In at the moment’s section of ETimes BFFs (Large Filmy Households), we decode the Chopra clan and their immense contribution to the world of cinema.
Vilayati Ram Chopra
Vilayati Ram Chopra was an accountant within the PWD division of the British Punjab administration. He was married to Durga Devi and so they collectively had eight youngsters – Hans Raj Chopra, Baldev Raj Chopra, Kuldeep Raj Chopra, Dharam Raj Chopra, Raj Chopra, Yash Raj Chopra, sister Vimala Bhalla.
Baldev Raj Chopra
BR Chopra, also referred to as Baldev Raj Chopra, stands as a luminary determine within the Indian cinema, but his contributions usually stay underappreciated. Regardless of his adeptness in filmmaking, evident by way of a string of profitable movies and reveals underneath his path and manufacturing, recognition eluded him. Amongst his notable achievements was the creation and manufacturing of the legendary tv sequence, Mahabharat, helmed by his son Ravi Chopra.
BR Chopra’s illustrious profession as a director is marked by quite a few iconic movies that not solely showcased his expertise but additionally offered alternatives for budding actors to shine. His repertoire consists of memorable works comparable to Afsana, Naya Daur, Sadhna, Kanoon, Ek Hello Raasta, Gumrah, Hamraaz, Dhund, Nikaah, Pati Patni Aur Woh, and Insaf Ka Tarazu. As he transitioned into the position of a producer together with his manufacturing home, BR Movies, Chopra’s profound understanding of cinema proved instrumental in shaping his success on this new enterprise. He produced movies like Baghbhan, Babul and Bhootnath, after 2000.
The senior Chopra was a trueblue reformist film-maker, means forward of his occasions, who addressed points whereas entertaining the multitudes.
His 1960 movie ‘Kanoon’ starring Ashok Kumar-Rajendra Kumar was the primary songless HIndi movie. The movie gained a Nationwide Movie Award for Finest Characteristic Movie in Hindi.
One in every of Indian cinema’s most influential movies, Naya Daur addressed the affect of the economic revolution on rural India.
It’s famous that BR Chopra performed a pivotal position in Yash Chopra’s journey towards realizing his cinematic aspirations. As Yash Chopra’s elder brother and mentor, BR Chopra not solely comprehended Yash’s desires but additionally offered essential assist and steerage to assist him obtain these aspirations. Their bond and collaboration laid the inspiration for Yash Chopra’s illustrious profession within the Indian movie business.
Dharam Raj Chopra
Born on 24 August 1924, he was one in every of eight youngsters together with B R Chopra and Yash Chopra, born to Vilayati Raj Chopra, an accountant within the PWD division of the British Punjab administration. On graduating from Punjab College, he got here to Bombay in 1948. He went on to affix M and T Studios as an assistant within the digicam division. He later joined his filmmaker brother B R Chopra and labored as operative cameraman for the movie Sadhana (1958).
He made his solo debut as a full-fledged cinematographer in B R Chopra’s Dhool Ka Phool (1960). He’s identified for standard movies comparable to Waqt (1965), The Burning Prepare (1980), Kanoon (1960), Ittefaq (1969), Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978), Insaf Ka Tarazu (1980), Nikaah (1982), and Amaanat (1977). He shot a lot of the movies produced and directed by his brother BR Chopra. He gained the Filmfare Award within the yr 1965 for Finest Cinematographer for Waqt. Later, his work in tv noticed him function director of images for standard serials comparable to Mahabharat and Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Dharam handed away on September 28, 2002, following a cardiac arrest. He was 78. He was survived by his spouse and three daughters.
Hans Raj Chopra
Elder brother named Hans Raj Chopra. Hans Raj had a son named Lalit Chopra who has handed away. Lalit was married to Suman Chopra. Suman and Lalit Chopra have two daughters. Their names are Bhakti Mehta and Aradhna Bhandari.
Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra was born on 27 September 1932 in Lahore, Punjab Province, British India, right into a Punjabi Hindu Khatri household. He spent his early life in Lahore, residing within the family of his elder brother Baldev Raj Chopra (BR Chopra), and attended school in Jalandhar. Regardless of initially aspiring to pursue a profession in engineering, his deep-seated ardour for filmmaking in the end drew him to Mumbai.
Yash Chopra commenced his journey as an assistant to IS Johar and later to his brother, BR Chopra, earlier than ascending to the director’s chair and helming 5 extremely profitable movies underneath the BR Movies banner. Every of those movies marked important milestones in his evolution as a top-tier director of blockbusters. Amongst them had been ‘Dhool Ka Phool’ (1959), ‘Dharmputra’ (1961), ‘Waqt’ (1965) – acknowledged as India’s inaugural true multi-starrer generational household drama, ‘Ittefaq’ (1969), and ‘Aadmi Aur Insaan’ (1969). Moreover, he directed 4 different notable movies produced by totally different corporations: ‘Joshila’ (1973), ‘Deewaar’ (1975), ‘Trishul’ (1978), and ‘Parampara’ (1993).
However his best repertoire of labor consisted of the 50 plus movies made underneath the banner he launched – the banner that stands for the perfect of Hindi cinema – YRF. Out of those movies, he directed 13 himself, and these movies have outlined a lot of the language of Hindi movies as we all know them at the moment. Among the extremely profitable movies which Yash Chopra directed embody ‘Daag’ (1973), ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ (1976), ‘Kaala Patthar’ (1979), ‘Silsila’ (1981), ‘Chandni’ (1989), ‘Darr’ (1993), ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ (1997), ‘Veer-Zaara’ (2004), and ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ (2012).
A becoming finish to an excellent profession, ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Anushka Sharma, marked Yash Chopra’s closing movie as a director, wrapping up a long time of high quality work. He handed away on 21 October 2012 (on the age of 80), forsaking a legacy that may encourage generations to come back. The movie was launched on 13 November 2012 to an amazing response worldwide and emerged as one of many high grossers of the yr.
Yash Chopra performed a pivotal position in defining the imagery of mainstream Hindi cinema worldwide. Dubbed because the ‘King of Romance’ attributable to his plethora of profitable romantic movies spanning 5 a long time, he revolutionized the portrayal of drama and love on the silver display.
Pamela Chopra
Pamela Singh, born in Amritsar on 19 February 1948, was the daughter of Mohinder Singh, an officer within the Indian Military. The eldest of three siblings, she had two youthful brothers. Because of her father’s frequent postings throughout varied distant areas in India, Chopra acquired her schooling at a number of military faculties. She was a cousin of the actress Simi Garewal, as her father Mohinder Singh and Garewal’s mom Darshi Garewal had been siblings.
Pamela Chopra entered into marriage with the filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970, in a union organized by their households within the conventional Indian trend. The households had been linked by way of a mutual buddy, the mom of filmmaker Romesh Sharma, who steered Pamela Singh as an acceptable match for Yash Chopra, the youthful brother of B.R. Chopra. Reflecting on their marriage 4 a long time later, Pamela remarked in an interview, “She was not fallacious as a result of we had an exquisite marriage.” The couple’s first encounter was in a proper setting, the place they discovered one another agreeable. Their marriage ceremony passed off in 1970.
Pamela ventured into varied features of the movie business. She showcased her singing expertise in a number of movie songs, comparable to ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ (1976) and ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge!’ (2002). Moreover, she took on the position of a producer for sure movies produced by her husband. Pamela additionally contributed as a co-writer for the script of her husband’s 1997 movie ‘Dil To Pagal Hai,’ collaborating with Yash Chopra, her son Aditya Chopra, {and professional} author Tanuja Chandra. Whereas she made a quick on-screen look alongside her husband within the opening music ‘Ek Duje Ke Vaaste’ from the movie ‘Dil To Pagal Hai,’ it marked her sole look on display. As a schoolgirl, Pamela had realized Bharatanatyam, though she by no means carried out publicly.
On 20 April 2023, Pamela Chopra handed away from pneumonia at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on the age of 75. She had been admitted to the hospital attributable to ‘age-related points,’ and her situation quickly deteriorated, in the end resulting in her being positioned on a ventilator on the time of her demise.
