has a new chairperson . The Times of India . 19 December 2016 . 6 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171206003152/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/MAMI-has-a-new-chairperson/articleshow/45187036.cms . live.
  14. News: Anupama Chopra on Balancing Life as a Critic and Festival Director . . 19 December 2016 . 20 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220163525/https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/2016/11/25/anupama-chopra-talks-about-including-the-power-of-bollywood-in-a-film-festival . live.
  15. Web site: 18 June 2020 . Film Companion brings together experts and enters the education industry . 23 November 2020 . Indian Television Dot Com . en . 13 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201113181111/https://www.indiantelevision.com/movies/movies-on-mutiple-platforms/film-companion-brings-together-experts-and-enters-the-education-industry-200618 . live.
  16. Web site: Maneck . Ankita . 5 October 2016 . Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival: Anupama Chopra on what to expect from its 18th edition . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200828194505/https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/jio-mami-mumbai-film-festival-anupama-chopra-on-what-to-expect-from-its-18th-edition-3035630.html . 28 August 2020 . 7 November 2021 . Firstpost.
  17. Web site: 14 April 2017 . Jio MAMI 19th Mumbai Film Festival with Star . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170719075836/http://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/its-official-the-jio-mami-mumbai-film-festival-with-star-has-been-announced/ . 19 July 2017 . 20 July 2017 . Koimoi.
  18. Web site: 27 April 2017 . MAMI With PVR Cinemas Hosted FELICITE's Premiere . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170516202834/http://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/mami-with-pvr-cinemas-hosted-felicites-premiere/ . 16 May 2017 . 20 July 2017 . Koimoi.
  19. 1503714516164820993 . baradwajrangan . Goodbye, @fcompanionsouth ! . Baradwaj Rangan . Baradwaj Rangan . 15 March 2022 . 18 March 2022.
  20. Web site: 2024-07-21 . Film Companion Closes Down, Anupama Chopra Confirms: 'Wishing This Wonderful Crew...' . 2024-07-21 . News18 . en.
  21. Web site: 2024-07-25 . Film Companion ends its 10-year-old journey . 2024-07-28 . afaqs! . en.
  22. Web site: 8 May 2010 . Sleeping with the Enemy . 27 July 2014 . . 18 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171018134217/http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/art-culture/sleeping-with-the-enemy . live.
  23. News: Krithika . R. . 6 February 2017 . Fifteen-year-old Zuni Chopra talks about her debut novel, The House That Talks . 20 January 2024 . The Hindu . en-IN . 0971-751X . 20 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240120105435/https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/%E2%80%98I-think-in-words-not-images%E2%80%99/article17201544.ece . live.
  24. Web site: 10 January 2024 . Agni Chopra, Son Of '12th Fail' Director, Slams 258 Runs On Ranji Trophy Debut . 20 January 2024 . English Jagran . en . 20 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240120105323/https://english.jagran.com/cricket/who-is-agni-chopra-son-of-12th-fail-director-vidhu-vinod-chopra-shines-on-his-ranji-trophy-debut-for-mizoram-ranji-trophy-match-sikkim-vs-mizoram-12th-fail-movie-success-10126266 . live.

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