Sun Maximus

Sandeep Chopra was born in the tourist hub of Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, India on January 10. Within this-picturesque locale; with its hilly terrain, snow capped mountains, lush green valleys, numerous hidden caves, misty and murmuring waterfalls, glaciers and deep green forests; Sandeep quickly began to desire a means of capturing the natural beauty of his environment. With the support of his family, specifically his father Dr. D.V. Chopra (who bought Sandeep his first video camera at age 7); Sandeep took his first steps into the realm of filmmaking via his creation of a series of short, largely religiously thematic films: Vijali-Mahadev (1983) Manali-The Land Of Godess Hadimba (1984) Dussehra In Dhalpur (1984) An exception to this common thematic narrative was demonstrated in his first documentary feature about the majestic Himalayas, entitled "Kullu: The Valley of Gods (1983)." These early films were well received by friends, family and his instructors alike. Specifically; the educational figures(including his mother Miran Chopra, English Lecturer at Banjar in Kullu, India) life encouraged his film making, noting that his projects were highly reflective of his exceptional intellect, originality and a certain creative edge young Mr. Chopra had above his peers. This encouragement birthed another series of short feature films, continuing the religious and documentary-thematic elements of his first successful films. In 1985, Sandeep produced and released: Kullu Raghunathpur of Lord Rama-a film about Ram, the main character of the epic Ramayana. The Manikaran: A Valley of Boiling Water-Documentary By age 10, Sandeep was locally acclaimed as a director/filmmaker with his projects entertaining a wide array of localized viewers that would eagerly crowd into any locale in which the films were shown. Young Mr. Chopra, like any developing youth, primarily saw his film endeavors as being tasks undertaken primarily for his own personal and localized audience entertainment. Through the course of his first cinematic works, he had developed a large roster of friends and associates he guided from one project to the next via his directorial efforts. His work as a director gave him a sense of authority and self confidence that inspired the advanced development of his foresight. As he imagined his playmates as characters in his currently filming and future cinematic features, he also began to imagine himself and his future within the feature known as life itself. Sandeep's very existence had changed during his tenth year of life, in that his father had gained employment in far away Wichita Kansas, as a professor of Statistics at Wichita State University. Manali Kullu and Bangar; in spite of their high Himalayan beauty and visual splendor, suddenly seemed small and opportunity-limiting as they related to the plans Sandeep had for his young and approaching future life. It was only a short matter of time before Sandeep joined his father in Kansas, as a means of expanding his educational and creative horizons. Sandeep came to the United States as a fifth grader, attending Coleman Middle School in Wichita. In spite of cultural and linguistic barriers; Sandeep was still an exceptional student, socially and academically well-liked by his fellow students and instructors. However, life as a new immigrant to the United States was a challenge for young Mr. Chopra, in that the continual cultural adjustments and dedication to academia left him very little time to pursue his primary love for cinematic creativity. He was, however, able to demonstrate his intellectual capacity and express his creativity within the academic arena to a point where he managed to excel with honors. In his high school years, Sandeep won 8 of 9 highly prestigious science/technology oriented contests he entered when attending Boeing-sponsored Wichita Northeast Magnet High School. In 1993, Sandeep returned to his base school, Wichita Southeast High School, graduating with an exceptional GPA. While America provided and continues to provide Mr. Chopra a wealth of opportunities; India will always draw him home. During his scholastic stint in Wichita, Sandeep and his father returned to India for numerous visits with friends and family. Following high school; Sandeep finally had time to once again return to his first love...the creation of film. He returned to the genre and location that served him well in the past, the short film produced in India.