Neela Aasma So Gaya .... ... . . ........................... ,
He was not a mere film director or producer, he was an institution. He was the Neela Aasma(blue sky) of talents. The greatest director of all times of Hindi Cinema, was a real genius, a true legend!
Also
known as “king of romance” (not because he made the most successful, super hit
Hindi movies one after another, but, he was the master, the guru, who knows how
to convert the passion of one’s heart in the form of a story to a heart
breaking screen play!) of Hindi cinema’s, Yash Raj Chopra died at the Lilavati Hospital,
Mumbai, on Sunday, following dengue infection and multiple organ failure. He
was admitted to hospital on October 13, was 80 years old, and survived by wife
Pamela and two sons, filmmaker Aditya Chopra and actor-producer Uday Chopra.
Born in Lahore on September 27, 1932, Yash Raj Chopra moved to India after Partition. His original plan was to go to London to study engineering, but his love for cinema saw him working as an assistant director to I S Johar, and later for his director-producer brother B R Chopra.
Chopra directed 22 films. A master storyteller, he made his directorial debut in 1959 with Dhool Ka Phool, a film based on illegitimacy. In 1973, Chopra founded his own production company, Yash Raj Films, and launched it with Daag: A Poem 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 the "angry young man" of Bollywood, the romantic drama Kabhi Kabhie (1976) and Trishul (1978). The eighties marked professional setbacks 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), Mashaal (1984) and Vijay (1988). However, in 1989, Chopra directed the commercially and critically successful cult film Chandni and produced the cult classic Lamhe in 1991. Chandni became instrumental in ending the era of violence in Bollywood and bringing back music into Hindi films.
As a filmmaker, Chopra never feared to walk the unconventional path. His take on man-woman relationships wasn’t just reserved for a walk around the trees. He addressed different hues of love — ranging from the infatuated to the obsessive, extra-marital, eternal and cross-border.
His collaboration with the top male stars of their time led to many blockbuster hits. He brought back Rajesh Khanna with Daag. He created the brooding angry young man image for Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar and Trishul, and later re-invented Bachchan as a lover boy in films like Kabhie Kabhie and Silsila.
His association with Shah Rukh Khan began with the 1993 romantic psychological thriller film Darr, which turned out to be a superhit. Since then, Chopra has directed three more romantic films, all starring Khan — Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Veer Zaara (2004) and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012) — establishing the actor as the modern-day lover boy for Indian cinema.
Chopra's career has spanned over five decades and over 50 films.He is considered among one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of Hindi cinema. Chopra has won several film awards, including six National Film Awards and eleven Filmfare awards including four Filmfare Award for Best Director. The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2005 for his contributions towards Indian cinema. BAFTA presented him with a lifetime membership for his contribution to the films, making him the first Indian to receive the honour in the 59-year history of the academy. His last movie was Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012).
The body of the icon of Indian cinema was kept at Yash Raj Studios for last darshan on Monday between 9 am to 12 noon and was cremated at Chandanwadi crematorium at 3 pm.
Born in Lahore on September 27, 1932, Yash Raj Chopra moved to India after Partition. His original plan was to go to London to study engineering, but his love for cinema saw him working as an assistant director to I S Johar, and later for his director-producer brother B R Chopra.
Chopra directed 22 films. A master storyteller, he made his directorial debut in 1959 with Dhool Ka Phool, a film based on illegitimacy. In 1973, Chopra founded his own production company, Yash Raj Films, and launched it with Daag: A Poem 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 the "angry young man" of Bollywood, the romantic drama Kabhi Kabhie (1976) and Trishul (1978). The eighties marked professional setbacks 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), Mashaal (1984) and Vijay (1988). However, in 1989, Chopra directed the commercially and critically successful cult film Chandni and produced the cult classic Lamhe in 1991. Chandni became instrumental in ending the era of violence in Bollywood and bringing back music into Hindi films.
As a filmmaker, Chopra never feared to walk the unconventional path. His take on man-woman relationships wasn’t just reserved for a walk around the trees. He addressed different hues of love — ranging from the infatuated to the obsessive, extra-marital, eternal and cross-border.
