Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 â€" 21 October 2012) was an Indian
director and film producer who worked in Hindi films. The founding
chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj
Films, Chopra was the recipient of several awards, including six
National Film Awards and 11 Filmfare Awards. He is considered among
the best Indian filmmakers. For his contributions to film, the
Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in
2001, and the Padma Bhushan in 2005. British 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 to I. S. Johar and his elder brother, B.R. Chopra.
He made directorial debut with Dhool Ka Phool in 1959, a melodrama
about illegitimacy, and followed it with the social drama Dharmputra
(1961). Chopra rose to prominence after directing the critically and
commercially successful drama Waqt (1965), which pioneered the concept
of ensemble casts in Bollywood. In 1971, he founded his own production
company, Yash Raj Films, whose first production was Daag: 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-thriller Deewaar
(1975), which established Amitabh Bachchan as a leading actor in
Bollywood; the ensemble romantic drama Kabhie Kabhie (1976) and the
ensemble drama Trishul (1978). This was followed by a period of
professional setback from the late 1970s to 1989.Chopra collaborated
with Sridevi in two of what has been considered to be his finest
films; the romantic musical Chandni (1989), which became instrumental
in ending the era of violent films in Bollywood and returning to
musicals, and the intergenerational musical romantic drama Lamhe
(1991), considered by critics and Chopra himself to be his best work,
but underperformed at the domestic box office although brought profits
overseas. After helming the critically panned Parampara (1993), Chopra
directed the musical psychological thriller Darr (1993), the first of
his films to star Shahrukh Khan. Chopra directed three more romantic
films, all starring Khan; Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Veer-Zaara (2004)
and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), before announcing his retirement from
direction in 2012. He died of dengue fever during Jab Tak Hai Jaan's
production in 2012. He was considered one of the best directors in
Bollywood industry.
director and film producer who worked in Hindi films. The founding
chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj
Films, Chopra was the recipient of several awards, including six
National Film Awards and 11 Filmfare Awards. He is considered among
the best Indian filmmakers. For his contributions to film, the
Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in
2001, and the Padma Bhushan in 2005. British 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 to I. S. Johar and his elder brother, B.R. Chopra.
He made directorial debut with Dhool Ka Phool in 1959, a melodrama
about illegitimacy, and followed it with the social drama Dharmputra
(1961). Chopra rose to prominence after directing the critically and
commercially successful drama Waqt (1965), which pioneered the concept
of ensemble casts in Bollywood. In 1971, he founded his own production
company, Yash Raj Films, whose first production was Daag: 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-thriller Deewaar
(1975), which established Amitabh Bachchan as a leading actor in
Bollywood; the ensemble romantic drama Kabhie Kabhie (1976) and the
ensemble drama Trishul (1978). This was followed by a period of
professional setback from the late 1970s to 1989.Chopra collaborated
with Sridevi in two of what has been considered to be his finest
films; the romantic musical Chandni (1989), which became instrumental
in ending the era of violent films in Bollywood and returning to
musicals, and the intergenerational musical romantic drama Lamhe
(1991), considered by critics and Chopra himself to be his best work,
but underperformed at the domestic box office although brought profits
overseas. After helming the critically panned Parampara (1993), Chopra
directed the musical psychological thriller Darr (1993), the first of
his films to star Shahrukh Khan. Chopra directed three more romantic
films, all starring Khan; Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Veer-Zaara (2004)
and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), before announcing his retirement from
direction in 2012. He died of dengue fever during Jab Tak Hai Jaan's
production in 2012. He was considered one of the best directors in
Bollywood industry.
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