Background

Chopra was born in Lahore,British India (now in Pakistan), to a Punjabi 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. He was largely brought up in the Lahore house of his second brother, Baldev Raj Chopra, then a film journalist.

Career

Chopra filmed his first film in 1959 with the social drama "Dhool Ka Phool", produced by his elder brother B.R. Chopra and starring Mala Sinha, Rajendra Kumar and Leela Chitnis. The film revolved around a Muslim single mother 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 award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. Theatrical screenings of the film were disrupted by violent demonstrations in response to its raw depiction of the partition riots and related sloganeering. Chopra avoided making political films after that.

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 commercial and a critical 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 Best Director Award for the film.

In 1969 Chopra directed two movies produced by his brother. The first was "Aadmi Aur Insaan", the Chopra film to feature Dharmendra in the lead. It was an average grosser. He directed "Ittefaq" (1969), a suspense movie based on a Gujarati play, depicting the events of a single night, with Rajesh Khanna in the lead role. Shot in a month and on a low budget, the film was deemed unusual by critics. It one of the first Hindi films which did not have any songs or an interval. It was eventually declared a semi-hit at the box office and won Chopra another Filmfare award for best director.

In 1971 Chopra founded the independent Yash Raj Films, terminating his creative collaboration with his brother. His first independently produced film, "Daag: A Poem of Love" (1973), a melodrama about a man with two wives, with Rajesh Khanna in the lead role, was a great success. He created the name Yash Raj from Yash and Rajesh Khanna.

He directed a number of classic cult films starring Amitabh Bachchan and scripted by Salim-Javed, notably "Deewaar" and "Trishul", which were great hits and remain popular even today. These films set the trend for the late 70s and 80s, establishing Bachchan as a superstar in his role as the angry young man. Chopra won another Filmfare Best Director Award for "Deewaar". Chopra produced, directed and scripted two more films starring Bachchan. Unlike his earlier action-oriented films, these two were romantic dramas: "Kabhi Kabhie" (1976) followed by "Silsila" (1981). Yash Chopra inspired Javed Akhtar to become a lyricist, which started for this film.

The eighties marked a professional setback in Chopra's career, as several films he directed and produced in that period failed to leave a mark at the Indian box office. The first film he directed and produced was "Mashaal" (1984), his first collaboration with the legendary actor, Dilip Kumar. The action-oriented film, which was based on the well-known Marathi play titled "Ashroonchi Zhali Phule", won critical acclaim but fared only average, at the box-office. A year later, he made "Faasle". The romantic drama starring Sunil Dutt, Rekha, and Rohan Kapoor was a critical and commercial failure. He and critics consider it his worst film. "Vijay" (1988) was also a box office failure. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was dubbed as a remake of "Trishul".

Chopra's lean phase ended in 1989 with the highly successful cult classic "Chandni", a film with all the hallmarks of what has come to be known as the "Yash Chopra style": heroine-oriented, romantic, emotional, depicting the lifestyle of the super elite, with melodic music used in songs featured in foreign locations. It marked the first collaboration between the filmmaker and the established heroine, Sridevi. The huge success of its music was instrumental in ending the era of violence in Bollywood films and bringing back music into Hindi films. It also reaffirmed Sridevi's position as the top female star of the Eighties. Though it was not the first time Chopra shot a film in Switzerland, the extensive scenes shot there made it a popular tourist destination for Indians. The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film of that year.

He followed it with "Lamhe" (1991), starring frequent collaborators Anil Kapoor and Sridevi. The film was critically acclaimed, had exceptional music, and was one of the biggest Bollywood hits in the overseas market. But it was not a box-office success in India. The film won five Filmfare awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Movie. Over the years the film has been hailed as a cult classic; it is regarded as a modern masterpiece and possibly his finest film to date. It was featured in Outlook magazine's list of All-Time Great Indian films. It has been cited by Chopra as his personal favourite of his films.

