Yash Chopra

For his contributions to film, the Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2001, and the Padma Bhushan in 2005. In 2006, the 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. Johar and his elder brother, B. He made his 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 family drama Waqt (1965), which pioneered the concept of ensemble casts in Bollywood. In 1970, 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 musical romantic drama Kabhi Kabhie (1976) and the ensemble family drama Trishul (1978). 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 rejuvenating the romantic musical genre, 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 bringing major profits overseas. After helming the critically-panned Parampara (1993), Chopra directed the musical psychological thriller Darr (1993), the first of his collaborations with 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 Jaans production in 2012. He is considered one of the all-time best directors of the Hindi film industry.

• Name — Yash Chopra • Birth Name — Yash Raj Chopra • Born — 27 September 1932 • Birthplace — Lahore, Punjab, British India • Died — 21 October 2012 • Place of death — Mumbai, Maharashtra, India • Occupation — * Film director • Film producer • Years Active — 1959–2012 • Works — Full list • Organization — Yash Raj Films • Children — * Aditya Chopra • Uday Chopra • Relatives — Chopra family

• Illustration — Chopra with his brother B. R. Chopra at an event in 2007 Chopra was born on 27 September 1932 in Lahore, Punjab Province, British India into a Punjabi Hindu Khatri family. His father was an accountant in the PWD division of the British Punjab administration. He was the youngest of eight children, the oldest of whom was almost 30 years his senior. The eminent film-maker B. R. Chopra is one of his brothers, thus making him the uncle of Ravi Chopra. Chopra was largely brought up in the Lahore house of his second brother, B. R. Chopra, then a film journalist. Chopra studied at Doaba College Jalandhar and originally sought to pursue a career in engineering. He later moved to Ludhiana, East Punjab (in India) after the Partition of India. Like many other Punjabi Hindu families, who were associated with the Arya Samaj movement, in his youth Chopra was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, later in his life he would recall that he didn't see it as a Hindu nationalist organization but as a club of boy-scouts with emphasis on physical training as well mental health, through kabbadi and yoga. His passion for film-making led him to travel to Bombay, where he initially worked as an assistant director to I. S. Johar, and then for his director-producer brother, B. R. Chopra, while another brother, Dharam Chopra, worked as his cameraman.

Chopra received his first directorial opportunity in 1959 with the social drama Dhool Ka Phool, produced by his elder brother B. R. Chopra and starring Mala Sinha, Rajendra Kumar and Nanda. The film revolved around a Muslim bringing up an "illegitimate" Hindu child. The film was well received by critics and became the fourth highest-grossing film of the year. Encouraged by their success, the Chopras made another hard-hitting social drama, Dharmputra (1961). It was one of the first films to depict the Partition of India and Hindu fundamentalism. The film marked the debut of Shashi Kapoor in a fully fledged role and was awarded with the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. Chopra's collaboration with his brother continued in the form of the 1965 film Waqt, which featured an ensemble cast including Sunil Dutt, Raaj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Sadhana, Balraj Sahni, Madan Puri, Sharmila Tagore, Achala Sachdev and Rehman. The film became a critical and commercial success. It is acknowledged as a "found film" of the "lost-and-found" genre. Setting many other trends, it was one of Indian cinema's first multi-starrers, a mode which became increasingly popular among the producers during the 1970s. It also began the now-obligatory style of depicting wealth and social class. Chopra received his first Filmfare Award for Best Director for the film. In 1969, Chopra directed two films produced by his brother. The first was Aadmi Aur Insaan, which featured Dharmendra and Saira Banu in the lead roles. He directed Ittefaq (1969), a mystery thriller film based on a Gujarati play, depicting the events of a single night, with Rajesh Khanna and Nanda in the lead roles. Shot in a month and on a low budget, the film was deemed unusual by critics. Despite a being a slow starter, it eventually became a hit and won Chopra his second Filmfare Award for Best Director.

