This Award-Winning Blockbuster Film Made For Just Rs 12 Lakh Set Off Bollywood's Underworld Genre

News18

4 days ago

When Vidhu Vinod Chopra set out to make Parinda in 1989, he had little money but a powerful story. With just Rs 12 lakh and a team of actors still climbing the ladder of stardom, he created a gritty crime drama that would go on to reshape Hindi cinema. What followed was not just box office success, Rs 9 crore in earnings, but a cultural shift. Parinda is now widely considered the film that laid the foundation for Bollywood's underworld genre. Starring Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit, and Nana Patekar, the film broke away from the melodrama of the era. (News18 Hindi)
Parinda portrayed gangland Mumbai with startling realism, long before films like Satya or Company made it fashionable. The raw intensity, atmospheric visuals, and tight narrative were unlike anything the audience had seen. The characters were grey, their morality blurred. Nana Patekar, who played the unpredictable gangster Anna, became a standout. His portrayal was unnerving and unpredictable, an unusual villain for its time. Before Parinda, Patekar was mostly known for his work in theatre. Madhuri Dixit, too, was still looking to break into the mainstream. But this film would change the trajectory for both of them. (News18 Hindi)
Speaking to Hindustan Times, the director recalled how he refused to compromise despite the limited budget. "I'd seen Nana in a play called Purush, and it's very important to say this, but those days, I never used to curse. I was a very well-behaved young man from Kashmir. But it all changed because of Nana," he said. But Parinda wasn't an easy shoot. The friction between Chopra and Patekar on set has since become part of the film's lore. (News18 Hindi)
Recounting one heated moment during a reality show appearance, Chopra revealed, "When I'd direct him (Nana) in a scene, he'd hurl abuses at me. I wondered how I would direct him at all. So, that's when I started abusing him back. I started swearing only because I had to direct Nana," adding, "There's a scene in the film where Nana asks if he has tears in his eyes after his wife has died… We'd been shooting all day, and it was late in the evening. Nana declared that he was too tired to continue and that he was going home. I told him, 'Sure, you pay for the overheads then'. He started swearing at me, I swore back, and in the scuffle, I tore his kurta. The cops on set said, 'We're here to protect you, and you're fighting among yourselves'." (News18 Hindi)
Years later, Patekar gave his side of the story. Speaking in 2024, he said, "There's a tone to how we speak. Some people can't control their anger. I'm one of them. That day, the word 'action' was yelled so loudly it threw me off. My mood snapped. I have some unpleasant memories with Vidhu, and I think he does with me too. Even now, when we meet, it feels like it might be the last time." Despite the off-camera clashes, the results on-screen were electric. (News18 Hindi)
Vidhu Vinod Chopra, a known perfectionist, reportedly had one actor slapped 17 times in a single scene to get the exact take he wanted. Jackie Shroff later revealed that detail in an interview, laughing off the relentless demands of his director. The accolades came swiftly. Parinda won five Filmfare Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Nana Patekar and Best Editing for Renu Saluja. It also bagged a National Film Award and is now featured on many critics' lists of most influential films. (News18 Hindi)