Panaji (Goa) [India], November 21 : Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra's directorial '1942: A Love Story', which was released in 1994, is a cult film that still resonates with the audience.
As the film received an overwhelming response from movie lovers during its screening at the 56th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in the 8K version, the ace director noted that "real love" in cinema never goes out of style and recalled the challenges faced while shooting for the film in the pre-digital era.
Speaking to ANI, he said, "It's like unbelievable to see people crying in a film which I made 35 years back. It's such a great feeling."
Chopra said '1942: A Love Story' continues to resonate because it was made with sincerity rather than commercial considerations. "This is real love. I think what they try and do now is they're trying to commercialise love. And that's very boring. This is non-commercial real love. I'm touched that people were actually weeping at the end when they hugged me. It was very emotional."
Recalling the making of the film in the pre-digital era, he said extensive effort went into crafting every frame. He shared a memorable anecdote involving filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who was assisting him at the time. "When I made '1942 A Love Story', I didn't say, Oh, I'll sell this much to Netflix, Amazon. No, we were just making a movie. Do you know all the birds in the sky? That time, there was no digital. So my guys used to go at night to throw bread. And which guy? Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who's now a big director. He was assisting me. So in the morning, the birds would come up. So those birds are real. So imagine the amount of effort we put into making this film."
Jackie Shroff and Anupam Kher also attended the screening of the film.
The film's soundtrack has been remastered in 5.1 surround sound through a meticulous process, with part of the restoration carried out at L'Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy, one of the world's leading labs known for preserving cinematic heritage.
It stars Anil Kapoor, Manisha Koirala and Jackie Shroff, with Danny Denzongpa, Anupam Kher, Pran and Brian Glover.
Besides the actors' performance, the film is still remembered for its songs such as 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga'.The movie was set in 1942, a few years before India's independence in 1947. The film showcased the love story of Naren Singh (Anil Kapoor) and Rajjo Pathak (Manisha Koirala) against the backdrop of social and political unrest amid India's revolutionary movement in the 1940s.
While Anil Kapoor as Naren Singh played the role of an apolitical son of a British colonial employee, Manisha Koirala as Rajjo Pathak was cast as the daughter of a freedom fighter.
The 56th International Film Festival of India is currently underway in Goa. It will run till November 28.