Yash Chopra | |
|---|---|
 Chopra in 2012 | |
| Born | Yash Raj Chopra (1932-09-27)27 September 1932 |
| Died | 21 October 2012(2012-10-21) (aged 80) Mumbai,Maharashtra, India |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1959–2012 |
| Organization | Yash Raj Films |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Relatives | Chopra family |
| Signature | |
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Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 – 21 October 2012)[3] was an Indianfilm director andfilm producer who worked inHindi cinema.[4] The founding chairman of the film production and distribution companyYash Raj Films, Chopra was the recipient of several awards, including 6National Film Awards and 8Filmfare Awards.[5] He is considered among the best Hindi filmmakers, particularly known and admired for his romantic films with strong female leads. For his contributions to film, theGovernment of India honoured him with theDadasaheb Phalke Award in 2001, and thePadma Bhushan in 2005.[6] In 2006, theBritish 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 toI. S. Johar and his elder brother,B. R. Chopra. He made his directorial debut withDhool Ka Phool in 1959, a melodrama about illegitimacy, and followed it with the social dramaDharmputra (1961). Chopra rose to prominence after directing the critically and commercially successful family dramaWaqt (1965), which pioneered the concept ofensemble casts in Bollywood. In 1970, he founded his own production company, Yash Raj Films, whose first production wasDaag: A Poem of Love (1973), 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-thrillerDeewaar (1975), which establishedAmitabh Bachchan as a leading actor in Bollywood; the ensemble musical romantic dramaKabhi Kabhie (1976) and the ensemble family dramaTrishul (1978).
Chopra collaborated withSridevi in two of what has been considered to be his finest films; the romantic musicalChandni (1989), which became instrumental in ending the era of violent films in Bollywood and rejuvenating the romantic musical genre, and the intergenerational musical romantic dramaLamhe (1991), considered by critics and Chopra himself to be his best work, but underperformed at the domestic box-office, although bringing major profits overseas. After helming the critically-pannedParampara (1993), Chopra directed the musical psychological thrillerDarr (1993), the first of his collaborations withShahrukh Khan. Chopra directed three more romantic films, all starring Khan;Dil To Pagal Hai (1997),Veer-Zaara (2004) andJab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), before announcing his retirement from direction in 2012. He died ofdengue fever duringJab Tak Hai Jaan's production in 2012. He is considered one of the all-time best directors of the Hindi film industry.[7]
Chopra was born on 27 September 1932 inLahore,Punjab Province,British India into aPunjabi HinduKhatri family.[8][9][10] His father was an accountant in the PWD division of the British Punjab administration. He was the youngest of eight children,[11] the oldest of whom was almost 30 years his senior. The eminent film-makerB. R. Chopra is one of his brothers, thus making him the uncle ofRavi Chopra.
Chopra was largely brought up in theLahore house of his second brother, B. R. Chopra, then a film journalist.[12] Chopra studied atDoaba College Jalandhar and originally sought to pursue a career in engineering.[13] He later moved toLudhiana,East Punjab (in India) after thePartition of India.[14][12]
Like many other Punjabi Hindu families, who were associated with theArya Samaj movement, in his youth Chopra was a member of theRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, later in his life he would recall that he didn't see it as aHindu nationalist organization but as a club of boy-scouts with emphasis on physical training as well mental health, throughkabbadi andyoga.[15]
His passion for film-making led him to travel toBombay, where he initially worked as an assistant director toI. S. Johar, and then for his director-producer brother, B. R. Chopra, while another brother, Dharam Chopra, worked as his cameraman.[8][14]
Chopra received his first directorial opportunity in 1959 with the social dramaDhool Ka Phool,[12] produced by his elder brotherB. R. Chopra and starringMala Sinha,Rajendra Kumar andNanda. The film revolved around a Muslim bringing up an "illegitimate"Hindu child.[8] 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 (1961).[16] It was one of the first films to depict thePartition of India[12] andHindu fundamentalism. The film marked the debut ofShashi Kapoor in a fully fledged role and was awarded with theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.
Chopra's collaboration with his brother continued in the form of the 1965 filmWaqt,[8] which featured anensemble cast includingSunil Dutt,Raaj Kumar,Shashi Kapoor,Sadhana,Balraj Sahni,Madan Puri,Sharmila Tagore,Achala Sachdev andRehman. 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 ofIndian cinema's first multi-starrers,[8] 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 firstFilmfare Award for Best Director for the film.