In 1993 Yash Chopra directed the newcomer Shah Rukh Khan along with Juhi Chawla and Sunny Deol in the musical thriller "Darr". The movie was the story of an obsessed lover (Khan) and the lengths to which he goes to get the girl (Chawla) who is already happily engaged to another man (Deol). The film was not only a runaway success but is considered a cult classic today. It also established Khan as a bankable star. He then directed, produced and co-wrote the highly successful 1997 romantic musical "Dil To Pagal Hai", starring yet again Khan in a love triangle with Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor. It was the first Bollywood movie to be shot in Germany. The film became the second highest grosser for the year. It won many awards, including sweeping seven Filmfare Awards including that of Best Film and three National Awards, notably for Best Film, providing popular and wholesome entertainment yet again. Chopra then took a sabbatical from directing and focused solely on producing films for over eight years. Yash Raj Films (YRF) is the most dominant production company in Hindi filmmaking. Yash Raj Chopra has continuously maintained to feature the top five hit Indian movies of each year since 2000. Yash Raj Chopra being well experienced portrays the Yash Raj brand in a continuous changing platform of cultural perception of the Non-Resident Indian through cinema. The Indian film director, script writer and producer used a range of directors. He repetitively used the star power of Bollywood’s most popular actors, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. Yash Raj Films is a highlight of India’s post-colonial identity. It has grown to be the forefront of the global rise of Bollywood cinema. Yash Raj Films have expanded their company from locally based Hindi films to global achievements. They have managed to attract home based and diasporic Indians. Yash Raj Films have used a smart technique by incorporating foreign locations as a site which succeeded.

However, in 2004 he returned to direction through the love saga "Veer-Zaara". Starring Khan again, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji in the leading roles, the film was the biggest hit of 2004 in both India and overseas, with a worldwide gross of over 940 million and was screened at the Berlin Film Festival to critical appreciation.

In September 2012, in a special interview with actor Shahrukh Khan on the occasion of his eightieth 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 thought to shoot a scene of a sari-clad Katrina Kaif romancing Shah Rukh 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's trip to Switzerland with SRK and Katrina had to be cancelled after his death.

Works

• film

  • Dhool Ka Phool (1959)

  • Dharmputra (1961)

  • Waqt (1965)

  • Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969)

  • Ittefaq

  • Daag (1973) (producer)

  • Joshila

  • Deewaar (1975) (producer)

  • Kabhi Kabhie (1976) (producer)

  • Trishul (1978) (producer)

  • Kaala Patthar (1979) (producer)

  • Silsila (1981)

  • Mashaal (1984) (producer)

  • Faasle (1985) (producer)

  • Vijay (1988) (producer)

  • Chandni (1989) (producer)

  • Lamhe (1991) (producer)

  • Parampara (1992)

  • Darr (1993)

  • Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) (producer)

  • Veer-Zaara (2004) (producer)

  • Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012) (producer)

  • Ek Hi Rasta (1956) (Assistant director)

  • Naya Daur (1957)

  • Sadhna (1958)

  • Doosra Aadmi (1977)

  • Noorie (1979)

  • Nakhuda (1981)

  • Sawaal (1982)

  • Aaina (1993)

  • Yeh Dillagi (1994)

  • Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

  • Humko Ishq Ne Maara (Telefilm) (1997)

  • Mohabbatein (2000)

  • Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002)

  • Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (2002)

  • Saathiya (2002)

  • Hum Tum (2004)

  • Dhoom (2004)

  • Bunty Aur Babli (2005)

  • Salaam Namaste (2005)

  • Neal N Nikki (2005)

  • Fanaa (2006)

  • Dhoom 2 (2006)

  • Kabul Express (2006)

  • Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007)

  • Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007)

  • Chak De India (2007)

  • Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007)

  • Aaja Nachle (2007)

  • Tashan (2008)

  • Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (2008)

  • Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008)

  • Roadside Romeo (2008)

  • Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)

  • New York (2009)

  • Dil Bole Hadippa (2009)

  • Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year (2009)

  • Pyaar Impossible (2010)

  • Band Baaja Baaraat (2010)

  • Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge (2011)

  • Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011)

  • Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (2011)

  • Ishaqzaade (2012)

  • Ek Tha Tiger (2012)

Membership

• Film Producers Guild India (vice president)

• founder trustee Film Industry Welfare Trust.

Connections

Father:

Walaiti

Mother:

Draupadi

Wife:

Pamela Singh

In 1970 Chopra married Pamela Singh and together they had two sons Aditya Chopra and Uday Chopra, born in 1971 and 1973. Aditya was also a film director and producer and held the position of vice-chairman and general manager of Yash Raj Films while Uday is an assistant director turned actor who made his acting debut in 2000 in his brother's film Mohabbatein.

Son:

Aditya Chopra

Son:

Uday Chopra