Profile Details
- Country: Canada
- Province/State: British Columbia
- City: North Vancouver
- How do you Identify?: He/Him
- Experience Level: Established
- Field of Work: Fiction/Scripted
- Union: WGC
- Interested In: TV Writing Room and For-Hire Work
- Recent Credits: DR. CABBIE (2014) LITTLE ITALY (2018)
- Favourite Movies: LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL / DRIVING MISS DAISY / ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
- Favourite TV Shows: SIX FEET UNDER / THE SOPRANOS / BIG BANG THEORY
- Authorized to work in the USA?: No
- Contact Information: manuchopravan@yahoo.com
Bio
“If no one’s laughing at your dream, your dream isn’t big enough”.
MANU CHOPRA is a screenwriter and producer with strong client-facing skills. He has lived and worked in Canada, India and Indonesia.
Manu grew up in Juhu, Mumbai – the heart of Bollywood; the place where most A-list movie stars lived. But he dreamed of making movies in North America and people laughed at him when he said he’d make it happen one day. He’s here now and already has two Canadian No. 1 movies under his belt.
In 2014, Manu co-wrote his first Canadian movie, DR. CABBIE, starring Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) , Adrienne Palicki (G.I. Joe – Retaliation) and Vinay Virmani (Breakaway) in 2014. Despite being released in just 55 theatres Canada-wide, Dr. Cabbie broke the record for the box office opening for a Canadian movie and went on to become the second highest grossing movie in Canada.
As Associate Producer of LITTLE ITALY (released August 24, 2018), Manu was actively engaged in every aspect of the movie—from being heavily involved in the scripting to dealing with the director, cast, production crew, food stylists and chefs during the shoot, and later on, with the edit, ADR and marketing. Little Italy is directed by Donald Petrie, best known for movies like Miss Congeniality and Grumpy Old Men, and stars Hayden Christensen, Emma Roberts, Jane Seymour, Alyssa Milano and Andrea Martin.
Manu has also had a highly successful advertising career, having spent several years at the top 10 global advertising agency GREY WORLDWIDE—where he was eventually posted from Mumbai to Jakarta as Executive Creative Director to head Indonesian operations and interface with their Asian offices.
His success in advertising was replicated in the world of television. Manu was Head Writer with Asia’s premier music channel – the Rupert Murdoch owned CHANNEL [V], where he conceptualized and wrote some of its most memorable and successful shows. His creative exploits at Channel [V] even got him a mention in TIME MAGAZINE. Manu has also written a major Bollywood movie starring several A-listers.
Arriving in Canada in 2003, he went on to spend four years writing ads at COSSETTE – Canada’s largest ad agency, for an impressive roster of clients like the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Tourism British Columbia, McDonalds and the BC Lottery Corporation. He also , he did a 2-year stint as a talk show host at a major Vancouver radio station (unfazed by the fact that he’d never taken the mike before).
Manu has also been a panellist on the Whistler Film Festival and has been a judge and board member of the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival (VISAFF) since 2015.
Having spent his formative years in Mumbai and the past 17 years in Canada, Manu is among a rare breed of screenwriters who’s equally well-versed, adept and comfortable with thinking in, writing for and understanding cultures on both sides of the planet.
Reel/Clips
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCrPUy0IQak