In 1969, Chopra directed two films produced by his brother. The first wasAadmi Aur Insaan,[8] which featuredDharmendra andSaira Banu in the lead roles. He directedIttefaq (1969),[8] a mystery thriller film based on aGujarati play, depicting the events of a single night, withRajesh Khanna andNanda in the lead roles. Shot in a month and on a low budget, the film was deemed unusual by critics. Despite a being a slow starter, it eventually became a hit and won Chopra his second Filmfare Award for Best Director.[17][18]
His first independently-produced film,Daag: A Poem of Love (1973),[19] a melodrama about polygamy, starringRajesh Khanna,Sharmila Tagore andRaakhee was a blockbuster and won Chopra his third Filmfare Award for Best Director.[20][21][5][12]
He directed a number of cult classics starringShashi Kapoor andAmitabh Bachchan, and scripted bySalim–Javed, notablyDeewaar (1975) andTrishul (1978), which were major critical and commercial successes and remain popular even today.[22] These films set the trend for the late-'70s and '80s, establishing Bachchan as the "angry young man". Chopra produced, directed and scripted two more films starring the duo. Unlike his earlier action-oriented films, these were musical romantic dramas:Kabhi Kabhie (1976),[5][8] co-starringWaheeda Rehman,Raakhee,Rishi Kapoor andNeetu Singh, followed bySilsila (1981),[5] co-starringJaya Bachchan,Rekha andSanjeev Kumar. Chopra suggestedJaved Akhtar to become a lyricist, starting from this film.[23] He also directed the duo in the action dramaKaala Patthar (1979), based on theChasnala mining disaster. The film emerged a box office hit and received severalFilmfare Award nominations.[24][21]
The 1980s 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 filmMashaal (1984) was his first collaboration with the legendary actor,Dilip Kumar. The action-oriented film, which was based on the well-known Marathi play titledAshroonchi Zhali Phule, received critical acclaim, but fared only average at the box-office. A year later, he madeFaasle, a romantic drama starringSunil Dutt,Rekha,Rohan Kapoor andFarah, which proved to be a critical and commercial disaster at the box-office.[14] He and critics consider it his worst film.Vijay (1988)[8] was also a box-office failure.[14] The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and was dubbed a remake ofTrishul.
Chopra's lean phase ended in 1989 with the highly-successful romantic musicalChandni,[8] 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 melodious music used in songs picturized in foreign locations. It marked the first collaboration between Chopra andSridevi. The huge success of its soundtrack 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 films, the success ofChandni consolidated Sridevi's position as the top femaleBollywood star of the era. Though it was not the first time Chopra shot a film inSwitzerland, the extensive scenes shot there made it a popular tourist destination for Indians. The film won theNational Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for 1989, in addition to earning Chopra his eighth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.[25]
He followed it withLamhe (1991) an intergenerational musical romantic drama starring frequent collaborators Sridevi andAnil Kapoor.[8] The film received widespread critical acclaim, had exceptional music, and was one of the biggest Bollywood hits in the overseas market; however, it was a flop in India due to its controversial storyline.[26] The film won fiveFilmfare Awards, including theFilmfare Award for Best Film, and earned Chopra his ninth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. Over the years,Lamhe has been hailed as a cult classic; it is regarded as a modern masterpiece and possibly his finest film to date. It was featured inOutlook magazine's list of All-Time Great Indian films.[27] It has been cited by Chopra as his personal favourite of his films.[23]
In 1992, Chopra directedParampara. Despite an all-star cast ofRamya Krishnan,Aamir Khan,Raveena Tandon,Sunil Dutt,Anupam Kher,Vinod Khanna,Ashwini Bhave andSaif Ali Khan (in his film debut), the film was a commercial failure and was panned by critics for its weak storyline and soundtrack, although Chopra's direction was commended.
In 1993, Chopra directed the newcomerShahrukh Khan along withJuhi Chawla andSunny Deol in the musical psychological thrillerDarr.[5][8] The film depicted the story of an obsessed lover (Khan) and the lengths to which he goes to pursue a woman (Chawla) who is already happily engaged to another man (Deol). The film was a runaway success and is now considered a cult classic.Darr emerged as one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of 1993. It also established Khan as a bankable star and earned Chopra theNational Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, in addition to his tenth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.
In 1995, Chopra launched the television production houseMetavision.[28] This company produced a singing reality showMeri Awaaz Suno (1995–1997), a talk showMeri Pasand (1995–1996), and a telefilmHumko Ishq Ne Mara (1997).[29][30]
In 1997, Chopra directed, produced and co-wrote the musical romantic dramaDil To Pagal Hai,[8] starring yet again Shahrukh Khan in a love quadrangle withMadhuri Dixit,Karisma Kapoor andAkshay Kumar. It was the first Bollywood film to be shot inGermany. The film became the highest grosser for the year and won several awards, including 8Filmfare Awards (including an eleventh nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director for Chopra) and 3National Film Awards, including theNational Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Chopra then took a sabbatical from directing and focused solely on producing films for over 7 years.
In 2004, he returned to direction with the epic love sagaVeer-Zaara.[8] Starring Shahrukh Khan again,Preity Zinta andRani Mukerji in lead roles, the film was the biggest hit of 2004 in both domestic and overseas markets, with a worldwide gross of over₹940 million and was screened at theBerlin Film Festival to high critical appreciation. The film which narrated the star-crossed love story of an Indian air-force officer Veer Pratap Singh (Khan) and a Pakistani woman, Zaara Hayaat Khan (Zinta) was highly appreciated by critics. Rama Sharma fromThe Tribune wrote: "Giving love its due, 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 colorful by a spray of thePunjabi culture—be it celebratingLohri in India or visiting adargah in Pakistan. He has handled the script cleverly. Whenever the pace begins to slacken, he introduces a new character and a twist."Veer-Zaara won 4Filmfare Awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Film, and earned Chopra a record-setting twelfth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. The film also won theNational Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
In September 2012, in a special interview with actorShahrukh Khan on the occasion of his 80th birthday, Chopra announced thatJab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)[8] 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 inJab Tak Hai Jaan, director Yash Chopra wanted to shoot a scene with a sari-cladKatrina Kaif romancing Shahrukh Khan in the lush meadows of theSwiss Alps. But his illness, caused by a bout ofdengue, stymied the plan for the song, which would have reflected his trademark directorial style.
