Remembering Great producer/director Yash Raj Chopra ji 1932-2012

Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 – 21 October 2012) 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).
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 1971, Chopra founded his own production company, Yash Raj Films, and launched it with Daag (1973), a successful melodrama about a polygamous man. The name Yash Raj was formed with names standing for Yash and Raj his middle name. 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), Kaala Pathar (1979), Silsila (1981), 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 to 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 trend setting box office hit Darr (1993). Starring Shah Rukh 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's career 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 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.
Some of his best films:

Deewar: Deewar released in 1975 is one of director Yash Chopra's most accomplished works. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Nirupa Roy and Neetu Singh, Deewar was a tale of two brothers on opposite sides of the law. If 1973's Zanjeer introduced Amitabh as the angry young man, Deewar brought him in the limelight. The story about two brothers was a ground-breaking film and also received the Filmfare Best Film Award of 1975 in addition to 6 other awards and was a super hit.

Silsila: The Bollywood film released in 1981 was directed by Yash Chopra. Though the movie didn't do well at the box-office, it has achieved a cult status among the Indian audience.
'Kabhi Kabhie' was Yash Chopra's second directorial film with Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor in the lead roles after 'Deewar'. Kabhi Kabhie: Kabhi Kabhie is truly a love story that transcends generations. The film is touted to be amongst Yash Chopra's favourite films.

Chandni: Well, who can forget gorgeous Sridevi's sarees, the music and romance that Chandni held for the audience. Rishi Kapoor and Sridevi's chemistry in the film and Vinod Khanna's strong portrayal of Lalit made the film even more memorable. The movie Chandni was a blockbuster in 1989 and is one of the most-watched films of Indian cinema.

Dil To Pagal Hai: This can truly be called as the one of the most romantic film made under the Yash Chopra banner. From music, to look of the superstars in the film, everything was refined. The film was a romantic musical hit. The movie created ripples in Indian cinema by winning many awards and appreciation.

Veer-Zaara: Veer-Zaara is a saga of love, separation, courage and sacrifice. This film marked the return of Yash Chopra to direction after a gap of seven years after directing Dil To Pagal Hai which also starred Shah Rukh Khan. The cross-border love story between Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta's characters moved many to tears. It was the highly anticipated pre-release and the film eventually became the top-grossing Bollywood film of the year at both Indian and the international box office. It also earned all the major awards of that year including the Most Popular Film award at the National Film Awards and the Best Movie award at the annual Filmfare Awards, among others. With Veera-Zaara, Yash Chopra once again proved that why he is called the king of romance.