Bollywood and fans in shock as Yash Chopra passes away pending release of his last film.
“I think I’ve had enough. I won’t make any film after Jab Tak Hai Jaan.” Filmmaker Yash Chopra’s words, uttered on his 80th birthday bash in September, rang true on Sunday as news of his demise spread amongst friends, colleagues and fans. He was being treated for dengue at Lilavati Hospital in Bandra.
“I am in a state of shock. The man who immortalised love on screen is no more. Romance in Hindi films will no longer be the same without Yashji,” said actor Akshay Kumar.
Filmed at exotic locations and portraying heroines in a way never seen before on screen — clad in colourful chiffon sarees, fluttering in the wind against the backdrop of the Swiss Alps or mustard fields in Punjab — Chopra’s films held the attention of cine-goers.
The veteran filmmaker, best remembered for redefining celluloid romance in films like Chandni, Lamhe and Dil Toh Pagal Hai, also made social dramas including Deewar, Trishul, Kabhie Kabhie and Silsila. Most of his movies, irrespective of their genres, went on to become box-office blockbusters.
“With his trademark style of presenting love and romance as the essence of existence, Yashji was the guru of the Hindi film industry. He will be missed and remembered forever,” said filmmaker Subhash Ghai.
Chopra’s first film as director Dhool Ka Phool in 1959, starring Rajendra Kumar and Mala Sinha, got both critical and commercial success. In 1965, he directed Waqt another hit which set the ball in motion for the ‘lost and found’ genre in Hindi cinema. But it was Deewar in 1975 that catapulted Chopra to the big league. Soon, he moved from action and drama to romance with Kabhie Kabhie.
In the early 80s, he achieved a casting coup of sorts when he convinced Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan to share the screen with Rekha, who played the other woman, in Silsila.
Chopra directed his 22nd and last film Jab Tak Hai Jaan this year at one of his most preferred locations — Kashmir.
He is survived by wife Pamela and two sons — filmmaker Aditya Chopra and actor-producer Uday Chopra.
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