Chopra was known to often cast the same actors in his films, his most famous collaborations being withAmitabh Bachchan,Sanjeev Kumar,Madan Puri,Amrish Puri,Prem Chopra,Nirupa Roy,Aruna Irani,Bindu,Manmohan Krishna,Poonam Dhillon,Parikshit Sahni,Shashi Kapoor,Rishi Kapoor,Neetu Singh,Rekha,Sharmila Tagore,Raakhee,Rajesh Khanna,Sunil Dutt,Anil Kapoor,Waheeda Rehman,Hema Malini,Sridevi,Anupam Kher,Iftekhar,Achala Sachdev,Vikas Anand and more recently,Shahrukh Khan.
In 1970, Chopra marriedPamela Singh[31] and together they have two sonsAditya Chopra andUday Chopra,[8] born in 1971 and 1973, respectively. Aditya Chopra is also a film director and producer and holds the position of chairman and managing director of Yash Raj Films, while Uday is an assistant director turned actor who made his acting debut in 2000 in his brother's directorial,Mohabbatein.[4] Uday is currently the Director – Yash Raj Films, CEO – YRF Entertainment.
Chopra was born into anArya Samaji family, aHindu reformist movement noted for pushing social reforms, and in her book on ChopraRachel Dwyer would say it had an influence at many levels: at a personal level, Chopra would refuse to identify as aKhatri, as it'd appearcasteist;[32] when it comes to his filmmaking style, the Chopra film clan in general would make movies containing a message of social change.[33]
On 13 October 2012, Chopra was diagnosed withdengue fever and was admitted toLilavati Hospital inBandra, Mumbai.[34][35] On 21 October, Yash Chopra succumbed to death followingmultiple organ failure. He was 80 years of age.[36][37][38] The Chautha ceremony for Yash Chopra was held on 25 October 2012 atYash Raj Films studio.[39] Yash Chopra's final rites took place at Pawan Hans crematorium on 22 October 2012.[40]
| Year | Award | Category | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | National Film Awards | Best Feature Film in Hindi | Dharamputra |
| 1989 | Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Chandni | |
| 1993 | Darr | ||
| 1995 | Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge | ||
| 1997 | Dil To Pagal Hai | ||
| 2004 | Veer-Zaara | ||
| 2008 | Chak De India | ||
| 1992 | Filmfare Awards | Best Film | Lamhe |
| 1996 | Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge | ||
| 1998 | Dil To Pagal Hai | ||
| 2005 | Veer-Zaara | ||
| 1966 | Best Director | Waqt | |
| 1970 | Ittefaq | ||
| 1974 | Daag | ||
| 1976 | Deewaar | ||
| 2006 | Power Award | Special Award | |
| 2007 | |||
| 2008 | |||
| 2013 | Lifetime Achievement Award | All of his films | |
| 2002 | IIFA Awards | Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema | |
| 2005 | Best Film | Veer-Zaara | |
| Best Director | |||
| 2008 | Best Film | Chak De India | |
| 2013 | IIFA 2013Macau is dedicated to Mr. Yash Chopra | Special Award | |
| 1998 | Zee Cine Awards | Best Film | Dil To Pagal Hai |
| 2005 | Veer-Zaara | ||
| Best Director | Veer-Zaara | ||
| 2008 | Best Film | Chak De India | |
| 1996 | Screen Awards | Best Film | Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge |
| 2005 | Veer-Zaara | ||
| 2008 | Chak De India | ||
| 2013 | Lifetime Achievement Award | All of his films | |
| 2005 | Bollywood Movie Awards | Best Film | Veer-Zaara |
| Best Director |
The Yash Chopra Memorial Award ceremonies were instituted by the TSR Foundation ofT. Subbarami Reddy, which carries Rs 10.00lakhs cash and citation.[71] These awards ceremonies started in 2013, on the eve of Chopra's death and are dedicated to his memory. The ceremonies are held annually in Mumbai, and feature awards to people in recognition of their outstanding contribution in the field of art and culture.
| Ordinal | Date |
|---|---|
| 1 | 17 February 2018[72] |
| 2 | 25 December 2014[73] |
| 3 | 25 January 2016[74] |
| 4 | 25 February 2017[75] |
| 5 | 17 February 2018[76] |
Yash Chopra does not find the term 'Khatri' particularly meaningful in his own life, as one would expect of a member of the Arya Samaj, a nineteenth-century socio-religious reform movement.
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