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Vidhu Vinod Chopra, like many filmmakers, turned to directing advertisements when he wasn’t tied up with films and sought some quick earnings. In 1990, fresh off the success of his first hit, Parinda, which was made on a modest budget of Rs 12 lakh, Chopra took on the task of directing a commercial for Pepsi, heralding the cola giant’s entry into India.
In the book Unscripted, written by Abhijat Joshi, Chopra recalls how the budget for the two-minute ad was a staggering Rs 1 crore—a stark contrast to Parinda’s shoestring finances. Chopra himself earned Rs 50 lakh for directing the ad, a significant sum for someone who had been struggling financially for years before tasting success. Chopra revealed that he earned more from the commercial than his film. Yet, rather than being lured into the world of commercials, Chopra decided to only direct ads when he was in dire financial need, as he didn’t want to “corrupt his soul and art.” He said, “I made more money from one ad than I did from Parinda—that is why I decided not to make any more ads.”
The ad itself was a massive hit with the audience and Chopra even risked his life shooting for it. The book details how the shoot involved thousands of extras, along with Juhi Chawla. Chopra, awed by the scale of the set, wanted all the extras to drink Pepsi. When it became clear that they don’t have access to the soft drink, the production team concocted a purple syrup from jamun and mixed it with soda to resemble the iconic drink. Chopra also instructed the extras to say “aah,” a gesture that would become a signature expression in future Pepsi ads.
Chopra didn’t stop there. He placed the camera trolley on a catwalk high above the studio floor to capture the full scope of the massive set. In the book, he admits that this was a dangerous move and could have led to serious injury if he had fallen. However, the risk paid off, and his work caught the attention of Alan Pottasch, Pepsi’s vice-chairman and creative head, who invited him to New York. Impressed by Chopra’s work, Pottasch asked him to direct another ad for Pepsi, offering Rs 2 crore as fee. Chopra, however, declined, explaining that he didn’t want to compromise his artistic integrity for money.
Mike Khanna, India’s top ad executive, later tried to convince Chopra to direct more commercials. The filmmaker, however, declared he would only do so if he ever went broke. True to his word, he contacted Mike when his 1998 film Kareeb flopped at the box office, leading to financial strain. Mike’s response amused Chopra. He said, “That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long, long time!”
This led the filmmaker to direct his second and final commercial, this time announcing the launch of ICICI Bank. Charging Rs 1 crore for the ad, Chopra confessed in the book that the payment enabled him to produce and direct Mission Kashmir (2000), starring Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, and Sanjay Dutt.
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