Yash Raj Chopra ( 27 September 1932 – 21 October 2012) was an Indian film director, script writer and film producer, predominantly working in Hindi cinema. Yash Chopra began his career as an assistant director to I. S. Johar and elder brother, B.R. Chopra. He made his directorial debut with Dhool Ka Phool in 1959, a melodrama about illegitimacy, and followed it with the social drama Dharmputra (1961).Yash Raj Chopra the icon of Indian Cinema was born and brought up in jalandhar, Punjab.He did his graduation from Doaba College Jalandhar, Punjab.
Encouraged by the success of both films, the Chopra brothers made several more movies together during the late fifties and sixties. Chopra rose to prominence after his commercially and critically successful drama, Waqt (1965), which pioneered the concept of ensemble casts in Bollywood.
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 leading actor in Bollywood; the romantic drama Kabhie Kabhie (1976) and Trishul (1978).
The period from late seventies to 1989 marked a professional setback in Chopra's career; several films he produced or directed in that period failed to leave a mark at the Indian box office, notably Doosra Aadmi (1977), Mashaal (1984), Faasle (1985) and Vijay (1988). In 1989, Chopra directed the commercially and critically successful cult film Chandni, which became instrumental in ending the era of violent films in Bollywood and returning musicals.
Chopra directed and produced the cult classic Lamhe in 1991. Considered by critics and Chopra himself as his best work to date, the film became one of the biggest Bollywood hits in the overseas market, although underperforming at the domestic box office. In 1992 he directed Parampara which was critically panned and was a box office failure. Chopra followed it with the box-office hit and trend setter Darr (1993). Starring Shahrukh Khan, it was a sympathetic look at obsessive love and defied the image of the conventional hero. -Chopra directed three more romantic films, all starring Khan; Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Veer-Zaara (2004), and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), before he announced his retirement from directing in 2012.
Chopra founded and was chairman of the motion picture production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, which ranks as India's biggest production company as of 2006, as well as Yash Raj Studios. Chopra's career has spanned more than five decades and 50 films; he is considered one of the leading filmmakers in the history of Hindi cinema. He came to be known as the "King of Romance" of the Indian cinema. Chopra has won several film awards, including six National Film Awards and eleven Filmfare awards, including four Filmfare Best Director awards. 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 films, making him the first Indian to receive the honour.

Early life

Baldev Raj Chopra and Yash Chopra attending audio release of Naya Daur. At the start of his career Yash Chopra worked as an assistant director for his director-producer older brother, Baldev Raj Chopra.
A Hindu Punjabi, Chopra was born on 27 September 1932 in Lahore, British India now Pakistan 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. Chopra went to Jalandhar in 1945 to continue his education, and studied at Doaba College, Jalandhar. He moved to Ludhiana in Punjab (in India) after the Partition. He originally sought to pursue a career in engineering.
His passion for film-making led him to travel to Bombay (now Mumbai), where he initially worked as an assistant director to I. S. Johar, and then for his director-producer brother, Baldev Raj Chopra.
Early career
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 Leela Chitnis. 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. 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.

Formation of Yash Raj Films

Amitabh Bachchan and Yash Chopra in the premiere of Paa Chopra made a number of classic cult films starring Amitabh Bachchan. Chopra's Deewar gave Amitabh Bachchan the tag "Angry Young Man".
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 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, starting from 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. His film Mashaal (1984) was 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 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 picturised 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.
1993–2012
Yash Chopra and Shahrukh Khan. Chopra was responsible for shaping Khan's career.
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 a runaway success and 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 Shahrukh 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 seven Filmfare Awards 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.
In 2004, he returned to direction with the love saga Veer-Zaara.[ Starring Shahrukh 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 INR940 million and was screened at the Berlin Film Festival to critical appreciation. The film which narrated the love story of an Indian air-force officer Veer Pratap Singh (Khan) and a Pakistani woman, Zaara Haayat Khan (Zinta) was appreciated by critics. Rama Sharma from The Tribune write, "Giving love its due, Yash 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 colourful 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."
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 wanted 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 Shahrukh and Katrina had to be cancelled after his death.
Yash Raj Films (YRF) is the most dominant production company in Hindi filmmaking. Yash Raj Chopra has continuously featured in the top five hit Indian movies of the year since 2000. 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.
Frequent collaborations
Chopra was known to often cast the same actors in his films, his most famous collaborations being with Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor and more recently Shahrukh Khan, Kajol Devgan, and Rani Mukherji.

Personal life

In 1970, Chopra married Pamela Singh and together they have two sons Aditya Chopra and Uday Chopra, born in 1971 and 1973, respectively. Aditya is 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. During the shooting of Darr yash chopra cheated sunny deol of his role leading to dispute between the 2 families.

Bollywood celebrities paying last homage to Yash Chopra.
Clockwise from top right: Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Deepika Padukone, Shyam Benegal, Vidya Balan, Shahrukh Khan
On 13 October 2012, Chopra was admitted to Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai. He was diagnosed with Dengue fever shortly after. According to Dr. Prakash Jiyavani, a doctor of Lilavati Hospital, in addition to dengue, Chopra was suffering kidney ailments.After the news broke of his illness, actor Amitabh Bachchan tweeted: "Yash ji in hospital..was most anxious.. So checked with Adi, and he assured me that there was no need for worry.in control" and a spokesperson from Yash Raj Films stated that: "He is much better though still in hospital".In the weeks leading to his death, reports from media outlets suggested that he was recovering well and would be released from hospital soon.
However in the evening of 21 October, Yash Chopra died. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's death committee on Monday, 29 October 2012, confirmed dengue as the cause of Yash Chopra’s death. The Press Trust of India quoted a hospital spokesman, Sudhir– "he passed away due to dengue and multiple organ failure". An official statement from Yash Raj Films, the production company founded by Chopra, said: "It is with deep regret that we announce the sad demise of Yash Chopra, who breathed his last at around 5:30 PM today. Details of his last rites will be communicated to all a little later"
His body, covered with white flowers was kept on stage number 3 of the Yash Raj Films studio from the morning of 22 October for people to come and pay homage. A huge black and white photo of Chopra was also presented with several candles lit around it. The last rites of Chopra were conducted at the Vile Parle crematorium at 3.30 PM. Chopra's last public appearance was at Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday bash on 11 October with his wife Pamela.[8]

