Yash Chopra


Yash Raj Chopra was an Indian director and film producer who worked in Hindi films. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chopra was the recipient of several awards, including six National Film Awards and 11 Filmfare Awards. He is considered among the best Indian filmmakers. For his contributions to film, the Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2001, and the Padma Bhushan in 2005. British Academy of Film and Television Arts presented him with a lifetime membership, making him the first Indian to receive the honour.
Chopra began his career as an assistant director to I. S. Johar and his elder brother, B.R. Chopra. He made directorial debut with Dhool Ka Phool in 1959, a melodrama about illegitimacy, and followed it with the social drama Dharmputra. Chopra rose to prominence after directing the critically and commercially successful drama Waqt, which pioneered the concept of ensemble casts in Bollywood. In 1971, he founded his own production company, Yash Raj Films, whose first production was Daag: A Poem of Love, a successful melodrama about polygamy. His success continued in the seventies, with some of Indian cinema's most successful and iconic films, including the action-thriller Deewaar, which established Amitabh Bachchan as a leading actor in Bollywood; the ensemble romantic drama Kabhie Kabhie and the ensemble drama Trishul. This was followed by a period of professional setback from the late 1970s to 1989.
Chopra collaborated with Sridevi in two of what has been considered to be his finest films; the romantic musical Chandni, which became instrumental in ending the era of violent films in Bollywood and returning to musicals, and the intergenerational romantic drama Lamhe, considered by critics and Chopra himself to be his best work, but underperformed at the domestic box office although brought profits overseas. After helming the critically panned Parampara, Chopra directed the musical psychological thriller Darr, the first of his films to star Shahrukh Khan. Chopra directed three more romantic films, all starring Khan; Dil To Pagal Hai, Veer-Zaara and Jab Tak Hai Jaan, before announcing his retirement from direction in 2012. He died of dengue fever during Jab Tak Hai Jaans production in 2012. He is now considered one of the best directors in Bollywood industry.

Early life

Chopra was born on 27 September 1932 in Lahore, British India, into a Punjabi Hindu family in British India. His father was an accountant in the PWD division of the British Punjab administration. He was the youngest of eight children, the oldest of whom was almost 30 years his senior. The eminent film-maker BR Chopra is one of his brothers.
Chopra was largely brought up in the Lahore house of his second brother, BR Chopra, then a film journalist. Chopra went to Jalandhar in 1945 to continue his education, and studied at Doaba College, Jalandhar. He moved to Ludhiana in Punjab after the Partition. He originally sought to pursue a career in engineering.
His passion for film-making led him to travel to Bombay, where he initially worked as an assistant director to I. S. Johar, and then for his director-producer brother, Baldev Raj Chopra.

Early career

Chopra received his first directorial opportunity in 1959 with the social drama Dhool Ka Phool, produced by his elder brother B.R. Chopra and starring Mala Sinha, Rajendra Kumar and Leela Chitnis. The film revolved around a Muslim bringing up an "illegitimate" Hindu child. The film was well received by critics and became the fourth highest-grossing film of the year. Encouraged by their success, the Chopras made another hard-hitting social drama, Dharmputra. It was one of the first films to depict the Partition of India and Hindu fundamentalism. The film marked the debut of Shashi Kapoor in a fully fledged role and was awarded with the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. Theatrical screenings of the film were disrupted by violent demonstrations in response to its raw depiction of the partition riots and related sloganeering and hence became a box office flop. Chopra avoided making political films after that.
Chopra's collaboration with his brother continued in the form of the 1965 film Waqt, which featured an ensemble cast including Sunil Dutt, Raaj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Sadhana, Balraj Sahni, Madan Puri, Sharmila Tagore, Achala Sachdev and Rehman. The film became a critical and commercial success. It is acknowledged as a "found film" of the "lost and found" genre. Setting many other trends, it was one of Indian cinema's first multi-starrers, a mode which became increasingly popular among the producers during the 1970s. It also began the now obligatory style of depicting wealth and social class. Chopra received his first Filmfare Award for Best Director for the film.
In 1969, Chopra directed two movies produced by his brother. The first was Aadmi Aur Insaan, which featured Dharmendra and Saira Banu in the lead roles. He directed Ittefaq, a suspense movie based on a Gujarati play, depicting the events of a single night, with Rajesh Khanna and Nanda in the lead roles. Shot in a month and on a low budget, the film was deemed unusual by critics. It was one of the first Hindi films which did not have any songs or an interval. It was eventually declared a semi-hit at the box office and won Chopra his second Filmfare Award for Best Director.

