Yash Chopra

Biography

Labeled the eternal romantic and with one of the best musical senses in the business, Yash Chopra is arguably India's most successful director of romantic films. Although he made action-oriented films like the ever-popular Deewaar (1975), it is in tackling love and its various aspects that he has been at his best. 

One of the few remaining commercial Indian directors who started their careers in the 1950s, he has successfully moved with the times from the socially significant Dhool Ka Phool (1959) to the young and cool Dil To Pagal Hai (1997).

Yash Chopra was born in Lahore in 1932, to an accountant in the PWD division of the British Punjab administration, the youngest of eight children. He began as an assistant director to I.S. Johar before working with his elder brother, the legendary B.R. Chopra; while another brother, Dharam Chopra, worked as his cameraman.

 He was given his first directorial opportunity with Dhool Ka Phool (1959), a melodrama about illegitimacy; it became a hit and even now remains popular today. Encouraged by this success, the Chopra brothers made a few more movies together, the most notable being Waqt (1965), India's first multi-starrer; and Ittefaq (1969), a thriller. 

On the personal front, Chopra married Pamela Chopra (née Singh) in 1970, and they had two children, Aditya Chopra, and Uday Chopra, both working in the film industry today.

In 1973, the Chopra brothers separated, with Yash Chopra founded his studio, Yash Raj Films, and launched it with Daag: A Poem of Love (1973), a successful melodrama about a polygamous man.

 He then entered one of his best phases with two Amitabh Bachchan classics: Deewaar (1975) and Kabhi Kabhie (1976). These movies set the standard for the 1970s and 1980s, establishing Bachchan as the greatest and most beloved Indian film star of all time.

His respective roles--a bitter criminal and a sensitive, brooding poet--are considered to be his greatest performances, although complete opposites of each other.

In the 1980s, Chopra went through a rough time. Two of his melodramas, Silsila (1981) and Faasle (1985); and two action-oriented films, Mashaal (1984) and Vijay (1988), flopped at the box office, although the latter became a critically acclaimed classic years later. However, he made a comeback with his musical love triangle Chandni (1989). 

The film was a huge success, with great performances by established heroine Sridevi and action hero Vinod Khanna. Then came what critics and Chopra himself considered his best film, Lamhe (1991), a beautiful film about cross-generational love. It couldn't survive the box office, however, due to its incestuous nature.

Parampara (1993), done for an outside producer, was a misfire, but then came the box-office hit and trendsetter Darr (1993). Starring the then-débutant Shah Rukh Khan, it showed a sympathetic look at obsessive love and an emotion often overlooked in love--fear--and its success catapulted Khan to super-stardom. 

In 1995, Chopra turned to production and Aditya Chopra made his directorial debut with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), which had the longest-running initial release in cinema history. 

He directed one more film, Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), a love story set against the theater, which became a huge success and a cult hit, before he retired from directing. However, in 2004, he made a grand comeback with Veer-Zaara (2004), a touching cross-border love story, which he said would be his last directorial effort.

The ages of the director and playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, his muse, proved you need to be young, as well as crazy, at heart, to be a true romantic.

He has shot in Switzerland so many times that a lake in the Alpenrausch, a favorite shooting spot of his, has been christened Chopra Lake.

Father of Aditya Chopra and Uday Chopra.

He has a habit of repeating the actors in his films and frequently casts Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Waheeda Rehman, Shah Rukh Khan, and Rani Mukerji.

Member of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2006.

Son Aditya Chopra's first wife Payal Khanna, is the granddaughter of producer, and director Ramanand Sagar.

The younger brother of B.R. Chopra and Dharam Chopra.

He decided to leave his brother's studio to form Yash Raj Films after returning from his honeymoon. It is unclear what influenced him to do so.

Uncle to late director Ravi Chopra.

An elder brother named Hans Raj Chopra. Hans Raj had a son named Lalit Chopra who has passed away. Lalit was married to Suman Chopra. Suman and Lalit Chopra have two daughters. Their names are Bhakti Mehta and Aradhna Bhandari.

Gulshan Kumar launched a film titled " Mohabbatien" in the 1990s. This was to be directed by Yash Chopra. The film was eventually shelved.

An elder brother named Kuldip Raj Chopra.

Brother-in-law Gava produced the film Karobaar in 2000.

Brother-in-law of producer Gurdip Singh.

Was involved with actress Mumtaz briefly.

In 1995, Yash Chopra had planned a TV serial titled "Karam" Starring Preeti Sapru and Gurdas Mann. The serial got shelved.

In 1986, Yash Chopra was planning on producing a television serial titled Khazana. He wanted Moushami Chatterji for it. The plans were eventually dropped.

Yash Chopra had planned a big-budget African film in 1983. This was even before he started shooting for Mashaal. He signed Dilip Kumar, Sunny Deol, and Anil Kapoor. The project was going to be on the level of Hollywood. Yash Chopra had to shelve the film due to the government not giving him the required permission needed.

Brother of cinematographer Dharam Chopra (Father in law of producer Shabban who produced the film Aaja Re O Sajana).

The Government of India bestowed upon him its third highest civilian honor, Padma Bhushan, in 2005. His elder brother B.R. Chopra was awarded the same in 1998.

Holds the record for the most Filmfare nominations in the Best Director category, with 14. He won the award for WAQT, ITTEFAQ, DAAG: A POEM OF LOVE, and DEEWAR.