Bollywood Film-Maker Yash Chopra

     Indian film maker Yash Chopra died on 21 October, 2012, nine days after being diagnosed with dengue, in Mumbai. Chopra began his career as an assistant director to I.S. Johar and his elder brother, B.R. Chopra. He made his directorial debut with Dhool Ka Phool in 1959, a melodrama about illegitimacy and followed it with the social drama Dharamputra (1961). Chopra then rose to prominence after the commercially and critically successful drama. Waqt (1965), which pioneered the concept of ensemble casts in Bollywood. In 1973, Chopra founded his own production company, Yash Raj Films, and launched it with Daag: A Peom of Love (1973), a successful melodrama about a polygamous man. His success continued in the seventies, with some of Indian cinema’s most successful and iconic films, including the action thriller Deewar (1975) which established Amitabh Bachchan as leading man in Bollywood, the romantic drama Kabhie Kabhie (1976) and Trishul (1978). 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, notably Silsila (1981), Mashall (1984), Fassle (1985) and Vijay (1988).

     However, in 1989, Chopra directed the commercially and critically successful cult film Chandni which became instrumental in ending the era of violent films in Bollywood and returning musicals. Chopra then directed and produced the cult classic Lamhe in 1991. Chopra followed it with the box-office hit and trend setter Darr (1993). Since then, Chopra directed three more romantic films, all starring Khan; Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). Veer-Zaara(2004) and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012) before he announced his retirement from directing in 2012. Chopra founded and was chairman of the motion picture production and distribution company Yash Raj Films. During his lifetime, Chopra won several film awards, including six National Film Awards, eleven Filmfare awards and four Filmfare Award for Best Director. The Government of Indian honoured him with the Dadasahed Phalke Award in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2005 for his contributions towards Indian Cinema.