His "Veer-Zaara" has smashed records in India and overseas, but filmmaker Yash Chopra is not so elated about the profits.

"I say, forget the profits. One should make films like 'Veer-Zaara' for the love of country and cinema. It's a wholesome film with a message, and I'd love to make films of this nature again and again," Chopra told IANS in an interview.

His office in Juhu is a beehive of activity. Son Aditya Chopra is out of town. Yash Chopra and his immensely efficient staff are at work from early morning.

"After the premiere, Amitabh Bachchan said some wonderful words to me.  He said 'Veer-Zaara' is the noblest film he has seen in his life. When a film is made from the heart, such compliments seem justified.

And yet a section of the industry says negative things about "Veer-Zaara".

"What can I say about the people who insist on tearing down my films?  Even if 'Veer-Zaara' wasn't a success, I'd still be proud of it. It's a good effort. Shouldn't my colleagues applaud the effort? Sometimes I feel critics write the reviews at home and then go and see the film. God has given me success. I can't be apologetic about it."

What about the charge that "Veer-Zaara" repeats all the favourite themes images and formulas from his earlier productions?

"I insist on making romantic films. And why not? Even as I speak to you thousands of people across the world are saying, 'I love you' to each other. Every love confession is the same. The difference lies in how you say it. I've been making successful romantic films for years. So why go to a different track now? I'm too old and experienced to change just for the heck of it. I've made successful films in other genres, like 'Deewaar', 'Trishul' and 'Ittefaq'. But now I'm comfortable making romantic films. I can't make others happy by making myself unhappy."

"'Veer-Zaara' is a gift from a son to his father...Aditya Chopra's gift to Yash Chopra. He's my script and dialogue writer, my co-producer and associate director. No son could ever give a greater gift to his father.

"Without Aditya's outstanding script, 'Veer-Zaara' couldn't have been possible. The memorable moments in the script have been created by my son. Like my 'Deewaar', 'Veer-Zaara' couldn't have worked without the script.

"At this stage of my career I need to get really excited by an idea before I get down to directing it. I've to fall in love with an idea to embrace it."

Chopra had a bad patch in his career in the 1980s, when four of his films - "Silsila", "Mashaal", "Faasle" and "Vijay" - flopped in a row and doomsday prophets wrote him off.

He knew he would bounce back. And he did. Since 1989 when the ultra-romantic "Chandni" was released, Chopra has never looked back. 

"To begin with I was just a director. Then I became a producer-director. I started giving a chance to other directors. When my son made 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', we had a very bad experience with the overseas distributors.

"They misbehaved with us by not giving us our due share. We started our overseas business. Today we have our own offices in almost every part of the world. Today both Aditya and I are able to make the films we believe in. Other directors can be brought in to make other kinds of films...We're keen to bring in all styles of directors. 

"In fact we were supposed to produce a film on Mahatma Gandhi directed by (theatre director) Feroz Khan. But after a few discussions I began to feel uncomfortable with the project. I don't want to do any project that I'm uncomfortable with. It seemed too messy. Feroz and I parted ways amicably. Filmmaking is like lovemaking. One has to enjoy every moment of it."

"Our small family of my wife, my elder son, his wife and my younger son...we only talk about films. We can't do anything else."

--Indo-Asian News Service