 Official logo | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1970; 55 years ago (1970) |
| Founder | Yash Chopra |
| Headquarters | , India |
Key people |
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| Products | Films released |
| Divisions |
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| Subsidiaries |
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| Website | www |
Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indianfilm production anddistribution company founded by filmmakerYash Chopra in 1970. Since 2012, it has been led by his sonAditya Chopra. The company primarily produces and distributesHindi films and has played a significant role in shaping the Hindi film industry.[1]
In 1960, YRF was founded byYash Raj Chopra, a veteran director and producer in theIndian film industry.[citation needed]
In 2005, Chopra built YRF Studios inMumbai. In 2006, The first film shot at YRF Studios was the romantic thrillerFanaa. Since then, several notable films have been shot at YRF Studios, includingKabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006),Partner (2007),Taare Zameen Par (2007),Dostana (2008),Wanted (2009),3 Idiots (2009),Dabangg (2010),Bodyguard (2011),Ra.One (2011),Agneepath (2012),Chennai Express (2013),Jai Ho (2014), andPK (2014). The studio consists of six floors and spans 20 acres. YRF Studios has also been rented out for other film and television productions, including10 Ka Dum andKaun Banega Crorepati forSony Entertainment Television, as well asKya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?,Koffee With Karan, andSatyamev Jayate forSTAR India.[2]
YRF since launching their distribution arm, has not just distributed films produced by them but also but also several films made by other production companies, within India as well as overseas, which includes a variety ofindependent films andParallel Cinema productions such asGodmother (1999),Zubeidaa (2001),Maqbool (2004), andMeenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities (2004) among others.In recent years, YRF has distributed successful films likeTu Jhoothi Main Makkaar (2023),Laapataa Ladies (2024), andChhaava (2025). While they mostly distribute Hindi films, they also have distributed a few regional films in various languages.[citation needed]
In 2013, the company's distribution team sold the satellite rights of its ventureDhoom 3 for₹75 crore (US$8.9 million)[3] to Sony Entertainment Television.[4]
YRF Home Entertainment division produces and releases Audio CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs & VCDs. While these include films from YRF's own films catalogue, the division also selectively acquires films from outside banners for releasing them across Home Video formats. YRF Home Entertainment forever classics collection includes many of their own classic films, directed by the company's founderYash Chopra and his sonAditya Chopra, besides several popular films fromRaj Kapoor Films and B.R. Films, among others.[citation needed]
The company impacted the music industry through chartbuster soundtracks in their filmography such asDarr (1993),Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), andDil To Pagal Hai (1997).[5]
In 2007,The Walt Disney Company entered Indian entertainment through a three-film co-production agreement with YRF,Ta Ra Rum Pum,Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, andRoadside Romeo. Disney's move was seen as a bid to increase its global recognition and finally enter the increasingly lucrativeIndian cinema arena. In 2009, Disney offered a 49% acquisition of YRF for₹2,500 crore (US$300 million)[6] (unadjusted for inflation), which took the valuation of the Indian entertainment company to₹5,000 crore (equivalent to₹130 billion or US$1.5 billion in 2023).[7]
From 2007 to 2010, the company saw an all-time low, with several of their high-budgeted films failing at the box office, and thereby suffering losses amounting to millions. The films broke YRF's perfect success ratio and were oddly released one after another. Some of the most unsuccessful films produced under the banner wereJhoom Barabar Jhoom,Laaga Chunari Mein Daag,Aaja Nachle,Tashan,Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic,Roadside Romeo,Dil Bole Hadippa!,Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year andPyaar Impossible.[citation needed]
Aditya Chopra then took over as the vice-chairman of Yash Raj Films in 2010, soon after the release of the filmBadmaash Company under the same banner.[8]
In 2011, the company went into production of three individual films withAamir Khan forDhoom 3,Shah Rukh Khan forJab Tak Hai Jaan and withSalman Khan forEk Tha Tiger, the first installment in theYRF Spy Universe. The three films would become the most expensive productions ever undertaken by YRF;Ek Tha Tiger[9] was produced at₹75 crore (US$8.9 million),[10]Jab Tak Hai Jaan was produced at₹60 crore (US$7.1 million)[11] andDhoom 3 was produced at₹150 crore (US$18 million).[12]
| Film | Day of Release | Screen Releases | Distribution | Budget | Worldwide Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ek Tha Tiger | Eid(2012) | 3,850 screens[13] | YRF Distributors | ₹75 crore (US$8.9 million)[10] | ₹320 crore (US$38 million)[14] |
| Jab Tak Hai Jaan | Diwali(2012) | 3,100 screens[15] | ₹60 crore (US$7.1 million)[11] | ₹241 crore (US$29 million)[16] | |
| Dhoom 3 | Christmas(2013) | 5,250 screens[17] | ₹150 crore (US$18 million)[12] | ₹542 crore (US$64 million)[18][19] |
All three of these films brokebox office records in India and went on to become some of the highest-grossing films of their time.Ek Tha Tiger,[9] which released on the 66th Independence Day of India, earned approximately₹320 crore (US$38 million)[19] and became the eleventh highest-grossing film of Indian cinema.Jab Tak Hai Jaan opened worldwide on the Diwali day of 2012 and went on to earn₹241 crore (US$29 million)[16] and became the fifteenth highest-grossing film in India.Dhoom 3 released in (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Arabic) on the Christmas week of 2013 and grossed approximately₹542 crore (US$64 million),[20][21] in the worldwide market and went on to become the twelfth highest-grossing film of Indian cinema, as of January 2022[update].[citation needed]