Formation of Yash Raj Films

In 1971, Chopra founded the independent Yash Raj Films, terminating his creative collaboration with his brother. His first independently produced film, ', a melodrama about a man with two wives, starring Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore and Raakhee was a huge success and Chopra won his third Filmfare Award for Best Director for the film.
He directed a number of classic cult films starring Amitabh Bachchan and scripted by Salim-Javed, notably Deewaar and Trishul, which were huge hits and remain popular even today. These films set the trend for the late 70s and 80s, establishing Bachchan as the "angry young man". Chopra won his fourth Filmfare Award for Best Director for Deewaar. Chopra produced, directed and scripted two more films starring Bachchan. Unlike his earlier action-oriented films, these two were musical romantic dramas: Kabhi Kabhie, co-starring Raakhee, Shashi Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, followed by Silsila., co-starring Jaya Bachchan, Rekha and Sanjeev Kumar. Yash Chopra suggested Javed Akhtar to become a lyricist, starting from this film.
The eighties marked a professional setback in Chopra's career, as several films he directed and produced in that period failed to leave a mark at the Indian box office. His film Mashaal was his first collaboration with the legendary actor, Dilip Kumar. The action-oriented film, which was based on the well-known Marathi play titled Ashroonchi Zhali Phule, won critical acclaim, but fared only average at the box office. A year later, he made Faasle. The romantic drama starring Sunil Dutt, Rekha, Rohan Kapoor and Farah was a critical and commercial failure. He and critics consider it his worst film. Vijay was also a box office failure. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was dubbed a remake of Trishul.
Chopra's lean phase ended in 1989 with the highly successful cult classic romantic musical Chandni, a film with all the hallmarks of what has come to be known as the "Yash Chopra style": heroine-oriented, romantic, emotional, depicting the lifestyle of the elite, with melodic music used in songs picturised in foreign locations. It marked the first collaboration between Chopra and Sridevi. The huge success of its music was instrumental in ending the era of violence in Bollywood films and bringing back music into Hindi films. After a string of critically and commercially movies, the success of Chandni consolidated Sridevi's position as the top female Bollywood star of the era. Though it was not the first time Chopra shot a film in Switzerland, the extensive scenes shot there made it a popular tourist destination for Indians. The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for 1989.'
He followed it with Lamhe, starring frequent collaborators Sridevi and Anil Kapoor. The film was critically acclaimed, had exceptional music, and was one of the biggest Bollywood hits in the overseas market. However it was not a box office success in India due to its controversial storyline. The film won five Filmfare awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Film. Over the years, the film has been hailed as a cult classic; it is regarded as a modern masterpiece and possibly his finest film to date. It was featured in Outlook magazine's list of All-Time Great Indian films. It has been cited by Chopra as his personal favourite of his films. In 1992, Chopra directed Parampara. Despite an all-star cast of Ramya Krishnan, Aamir Khan, Raveena Tandon, Sunil Dutt, Anupam Kher, Vinod Khanna, Ashwini Bhave and Saif Ali Khan, the film was a commercial flop and was panned by critics for its weak storyline, music and direction.

1993–2012

In 1993, Yash Chopra directed the newcomer Shahrukh Khan along with Juhi Chawla and Sunny Deol in the musical psychological thriller Darr. The movie was the story of an obsessed lover and the lengths to which he goes to get the girl who is already happily engaged to another man. The film was a runaway success and is considered a cult classic today. It also established Khan as a bankable star. Four years later, Chopra then directed, produced and co-wrote the highly successful 1997 musical romantic drama Dil To Pagal Hai, starring yet again Shahrukh Khan in a love triangle with Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor. It also starred Akshay Kumar in a supporting role. It was the first Bollywood movie to be shot in Germany. The film became the highest grosser for the year. It won many awards, including seven Filmfare Awards and three National Awards, including the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Chopra then took a sabbatical from directing and focused solely on producing films for over seven years.
In 2004, he returned to direction with the epic love saga Veer-Zaara. Starring Shahrukh Khan again, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji in the lead roles, the film was the biggest hit of 2004 in both India and overseas, with a worldwide gross of over 940 million and was screened at the Berlin Film Festival to critical appreciation. The film which narrated the love story of an Indian air-force officer Veer Pratap Singh and a Pakistani woman, Zaara Hayaat Khan was appreciated by critics. Rama Sharma from The Tribune wrote: "Giving love its due, Yash Chopra has understandably linked the script to the life of a common man. The pace is exacting. Drawing from the best of the two countries, the story is made more colourful by a spray of the Punjabi culture— be it celebrating Lohri in India or visiting a Dargah in Pakistan. He has handled the script cleverly. Whenever the pace begins to slacken, he introduces a new character and a twist."
In September 2012, in a special interview with actor Shahrukh Khan on the occasion of his eightieth birthday, Chopra announced that Jab Tak Hai Jaan would be his last directorial venture and that he would opt to focus on his production company and his personal life. For the shoot of the last remaining song in Jab Tak Hai Jaan, director Yash Chopra wanted to shoot a scene of a sari-clad Katrina Kaif romancing Shahrukh Khan in the lush meadows of the Swiss Alps. But his illness, caused by a bout of dengue, stymied the plan for the song, which would have reflected his trademark directorial style. Chopra's trip to Switzerland with Shahrukh and Katrina had to be cancelled after his death.
Yash Raj Films is the most dominant production company in Hindi filmmaking. Yash Raj Chopra has continuously featured in the top five hit Indian movies of the year since 2000. The Indian film director and producer used a range of directors. He repetitively used the star power of Bollywood's most popular actors, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan.
Yash Raj Films is a highlight of India's post-colonial identity. It has grown to be the forefront of the global rise of Bollywood cinema. Yash Raj Films have expanded their company from locally based Hindi films to global achievements. They have managed to attract home based and diasporic Indians. Yash Raj Films have used a smart technique by incorporating foreign locations as a site which succeeded.