Simi Garewal
Few are conscious that Simi Garewal and Yash Chopra’s spouse, Pamela, are first cousins. Simi’s mom, Darshi, and Pamela’s father, Mohinder Singh, had been siblings. Born on October 17, 1947, in Ludhiana, Simi grew up in England and studied at Newland home College along with her sister Amrita.
Having spent a good portion of her childhood in England, Garewal returned to India as an adolescent. Her proficiency within the English language led the makers of the English-language movie ‘Tarzan Goes to India’ to supply her a task. Garewal made her debut alongside Feroz Khan on this movie, which was launched in 1962. She labored with notable filmmakers like Mehboob Khan in Son of India (1962), Raj Khosla in Do Badan (1966), Raj Kapoor in Mera Naam Joker (1970), Satyajit Ray in Aranyer Din Ratri (1970, Days and Nights within the Forest) and Mrinal Sen in Padatik (1973, The Guerilla Fighter).
Within the mid-Seventies, Garewal appeared within the acclaimed movie ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ (1976), directed by her brother-in-law Yash Chopra. She additionally had a number one position in ‘Chalte Chalte’ (1976). One other noteworthy efficiency was her portrayal as a vamp in ‘Karz’ (1980).
Garewal hosted the discuss present Rendezvous with Simi Garewal.” Famend for her distinct fashion, she usually adorns her signature white apparel throughout TV reveals and at award ceremonies, incomes her the moniker “The Woman in White.
Simi revealed in an interview with Mid-Day that she had accompanied Pamela to BR Chopra’s daughter’s marriage ceremony, the place she ended up assembly Yash Chopra for the primary time. The actor recalled that whereas Pamela thought he did not discover her, Simi noticed him taking a look at her many occasions. After just a few months, BR Chopra, Yash’s elder brother, requested Simi’s mom for Pamela’s hand in marriage. Whereas Pamela’s father Mohinder Singh was reluctant at first, Simi’s mom assured them that every one could be alright and she or he would deal with every little thing.
In the identical interview, Simi spoke about how Pam contributed to Yash’s profession. She added, “Initially, she could be there on the music periods for Yashji’s movies. Yashji would take a number of inputs from her until the youngsters (Aditya and Uday) got here alongside. Yashji at all times remained a precedence in Pam’s life. She was completely dedicated to him.”
Ravi Chopra
Born on November 12, 1946, Ravi Chopra was the son of BR Chopra and Prakash Chopra. Ravi launched into his skilled journey by helping his father, BR Chopra, in notable movies comparable to Dastaan (1972) and Dhund (1973). Moreover, he lent his experience to his uncle Yash Chopra within the making of Ittefaq (1969).
Taking a big step ahead, Ravi Chopra marked his unbiased directorial debut with Zameer in 1975. Notably, he collaborated together with his father on the acclaimed tv sequence Mahabharat (1988–89), showcasing their mixed expertise to an enormous viewers.
He received to married to Renu Chopra and so they have three youngsters collectively, Kapil Chopra, Abhay Chopra, Puja Talwar. Ravi Chopra handed away in 2014, forsaking his spouse and children, whereas his contributions to cinema proceed to be remembered.
Aditya Chopra
Aditya Chopra developed a deep ardour for movies from a younger age. His early publicity to the world of cinema started with watching motion pictures, however his schooling in filmmaking primarily passed off throughout the realm of his father Yash Chopra’s house productions throughout his school and college years. On the age of 18, he launched into his personal journey within the movie business, beginning as an assistant to his father in motion pictures comparable to ‘Chandni’ (1989), ‘Lamhe’ (1991), and ‘Darr’ (1993). Regardless of reaching important success in his personal proper, he remained steadfastly loyal to his father, offering assist and help throughout the latter’s directorial ventures.
