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EXCLUSIVE: ‘The Emperor of Romance’: Trade remembers Yash Chopra on his 89th birth anniversary
The legacy of Yash Chopra is being carried forward by his son, Aditya Chopra, who continues to produce few of the most exciting Hindi films of today’s time. Two of the most awaited Bollywood films today – Tiger 3 and Pathan - are bankrolled by Adi Chopra. Details
Today marks the 89th birth anniversary of the late legendary Indian film director and producer, Yash Chopra. One of the most influential filmmakers of Hindi cinema, Yash Chopra is known for films like Waqt, Ittefaq, Daag, Deewaar, Kabhie Kabhie, Trishul, Kaala Patthar, Silsila, Chandni, Lamhe, Darr, Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Veer Zaara among others. While directors usually have two to three films which live on forever, Yash Chopra is among the rare directors with as many as 13 classics under his kitty. His career as a director lasted for over 50 years as his first film, Dhool Ka Phool released in 1959 and the last one, Jab Tak Hai Jaan in 2012.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh shares, “I had interacted with him on varied occasions. Of course, he was a fantastic storyteller, but my interactions proved that he was a very nice person also. His influence on movies and filmmakers have been tremendous. He always chose the subject he believed in, and a lot of them were much ahead of their time. A lot of people would think twice even today before attempting a film like Deewaar or Kaala Patthar.”
While directors usually have two to three films which live on forever, Yash Chopra is among the rare directors with as many as 13 classics under his kitty. His career as a director lasted for over 50 years
Himesh Mankad
Taran informs that his track record as a producer was also fantastic. “His grasp over the medium of cinema was tremendous. His movies were a complete package of stars, stories, soundtrack and of course, the emotions.” He signs off terming him the emperor of romance. “Every time you think of a romantic film, the first name that comes to your mind is Yash Chopra. No one portrays heroines in a way that Yash Ji did,” he says, and concludes, “He enjoyed such a long and successful innings because he could switch over to what he felt like doing at that point of time. He was not stagnating or stuck in a box of making one kind of film.”
Raj Bansal, informs that his family has been the distributor of Yash Raj Films in Rajasthan for 35 years. “Our distribution office has been active for 65 years, and we have been associated with Yash Raj Films for 35 years now. We owe our success to Yash Ji. His contribution to cinema has been immense. Today, we fail to represent the Indian film industry because we don’t have leaders like Yash Chopra. We don’t have such a strong personality in the industry today,” he shares.
“Every time you think of a romantic film, the first name that comes to your mind is Yash Chopra. No one portrays heroines in a way that Yash Ji did
Taran Adarsh
He recalls an anecdote around Dil Toh Pagal Hai. “Once, Yash Ji had invited me for dinner at his place, so I went there with my son, Abhimanyu. He must be 10 years old and he spotted a car parked in Yash Ji’s home. He kept insisting that we buy a similar car and Yash Ji was standing at the gate looking at us,” he informs, and further adds, “He came to us and asked Abhimanyu, what he wants. He said, I want this red car. Yash Ji said, ‘This is Shah Rukh Khan’s car in Dil Toh Pagal Hai, but once we finish the shoot, I will send it across to Jaipur.’ And guess what? He actually sent it to us 6 months later,” he smiles.
Bansal concludes, “We used it for a few months and then Dil Toh Pagal Hai released in theatres. Post that, the car had become like an attraction for everyone in Jaipur. We used to be surrounded by 100s of people while travelling, as everyone wanted to see the car used by Shah Rukh Khan in Dil Toh Pagal Hai. Eventually, I returned it to Yash Ji.” While for most, Yash Chopra is the emperor of romance, for the author, he also continues to be one of those director had the knack of cracking the interpersonal relationships like no-one else with an extraordinary hold in drama, even in few of his most romantic films.
His contribution to cinema has been immense. Today, we fail to represent the Indian film industry because we don’t have leaders like Yash Chopra. We don’t have such a strong personality in the industry today,
Raj Bansal
The legacy of Yash Chopra is being carried forward by his son, Aditya Chopra, who continues to produce few of the most exciting Hindi films of today’s time. Two of the most awaited Bollywood films today – Tiger 3 and Pathan - are bankrolled by Adi Chopra and gearing up for a theatrical release in the second half of 2022. There's also the Akshay Kumar fronted ambitious period drama, Prithviraj, which is keenly awaited by one and all in the trade
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