Frequent collaborations

Chopra was known to often cast the same actors in his films, his most famous collaborations being with Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Raakhee, Waheeda Rehman and more recently, Shahrukh Khan.

Personal life

In 1970, Chopra married Pamela Singh and together they have two sons Aditya Chopra and Uday Chopra, born in 1971 and 1973, respectively. Aditya is also a film director and producer and held the position of vice-chairman and general manager of Yash Raj Films, while Uday is an assistant director turned actor who made his acting debut in 2000 in his brother's film, Mohabbatein.

Death

On 13 October 2012, Chopra was diagnosed with dengue fever and was admitted to Lilavati Hospital, Bandra, in Mumbai. Yash Chopra died following multiple organ failure due to Dengue fever on 21 October 2012 5:30 pm IST, at the age of 80. The Chautha Ceremony for Yash Chopra was held on 25 October 2012 at Yash Raj Films studio from 6pm to 7pm. Yash Chopra's final rites took place at Pawan Hans crematorium on 22 October 2012 at 3pm.

Filmography

Producer

Awards

YearAwardCategoryFilm
1961National Film AwardsBest Feature Film in HindiDharamputra
1989National Film AwardsBest Popular Film Providing Wholesome EntertainmentChandni
1993National Film AwardsBest Popular Film Providing Wholesome EntertainmentDarr
1995National Film AwardsBest Popular Film Providing Wholesome EntertainmentDilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
1997National Film AwardsBest Popular Film Providing Wholesome EntertainmentDil To Pagal Hai
2004National Film AwardsBest Popular Film Providing Wholesome EntertainmentVeer-Zaara
2008National Film AwardsBest Popular Film Providing Wholesome EntertainmentChak De India
1966Filmfare AwardsBest DirectorWaqt
1970Filmfare AwardsBest DirectorIttefaq
1974Filmfare AwardsBest Director
1976Filmfare AwardsBest DirectorDeewaar
1992Filmfare AwardsBest FilmLamhe
1996Filmfare AwardsBest FilmDilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
1998Filmfare AwardsBest FilmDil To Pagal Hai
2005Filmfare AwardsBest FilmVeer-Zaara
2006Filmfare AwardsPower AwardSpecial Award
2007Filmfare AwardsPower AwardSpecial Award
2008Filmfare AwardsPower AwardSpecial Award
2013Filmfare AwardsLifetime Achievement AwardAll of his films
2002IIFA AwardsOutstanding Contribution to Indian CinemaAll of his films
2005IIFA AwardsBest PictureVeer-Zaara
2005IIFA AwardsBest DirectorVeer-Zaara
2008IIFA AwardsBest PictureChak De India
2013IIFA AwardsIIFA 2013 Macau is Dedicated to Mr. Yash ChopraSpecial Award
1998Zee Cine AwardsBest FilmDil To Pagal Hai
2005Zee Cine AwardsBest FilmVeer-Zaara
2005Zee Cine AwardsBest DirectorVeer-Zaara
2008Zee Cine AwardsBest FilmChak De India
1996Screen AwardsBest FilmDilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
2005Screen AwardsBest FilmVeer-Zaara
2008Screen AwardsBest FilmChak De India
2013Screen AwardsLifetime Achievement AwardAll of his films
2005Bollywood Movie AwardsBest FilmVeer-Zaara
2005Bollywood Movie AwardsBest DirectorVeer-Zaara

Honours and recognitions

; Honorary Doctorate degrees