• Illustration — Chopra with actor Shahrukh Khan at a promotional event for their film Jab Tak Hai Jaan in 2012 In 1993, Chopra directed the newcomer Shahrukh Khan along with Juhi Chawla and Sunny Deol in the musical psychological thriller Darr. The film depicted the story of an obsessed lover (Khan) and the lengths to which he goes to pursue a woman (Chawla) who is already happily engaged to another man (Deol). The film was a runaway success and is now considered a cult classic. Darr emerged as one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of 1993. It also established Khan as a bankable star and earned Chopra the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, in addition to his tenth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. In 1995, Chopra launched the television production house Metavision. This company produced a singing reality show Meri Awaaz Suno (1995–1997), a talk show Meri Pasand (1995–1996), and a telefilm Humko Ishq Ne Mara (1997). In 1997, Chopra directed, produced and co-wrote the musical romantic drama Dil To Pagal Hai, starring yet again Shahrukh Khan in a love quadrangle with Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor and Akshay Kumar. It was the first Bollywood film to be shot in Germany. The film became the highest grosser for the year and won several awards, including 8 Filmfare Awards (including an eleventh nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director for Chopra) and 3 National Film Awards, including the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Chopra then took a sabbatical from directing and focused solely on producing films for over 7 years. In 2004, he returned to direction with the epic love saga Veer-Zaara. Starring Shahrukh Khan again, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji in lead roles, the film was the biggest hit of 2004 in both domestic and overseas markets, with a worldwide gross of over 940 million and was screened at the Berlin Film Festival to high critical appreciation. The film which narrated the star-crossed love story of an Indian air-force officer Veer Pratap Singh (Khan) and a Pakistani woman, Zaara Hayaat Khan (Zinta) was highly appreciated by critics. Rama Sharma from The Tribune wrote: "Giving love its due, Chopra has understandably linked the script to the life of a common man. The pace is exacting. Drawing from the best of the two countries, the story is made more colorful by a spray of the Punjabi culture—be it celebrating Lohri in India or visiting a dargah in Pakistan. He has handled the script cleverly. Whenever the pace begins to slacken, he introduces a new character and a twist." Veer-Zaara won 4 Filmfare Awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Film, and earned Chopra a record-setting twelfth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. The film also won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. In September 2012, in a special interview with actor Shahrukh Khan on the occasion of his 80th birthday, Chopra announced that Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012) would be his last directorial venture and that he would opt to focus on his production company and his personal life. For the shoot of the last remaining song in Jab Tak Hai Jaan, director Yash Chopra wanted to shoot a scene with a sari-clad Katrina Kaif romancing Shahrukh Khan in the lush meadows of the Swiss Alps. But his illness, caused by a bout of dengue, stymied the plan for the song, which would have reflected his trademark directorial style.

Chopra was known to often cast the same actors in his films, his most famous collaborations being with Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Madan Puri, Amrish Puri, Prem Chopra, Nirupa Roy, Aruna Irani, Bindu, Manmohan Krishna, Poonam Dhillon, Parikshit Sahni, Shashi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Rekha, Sharmila Tagore, Raakhee, Rajesh Khanna, Sunil Dutt, Anil Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, Hema Malini, Sridevi, Anupam Kher, Iftekhar, Achala Sachdev, Vikas Anand and Shahrukh Khan.

In 1970, Chopra married Pamela Singh and together they have two sons Aditya Chopra and Uday Chopra, born in 1971 and 1973, respectively. Aditya Chopra is also a film director and producer and holds the position of chairman and managing director of Yash Raj Films, while Uday is an assistant director turned actor who made his acting debut in 2000 in his brother's directorial, Mohabbatein. Uday is currently the Director – Yash Raj Films, CEO – YRF Entertainment.

Chopra was born into an Arya Samaji family, a Hindu reformist movement noted for pushing social reforms, and in her book on Chopra Rachel Dwyer would say it had an influence at many levels: at a personal level, Chopra would refuse to identify as a Khatri, as it'd appear casteist; when it comes to his filmmaking style, the Chopra film clan in general would make movies containing a message of social change.

• Illustration — Chopra on a 2013 Indian stamp. On 13 October 2012, Chopra was diagnosed with dengue fever and was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Bandra, Mumbai. On 21 October, Yash Chopra succumbed to death following multiple organ failure. He was 80 years of age. The Chautha ceremony for Yash Chopra was held on 25 October 2012 at Yash Raj Films studio. Yash Chopra's final rites took place at Pawan Hans crematorium on 22 October 2012.

