Yash Raj Chopra's Life and Legacy

How audiences view and receive cinema is the product of several variables. In the throes of cinematic excellence, the one thing that stands apart is romance. Here is how Yash Raj Chopra, one of the most revered filmmakers of India conceived his oeuvre.

YRC Behind the lens Source: YRF Films

Bringing to life the tryst with nature, Indian cinema has always managed to rework the elements as a substantial plot and background in their films. From the Swinging Sixties that familiarized the world with Swiss and European beauty to the mustard fields that rekindled the throes of passion, there have been significant phases wherein the legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra had viewers on the edges of their seats.

For a career that spanned over five decades, Chopra has been revered for the masterpieces that continue to reign in the hearts of audiences even decades later. Credited with producing the magnum opus that threaded the entire nation into a cycle of love and patriotism, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge or DDLJ became the benchmark for further oeuvres to come.

Born in 1932, in Lahore, Chopra began his career early on. Starting as an assistant director under BR Chopra, the man went on to create a legacy that won him awards like Dadasaheb Phalke Award and even the Padma Bhushan. Films like Deewar which launched Amitabh Bachchan into unparalleled stardom weigh heavily on the memory of Yash Chopra, who came to Mumbai from Lahore before partition with nothing but Rs.200 to his name.

However, limiting Yash Chopra’s career to stolen glances and quips would be wrong. Ittefaq starring Rajesh Khanna and Nanda was a classic mystery and game of whodunnit till the last moment, with no extensive running time wasted on songs or musicals. As such, not only did it serve as a stark departure from the roots of Indian cinema, but it also made for new trends to come up.

Chopra’s work interweaved complexities with a layer of nuance on even the most taboo subjects. In Chopra’s Daag (1973), the love triangle between Rajesh Khanna, Rakhee and Sharmila Tagore remains far from the formulaic structure that was often seen on the silver screen. When Khanna finds himself in a pretend marriage with Rakhee, whilst still married to Tagore, the result is a plot that inherently mocks the futility of human agency. Marred by circumstances, their tryst with destiny unfolds in a picturesque manner. With lyrics penned by poet Sahir Ludhianvi, the result of the musical numbers remains inevitably top-notch.

Unencumbered by convention and limitations of the imagination, the work Yash Chopra produced has had the power to rule the hearts of audiences for decades. Forging his legacy in the cinematic universe through YRF Studios, Chopra ultimately laid the foundation for future filmmakers to soar. Whilst his demise in 2012 wrecked viewers and cineasts in shambles, the legacy that he left behind, continues to remain larger than life.