Mumbai, September 27: Bollywood influential director Yash Chopra turns 78 on Monday.
Yash Chopra was born on the 27th September 1932 in Lahore, Pakistan to Vilayati Raj Chopra, who was an accountant in the PWD department of the British Punjab administration. He came from a large family and was one of eight children.
Chopra is married to Pamela and has two sons, Aditya Chopra who is a director and Uday Chopra, an actor.
Yash Chopra is one of the most influential directors in the film industry. He reigned supreme during the seventies when he teamed up with Amitabh Bacchan to deliver some exemplary work with Deewar, Silsila and much later with Shah Rukh Khan in Dil To Pagal Hai and Darr. His movies have a good amount of love, brilliant actors, catchy music and beautiful settings.
Chopra started out as an assistant to I.S.Johar and later got a chance at directing under his brother Baldev Raj Chopra’s banner B.R Films with Dhool Ka Phool. Soon after this he set up his own production house. A few years later he set up his own production house Yash Raj Films which is one of the most prominent banners today.
Yash Chopra’s directorial debut was under his brother’s banner B.R Films in 1959 to 1969 with the movie Dhool Ka Phool (1959). The other movies he made with his brother were Waqt (1965) and Ittefaq (1969). All the movies were successful.
In 1973 to 1979 Chopra set up Yash Raj Films and his first movie under his banner was Daag (1973). The movie was an adaptation of Hardy’s Mayor of Casterbridge and starred Rajesh Khanna, Rakhee and Sharmila Tagore and was a hit with the movie-goers. He won the Filmfare Best director Award.
All of Chopra’s movies that followed in the seventies starred Amitabh Bacchan. Deewar (1975) that explored the good and bad was epitomized by Shashi Kapoor and Bacchan respectively. Chopra won the second Filmfare Best Director Award. Kabhie Kabhie (1976) was another romantic saga.
Kaala Pather (1979) was an average success. Silsila (1981) with Amitabh Bacchan, Jaya Bhaduri and Rekha was about extra marital affairs and as it was so close to the real life scenario it garnered attention. He moved away from Bacchan and he went on to work with other stars.
In Lamhe, Chopra handled a sensitive issue about an age-gap relationship. Though it did not do well commercially, it received good reviews. It won the Filmfare Best Movie Award. In Chandni (1992), a love story about getting past obstacles he worked with Sridevi and Rishi Kapoor.
Darr (1993) made Shah Rukh Khan an actor to be reckoned with and was a big hit. After five years, he took up Dil To Pagal Hai with Shah Rukh Khan, Karishma Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit.
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