• Illustration — Chopra with his wife Pamela Chopra at an award show in 2011 • Illustration — Statue of Chopra in Interlaken, Switzerland • Year || Award || Category || Film • 1961 — National Film Awards — Best Feature Film in Hindi — Dharamputra • 1989 — Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment — Chandni • 1993 — Darr • 1995 — Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge • 1997 — Dil To Pagal Hai • 2004 — Veer-Zaara • 2008 — Chak De India • 1992 — Filmfare Awards — Best Film — Lamhe • 1996 — Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge • 1998 — Dil To Pagal Hai • 2005 — Veer-Zaara • 1966 — Best Director — Waqt • 1970 — Ittefaq • 1974 — Daag • 1976 — Deewaar • 2006 — Power Award — Special Award • 2007 • 2008 • 2013 — Lifetime Achievement Award — All of his films • 2002 — IIFA Awards — Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema • 2005 — Best Film — Veer-Zaara • Best Director • 2008 — Best Film — Chak De India • 2013 — IIFA 2013 Macau is dedicated to Mr. Yash Chopra — Special Award • 1998 — Zee Cine Awards — Best Film — Dil To Pagal Hai • 2005 — Veer-Zaara • Best Director — Veer-Zaara • 2008 — Best Film — Chak De India • 1996 — Screen Awards — Best Film — Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge • 2005 — Veer-Zaara • 2008 — Chak De India • 2013 — Lifetime Achievement Award — All of his films • 2005 — Bollywood Movie Awards — Best Film — Veer-Zaara • Best Director

• 1996: Founder Trustee of Film Industry Welfare Trust established. • 1998 & 2001: Received BBC Asia Awards in both years – in 1998 and 2001 for his outstanding contribution to films. • 2001: Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the topmost and the highest honour given in the Indian film industry. • 2001: Dr. Dadabhai Naoroji Millennium Lifetime Achievement award. • 2003-2012: Vice President of the Film Producers’ Guild of India for 10 years. • 2005: Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honours. • 2005: Honoured along with the Egyptian comedian Adel Emam and the Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman as the Asian, Arab and Hollywood honorees in the Dubai International Film Festival "In the Spotlight", which honours the work of eminent actors, producers and directors from around the world for their distinguished service to the film industry. • 2006: A lifetime membership to BAFTA for his contribution to the Indian film industry. He is the first Indian to be honoured at BAFTA in 59-year history of the academy. • 2006: Punjab Rattan, Punjab's highest civilian honour. • 2006: Lifetime Achievement Award at the 4th Pune International Film Festival (P.I.F.F.) • 2007: The veteran director was on the advisory board of the Information & Broadcasting Ministry of the Government of India. • 2007: He has been given the Maharashtra state government's Raj Kapoor and V. Shantaram’ Awards, in recognition of his impressive contributions to the Hindi film industry. • 13 November 2007: Chopra was conferred the Zenith Asia Honour for his contribution to Indian cinema. • 5 July 2008: France's Legion of Honour • 2008: FIAPF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. • 2009: Yash Chopra received the Lifetime Achievement Award at Satya Brahma-founded India Leadership Conclave, moderated by NDTV. • 2009: Pusan International Film Festival – Asian Filmmaker of the Year • 2010: National Kishore Kumar Award by the Government of Madhya Pradesh. • 2010: Honoured by the Swiss Government for rediscovering Switzerland, and recently, he was presented a Special Award by Ursula Andress on behalf of the Swiss Government. • 2010: Swiss Ambassador's Award for his contribution in promoting "Brand Switzerland" through his movies. • October 2010: Chopra was given the Outstanding Achievement in Cinema award at The Asian Awards. • 2011: Chopra was honoured with the title of Ambassador of Interlaken. • 2011: In Mumbai, the India Leadership Conclave felicitated him in the category of "Excellence in outstanding contribution to Indian Cinema". • 2013: Awarded the "Father of Contemporary Indian Cinema" at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). • The Jaipur International Film Festival-JIFF's Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to the 'King of Romance,' Yash Raj Chopra on 17 January 2025 in Jaipur. The award was accepted by his grandson, Rishab Chopra. • 3 May 2013: A postage stamp, bearing his likeness, was released by India Post to honour him. • Handpicked by the British Film Institute for a book written by Rachel Dwyer in their "World Directors Series". This book showcases the glorious five-decade career of Yash Chopra. • Certificate of Recognition from the British Tourist Authority and British Film Commission for promoting tourism in the UK through his films. • Vocational Excellence Award by the Rotary Club • Outstanding Achievement Awards by the apex bodies of Indian Industry – like the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). • Honoured by National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) and All India Association of Industries (AIAI) for his outstanding achievements. • He has also been awarded the Priyadarshini Award for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.

• 2004: by the Guru Nanak University, Amritsar, India in recognition of his stature as a leading luminary of India. • 2007: by the Leeds Metropolitan University in Yorkshire. • 2008: by the Panjab University, Chandigarh, India for his contribution to Indian cinema. • 2010: from the School of Oriental and African Studies. • 2012 Honorary Professorship from Trinity College Dublin.