Filmography

Producer

Daag: A Poem of Love (1973)
Deewar (1975) (This movie is not produced by Chopra, however, he was credited)
Kabhi Kabhie (1976)
Doosra Aadmi (1977)
Noorie (1979)
Kaala Patthar (1979)
Nakhuda (1981)
Sawaal (1982)
Mashaal (1984)
Faasle (1985)
Vijay (1988)
Chandni (1989)
Lamhe (1991)
Aaina (1993)
Yeh Dillagi (1994)
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)
Humko Ishq Ne Maara (telefilm) (1997)
Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)
Mohabbatein (2000)
Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002)
Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (2002)
Saathiya (2002)
Hum Tum (2004)
Dhoom (2004)
Veer-Zaara (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)
Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (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)
Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)
Dhoom 3 (2013)

OUR HISTORY

The history of film began in the 1890s, with the invention of the first motion-picture cameras and the establishment of the first film production companies and cinemas. The films of the 1890s were under a minute long and until 1927, motion pictures were produced without sound. The first eleven years of motion pictures show the cinema moving from a novelty to an established large-scale entertainment industry. The films became several minutes long consisting of several shots. The first rotating camera for taking panning shots was built in 1897. The first film studios were built in 1897. Special effects were introduced and film continuity, involving action moving from one sequence into another, began to be used. In 1900, continuity of action across successive shots was achieved and the close-up shot was introduced. Most films of this period were what came to be called "chase films". The first use of animation in movies was in 1899. The first feature length multi-reel film was a 1906 Australian production. The first successful permanent theatre showing only films was "The Nickelodeon" in Pittsburgh in 1905. By about 1910, actors began to receive screen credit for their roles, and the way to the creation of film stars was opened. Regular newsreels were exhibited from 1910 and soon became a popular way for finding out the news. Overall, from about 1910, American films had the largest share of the market in all European countries except France.


                         

New film techniques that were introduced in this period include the use of artificial lighting, fire effects and Low-key lighting (i.e. lighting in which most of the frame is dark) for enhanced atmosphere during sinister scenes. As films grew longer, specialist writers were employed to simplify more complex stories derived from novels or plays into a form that could be contained on one reel. Genres began to be used as categories; the main division was into comedy and drama, but these categories were further subdivided. The years of the First World War were a complex transitional period for the film industry. The exhibition of films changed from short one-reel programmes to feature films. Exhibition venues became larger and began charging higher prices. By 1914, continuity cinema was the established mode of commercial cinema. One of the advanced continuity techniques involved an accurate and smooth transition from one shot to another.

D. W. Griffith had the highest standing amongst American directors in the industry, because of the dramatic excitement he conveyed to the audience through his films. The American industry, or "Hollywood", as it was becoming known after its new geographical center in California, gained the position it has held, more or less, ever since: film factory for the world and exporting its product to most countries on earth. By the 1920s, the United States reached what is still its era of greatest-ever output, producing an average of 800 feature films annually, or 82% of the global total (Eyman, 1997). During late 1927, Warners released The Jazz Singer, the first synchronized dialogue (and singing) in a feature film. By the end of 1929, Hollywood was almost all-talkie, with several competing sound systems (soon to be standardized). Sound saved the Hollywood studio system in the face of the Great Depression (Parkinson, 1995). Thus began what is now often called "The Golden Age of Hollywood", which refers roughly to the period beginning with the introduction of sound until the late 1940s. The American cinema reached its peak of efficiently manufactured glamour and global appeal during this period. The top actors of the era are now thought of as the classic film stars, such as Clark Gable, Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Greta Garbo, and the greatest box office draw of the 1930s, child performer Shirley Temple.

The desire for wartime propaganda created a renaissance in the film industry in Britain, with realistic war dramas. The onset of US involvement in World War II also brought a proliferation of films as both patriotism and propaganda. The House Un-American Activities Committee investigated Hollywood in the early 1950s. During the immediate post-war years the cinematic industry was also threatened by television, and the increasing popularity of the medium meant that some film theatres would bankrupt and close. Following the end of World War II in the 1940s, the following decade, the 1950s, marked a 'Golden Age' for non-English world cinema. During the 1960s, the studio system in Hollywood declined, because many films were now being made on location in other countries, or using studio facilities abroad. The New Hollywood was the period following the decline of the studio system during the 1950s and 1960s and the end of the production code, (which was replaced in 1968 by the MPAA film rating system). During the 1970s, filmmakers increasingly depicted explicit sexual content and showed gunfight and battle scenes that included graphic images of bloody deaths.

During the 1980s, audiences began increasingly watching films on their home VCRs. In the early part of that decade, the film studios tried legal action to ban home ownership of VCRs as a violation of copyright, which proved unsuccessful. Eventually, the sale and rental of films on home video became a significant "second venue" for exhibition of films, and an additional source of revenue for the film industries. The Lucas–Spielberg combine would dominate "Hollywood" cinema for much of the 1980s, and lead to much imitation. The early 1990s saw the development of a commercially successful independent cinema in the United States.