His collaboration with the top male stars of their time led to many blockbuster hits. He brought back Rajesh Khanna with Daag. He created the brooding angry young man image for Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar and Trishul, and later re-invented Bachchan as a lover boy in films like Kabhie Kabhie and Silsila.
His association with Shah Rukh Khan began with the 1993 romantic psychological thriller film Darr, which turned out to be a superhit. Since then, Chopra has directed three more romantic films, all starring Khan — Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Veer Zaara (2004) and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012) — establishing the actor as the modern-day lover boy for Indian cinema.
Chopra's career has spanned over five decades and over 50 films.He is considered among one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of Hindi cinema. Chopra has won several film awards, including six National Film Awards and eleven Filmfare awards including four Filmfare Award for Best Director. The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2005 for his contributions towards Indian cinema. BAFTA presented him with a lifetime membership for his contribution to the films, making him the first Indian to receive the honour in the 59-year history of the academy. His last movie was Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012).
The body of the icon of Indian cinema was kept at Yash Raj Studios for last darshan on Monday between 9 am to 12 noon and was cremated at Chandanwadi crematorium at 3 pm.
Filmography
Producer:
Yash Raj Films
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Director
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Assistant Director
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Awards
- National Film Award (Producer)
- 1998, National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Dil To Pagal Hai
- 2005, National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Veer-Zaara
- Filmfare Awards
- 1965, Filmfare Best Director Award, Waqt
- 1969, Filmfare Best Director Award, Ittefaq
- 1973, Filmfare Best Director Award, Daag
- 1975, Filmfare Best Director Award, Deewar
- 1991, Filmfare Best Movie Award, Lamhe
- 1995, Filmfare Best Movie Award, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
- 1997, Filmfare Best Movie Award, Dil To Pagal Hai
- 2004, Filmfare Best Movie Award, Veer-Zaara
- 2006, Filmfare Power Award
- 2007, Filmfare Power Award
- 2008, Filmfare Power Award
- Honours and recognitions
- Padma Bhushan in 2005.
- France's highest civilian honour, Legion of Honour,
- Vice President of the Film Producers’ Guild of India for the last 10 years.
- 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.
- Pusan International Film Festival – Asian Filmmaker of the Year, 2009
- Honoured along with the Egyptian comedy superstar Adel Imam and the Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman as the Asian, Arab and Hollywood honorees in the Dubai International Film Festival "In the Spotlight", which honors the work of eminent actors, producers and directors from around the world for their distinguished service to the film industry.
- 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.
- Currently on the Advisory Board of the Information & Broadcasting Ministry of the Government of India.
- Founder Trustee of Film Industry Welfare Trust established in the year 1996.
- Received the BBC Asia Awards twice – in 1998 and 2001 for his outstanding contribution in films.
- Dr. Dadabhai Naoroji Millennium Lifetime Achievement award in 2001.
- 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 CII (Confederation of Indian Industry).
- He was honoured by the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) at Malaysia for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.
- Honoured by NAASCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies) and AIAI (All India Association of Industries) for his outstanding achievements.
- He has also been awarded the Priyadarshini Award for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.
- Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2001, the topmost and the highest honour given in the Indian film industry.
- He had been given the Maharastra state government’s Raj Kapoor and V. Shantaram’ Awards, in recognition of his impressive contributions to the Hindi film industry.
- Lifetime Achievement Award at the 4th Pune International Film Festival 2006 [P.I.F.F.]
- A lifetime membership to BAFTA for his contribution to the Indian film industry. He is the first Indian to be honored at BAFTA in 59-year history of the academy.
- Honorary Doctorate in Art by the Leeds Metropolitan University in Yorkshire
- FIAPF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film at the 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
- Honorary Doctorate from the School of Oriental and African Studies, July 2010.
- National Kishore Kumar Award by the Government of Madhya Pradesh
- Swiss Ambassador's Award 2010 for his contribution in promoting 'Brand Switzerland' through his movies.
- In October 2010 he was given the Outstanding Achievement in Cinema award at The Asian Awards.