After the death of Yash Chopra in October 2012, Aditya Chopra was elevated to the position of chairman and Chief Executive of the company's studio wing. Facing overwhelming pressure by theIndian bourses to be publicly listed around the same period, the company went for asoft-launch on 3 January 2013.[citation needed]
The company received angel investment by institutional fund-raisers such asLIC of India,RNT Associates,PremjiInvest,Catamaran Ventures,Maruti Udyog andUnilazer Ventures. YRF was made open to Indian enterprises only and noFDI was accepted. Venture capitalists also showed interest withAdi Godrej,Y. C. Deveshwar,Kumar Birla,Arundhati Bhattacharya,Anand Mahindra,Chanda Kochhar,Sunil Mittal,Shikha Sharma andUday Kotak investing undisclosed sums. YRF produced more films under the chairmanship of Chopra and the new management.[22]
In November 2011, YRF Entertainment was announced as a subsidiary of Yash Raj Films, inBeverly Hills, California, US, withUday Chopra as the CEO.[23]
By 2023, YRF Entertainment was transformed into the streaming division of Yash Raj Films.[24]
| Year | Title | Language | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Longest Week | English | [23] | |
| Grace of Monaco | [25] | |||
| 2024 | Maharaj | Hindi | Netflix Original | [26] |
| Vijay 69 | [26] |
| Year | Title | Language | Platform | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | The Romantics | English Hindi | Netflix | Documentary series | |
| The Railway Men | Hindi | [24] | |||
| 2025 | Mandala Murders | [26] | |||
| Akka | [27] |
YRF Television was a TV production company, based inMumbai, India,[28] and promoted byAditya Chopra. YRF Television, although produced a small number of programmes, but all of these were content oriented productions. It was mainly focused on creating and producing unique, distinctive shows for television audiences, than most of the shows that were developed during that time, aiming to provide television viewers compelling content through fresh, contemporary and engaging storylines.[citation needed]
YRF Television's shows include Lift Kara De, Seven - The Ashvamedha Prophecy,Mahi Way,Rishta.com,Powder,Khotey Sikkey,Kismat[29] It was owned by Yash Raj Films (YRF) and entered into an exclusive agreement withSony Entertainment Television to produce exclusive fiction and non-fiction content for the channel.[30]
YRF launched a number of budding screenwriters and directors under their banner throughout these years. Directors and screenwriters such asKunal Kohli,Kabir Khan,Sanjay Gadhvi,Ali Abbas Zafar,Jaideep Sahni,Siddharth Anand,Shimit Amin,Habib Faisal,Shaad Ali,Maneesh Sharma andVijay Krishna Acharya debuted under YRF and have gone on to become independent entities in films. The company also produced films for filmmakers such asAnil Mehta,Chandraprakash Dwivedi andPradeep Sarkar under their banner. The company was ranked as the most powerful film production companies in India in a survey conducted byFilmfare in 2006.[31]
YRF Talent, the talent management division of Yash Raj Films also manages several actors and actresses.[32]
YRF is headquartered inMumbai. In India, YRF has a network of distribution offices in Mumbai,Delhi,Jalandhar,Jaipur,Amravati,Indore,Bengaluru,Hyderabad,Kolkata,Chennai andKochi. Internationally, there are offices in theUnited Kingdom, theUnited States of America, and theUnited Arab Emirates.[33]
Throughout the years of its existence, YRF entered into various business agreements with independent film and media entities present in the country.
| Entity | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Saregama[34] | 1995 to 2005 | Music rights of all films produced under the YRF banner (deal existed until the launch of the company's independent music distribution leg, YRF Music) |
| Raj Kapoor Films[35] | 1995 to present | Satellite and home entertainment rights to all films produced under the Raj Kapoor Films banner through the company's home entertainment division, YRF Home Entertainment |
| Sony Pictures Networks India[36] | 1995 to 2018 | Exclusive satellite rights of all films produced under the YRF banner |
| Dharma Productions[37] | 1998 to 2008 | Film distribution and home entertainment rights of all films produced by Dharma Productions (deal existed until the release ofDostana) |
| FilmKRAFT[38] | 2000 to 2008 | Theatrical and home entertainment rights to all films produced under the FilmKRAFT banner (deal existed until the release ofKrazzy 4) |
| Disney[39] | 2006 to 2008 | 3-film (Ta Ra Rum Pum,Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic andRoadside Romeo) co-production agreement withWalt Disney Studios |
| The IMAX Corporation[40] | 2012 to present | Multi film co-production agreement for releasing films such asDhoom 3,Thugs of Hindostan,War,Shamshera,Pathaan,Tiger 3, andWar 2 in theIMAX format. |
| Dolby Laboratories[41] | 2013 to present | Multi-film co-production agreement for all YRF projects (as of October 2013[update]) |
| The Nikkatsu Corporation[42] | 2013 to present | 3-film exclusive distribution agreement forEk Tha Tiger,Jab Tak Hai Jaan andDhoom 3 in theJapanese market |
| Dell Inc.[43] | 2013 to present | Joint Venture agreement with Dell Computers for digitization and electronic re-distribution of the entire YRF Library up toFiscal year 2015 |
| Dibakar Banerjee Productions[44] | 2013 to 2015 | 3-film co-production agreement for feature films to be directed by Dibakar Banerjee |
| Red Chillies Entertainment[45] | 2014 to present | Theatrical film distribution of multiple films |
| Luv Films[49][50] | 2019 to present | Theatrical film distribution of multiple films |
| Star India[51] | 2019 to present | Exclusive satellite rights of all films produced under the YRF banner |
| Amazon Prime Video[52] | 2016–2024 | Exclusive streaming rights of all films produced under the YRF banner |
| Netflix[53] | 2024 to present | Exclusive streaming rights of web series and films produced under YRF Entertainment, the streaming division of YRF. |
| Posham Pa Pictures[54] | 2024 | Theatrical films co-production |