Why is Bollywood ‘s Mr Powerful fleeing like a trapped animal? Is Aditya Chopra’s preference for privacy turning into a worrying obsession?|

Why is Bollywood ‘s Mr Powerful fleeing like a trapped animal? Is Aditya Chopra’s preference for privacy turning into a worrying obsession?|

By Indu Mirani

For Aditya Chopra, a trip to the movies, one of his favourite pastimes, turned into a nightmare on Wednesday evening when he found himself surrounded by a press posse. The 37-year-old reclusive producer director who is fiercely protective of his privacy was at a suburban theatre to see a paid preview of Ghajini, the film that's pitted against Chopra's own Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. But what stunned onlookers and has sparked some concern among Chopra's close-knit group of friends is his reaction upon seeing media persons at the venue. While most would have grimaced or tried to ward off the media, Chopra, who exited the cinema hall through the back entrance, pulled down the sun visor of the car and covered his face with his arms, looking terrified. All through the few minutes that it took to negotiate the car, Chopra refused to look up and when he did get off, head lowered, he just started fleeing from the cameras like a trapped animal. So is the bossman at Yashraj, and one of the most powerful men in Bollywood, letting the fear of being recognised affect his day-to-day life? People who have known him for long say Chopra wasn't always like this. There was a time when he would talk, even if somewhat hesitantly, to anyone who visited his father's office at Vikas Park Juhu. But the more successful he became, the more fiercely protective of his anonymity. Ironically, he would draw far less attention to himself if he were not so fanatical. The media's interest really lies in the stars of Aditya Chopra's movies. Varkha Chulani, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist describes the condition as social anxiety which usually stems from a feeling of low self-worth."The person craves approval but also dreads confrontation. This makes them stay away from such situations and in extreme cases can even lead to the person becoming reclusive. They may fear being photographed because they are not confident of themselves." However, a close friend of Chopra describes him as a "regular guy who is just an introvert." • Aditya Chopra rushes into his car after watching Ghajini. While his driver reverses the car, Aditya puts his hands over his face and pulls down the visor. Curious onlookers are of course bewidered on seeing his desperate attempts to avoid being photographed • Aditya almost pushes the cameraman in an attempt to stay away from the media glare. While running, he accidentally drops his mobile phone, which he rushes to pick up before dashing towards his car again