Gotham Chopra
Encyclopedia
Gotham Chopra (born Gautama Chopra; February 23, 1975) is an American author and entertainment/media entrepreneur.
. He attended Belmont Hill School. Gotham was an undergraduate student at Columbia University
.
, a short television program shown in selected high schools throughout the United States, and went on to host the program 'Current Soul' for Current TV
. In 2002, he published an account of his travels and interviews entitled Familiar Strangers: Uncommon Wisdom in Unlikely Places with Doubleday. He was story editor for the comic book Bulletproof Monk
and executive producer for the 2003 film adaptation starring Chow Yun-fat
. His first book, Child of the Dawn, a parable based on the principles of his father's highly successful book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, was published in 1996, and written while Chopra was still an undergraduate college student at Columbia University.
Around the time he began his career at Channel One News, Chopra changed the spelling of his first name from the traditional "Gautama," which evokes the ancient spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism
, to "Gotham", a nickname for New York City
and later appropriated as the fictional setting of the Batman
comic book series. Chopra said that he changed his name because "Gotham" sounds more hip and that he was tired of "Gautama" being mispronounced in the United States. The pronunciation of both versions is very close.
Gotham is a partner in Chopra Media, with his sister, Mallika Chopra
. Together they launched IntentBlog and Virgin Comics. In September 2008, Gotham and Virgin Comics co-founder, Sharad Devarajan led a management buyout of Virgin Comics and renamed the Company, Liquid Comics.
On July 3, 2009, Chopra gave an interview on CNN's
Larry King Live
at Neverland Ranch
saying that he knew pop star Michael Jackson
through his father for over two decades. He had also written about his friendship with Jackson on June 26, 2009 in the Huffington Post. He wrote about Jackson calling him at his dorm when he was a student at Columbia, asking him to help write lyrics for songs and about working with Jackson at his hotel suite in Manhattan as an informal "lyrical advisor." He recalled how Jackson called him at night "in a panic" after he had just married Lisa Marie Presley
and asked him if he had any sex advice. He said he first met Jackson when he was 15 and spent days at the Neverland Ranch with his friends, sisters and cousins. He recalled Jackson's visits to his parents' house and spending a summer with Jackson on the Dangerous Tour. He said their relationship continued after they both became fathers and recalled going to Jackson's house a few years ago with his wife Candice (a physician) to help when Paris Jackson
had an accidental fall. He said parenting was the focus of his last conversations with Jackson in the last few months before Jackson's death.
Following the Newark Airport Incident where Shahrukh Khan
was detained for two hours, Gotham Chopra stated:
Early life
Chopra was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Deepak ChopraDeepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra is an Indian medical doctor, public speaker, and writer on subjects such as spirituality, Ayurveda and mind-body medicine. Chopra began his career as an endocrinologist and later shifted his focus to alternative medicine. Chopra now runs his own medical center, with a focus on...
. He attended Belmont Hill School. Gotham was an undergraduate student at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Career
He started his career as a correspondent and news anchor for Channel One NewsChannel One News
Channel One News is a 12 minute news program for teens broadcast via satellite to middle schools and high schools across the United States. Channel One is owned by Alloy Media + Marketing and based in New York City.-Program History:...
, a short television program shown in selected high schools throughout the United States, and went on to host the program 'Current Soul' for Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
. In 2002, he published an account of his travels and interviews entitled Familiar Strangers: Uncommon Wisdom in Unlikely Places with Doubleday. He was story editor for the comic book Bulletproof Monk
Bulletproof Monk
Bulletproof Monk is a 2003 action film starring Chow Yun-fat, Seann William Scott and Jaime King. The film was directed by Paul Hunter. It is loosely based on the comic book by Michael Avon Oeming....
and executive producer for the 2003 film adaptation starring Chow Yun-fat
Chow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
. His first book, Child of the Dawn, a parable based on the principles of his father's highly successful book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, was published in 1996, and written while Chopra was still an undergraduate college student at Columbia University.
Around the time he began his career at Channel One News, Chopra changed the spelling of his first name from the traditional "Gautama," which evokes the ancient spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, to "Gotham", a nickname for New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and later appropriated as the fictional setting of the Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
comic book series. Chopra said that he changed his name because "Gotham" sounds more hip and that he was tired of "Gautama" being mispronounced in the United States. The pronunciation of both versions is very close.
Gotham is a partner in Chopra Media, with his sister, Mallika Chopra
Mallika Chopra
Mallika Chopra is an Indian American author and businesswoman. She grew up in Lincoln, Massachusetts and graduated from Concord Academy, Brown University and Kellogg School of Management. She is the founder and CEO of Intent.com, a lifestyle dotcom. Earlier in 2000, she had co-founded the dotcom...
. Together they launched IntentBlog and Virgin Comics. In September 2008, Gotham and Virgin Comics co-founder, Sharad Devarajan led a management buyout of Virgin Comics and renamed the Company, Liquid Comics.
On July 3, 2009, Chopra gave an interview on CNN's
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
at Neverland Ranch
Neverland Ranch
Neverland Valley Ranch is a developed property in Santa Barbara County, California, most famous for being a home of American entertainer Michael Jackson from 1988 to 2005. Jackson named the property after Neverland, the fantasy island in the story of Peter Pan, a boy who never grows up...
saying that he knew pop star Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
through his father for over two decades. He had also written about his friendship with Jackson on June 26, 2009 in the Huffington Post. He wrote about Jackson calling him at his dorm when he was a student at Columbia, asking him to help write lyrics for songs and about working with Jackson at his hotel suite in Manhattan as an informal "lyrical advisor." He recalled how Jackson called him at night "in a panic" after he had just married Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley is an American singer and songwriter, also known as the "Princess of Rock and Roll". She is the only child of Elvis Presley, and daughter of Priscilla Presley.-Early life:...
and asked him if he had any sex advice. He said he first met Jackson when he was 15 and spent days at the Neverland Ranch with his friends, sisters and cousins. He recalled Jackson's visits to his parents' house and spending a summer with Jackson on the Dangerous Tour. He said their relationship continued after they both became fathers and recalled going to Jackson's house a few years ago with his wife Candice (a physician) to help when Paris Jackson
Paris Jackson
Paris Jackson is a professional Canadian football slotback for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted sixth overall by the Lions in the 2003 CFL Draft and signed with the team on August 30, 2003...
had an accidental fall. He said parenting was the focus of his last conversations with Jackson in the last few months before Jackson's death.
Following the Newark Airport Incident where Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
was detained for two hours, Gotham Chopra stated:
"It's not just American customs agents being provincial, it's the fact that I would guess that in India alone, there are several million Khans. I'm not joking. Khan is one of the most common Muslim names and India is not even an Islamic country. "Ghengis Khan," anyone? Khan is like Jones or Smith. This is how our security works in the US? This is how we are catching terrorists? Are you kidding me?"
Works
- Bulletproof MonkBulletproof MonkBulletproof Monk is a 2003 action film starring Chow Yun-fat, Seann William Scott and Jaime King. The film was directed by Paul Hunter. It is loosely based on the comic book by Michael Avon Oeming....
(story editor) - Child of the Dawn
- Familiar Strangers: Uncommon Wisdom in Unlikely Places
- The Sadhu
- Walking Wisdom
- Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes
External links
- Liquid Comics
- Gotham's personal blog on Intent.com
- Blog to which Gotham Chopra contributes
- Hindu epic Ramayana reborn in comics The Standard - January 24, 2006