On the younger age of 23, Aditya Chopra made his directorial debut with ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ (DDLJ), a timeless basic that continues to grace theaters even after 26 years and over 1200 weeks since its preliminary launch on 20 October 1995. His distinctive imaginative and prescient permeated each body of the movie, showcasing freshness, wit, romance, and simple chemistry between the lead pair. The seamless mix of recent sensibilities with conventional Indian values resonated deeply with audiences, making DDLJ an embodiment of Aditya Chopra’s artistic prowess. He not solely directed the movie but additionally crafted its story, screenplay, and dialogue, incomes accolades aplenty. DDLJ swept quite a few awards, together with 10 Filmfare Awards (probably the most for a movie as much as that time) and the celebrated Nationwide Award for Finest Movie, acknowledged for its contribution to standard and healthful leisure.
Aditya Chopra’s directorial ventures embody ‘Mohabbatein’ (2000), a profitable follow-up to his debut, and ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ (2008), each top-grossing movies of their respective years. ‘Mohabbatein’ notably celebrated Amitabh Bachchan’s profession resurgence. His subsequent movie, ‘Befikre’ (2016), marked a departure into light-hearted romance, starring Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor.
Aditya Chopra, a devoted movie fanatic, ensures to observe a variety of flicks, together with standard and entertaining ones, critically acclaimed movies, and people who defy conventions.
On the private entrance, Aditya Chopra’s first marriage to Payal Khanna led to divorce in 2009, with none youngsters from the union. Subsequently, in April 2014, he entered into matrimony with actress Rani Mukerji in an intimate ceremony held in Italy. Rani comes from the illustrious Mukerji household, famend for his or her legacy of actors and filmmakers within the business. Their union was blessed with the start of their daughter, Adira Chopra, in December 2015, additional enriching their familial bonds.
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji was born on March 21, 1978 to Ram Mukherjee and Krishna Mukherjee. Whereas her father was a former filmmaker, her mom is a former playback singer. Her brother Raja Mukherjee is a producer and director. Debashree Roy, her maternal aunt, is a famend Bengali movie actress. On her paternal aspect, she shares familial ties with Kajol, a distinguished Hindi movie actress and modern. Moreover, one other paternal cousin, Ayan Mukerji, has made a mark within the business as a scriptwriter and movie director.
Rani Mukerji calls Indian motion pictures the ‘finest’ as filmmaker Prithvi Konanur opines Iranian cinema is much better; says ‘He ought to watch ‘twelfth Fail’
Rani accomplished her research in Mumbai and received educated in Odissi. Not many know that in 1994, director Salim Khan supplied Mukerji the lead feminine position in his movie ‘Aa Gale Lag Jaa.’ Nonetheless, her father discouraged her from pursuing a full-time profession within the movie business at such a younger age, prompting her to say no the provide. When she turned 18, upon her mom’s suggestion to discover appearing as an experimental pursuit, Mukerji determined to tackle main roles in two movies: the social drama ‘Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat,’ which was Khan’s second provide to her, and her father’s Bengali movie ‘Biyer Phool.’ Remarkably, each motion pictures had been launched on the identical day in October 1996.
The actress, nonetheless, shot to fame with Karan Johar’s ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. All through her profession, Rani has delivered a number of memorable performances throughout genres, together with romantic dramas, comedies, and intense dramas. She is thought for her means to painting complicated characters with depth and conviction. A few of her notable movies embody ‘Black’, ‘Mardaani’, ‘Bunty Aur Babli’, Hichki’, ‘Aiyyaa’, ‘No One Killed Jessica’, Mrs Chatterjee VS Norway’ and plenty of others.
Whereas Rani stored most a part of her private life away from the general public and media glare, she made main headlines for her relationship with Aditya Chopra. The couple received married in an intimate Bengali ceremony in Italy on April 21, 2014. The next yr, she gave start to her daughter Adira.
Rani Mukerji’s trajectory in Bollywood is outlined by her extraordinary expertise, unwavering dedication to her craft, and a steadfast dedication to difficult societal norms by way of her portrayals and advocacy efforts. She stays a revered icon within the Indian movie fraternity, charming audiences along with her stellar performances and making important contributions each on and off the display.
Uday Chopra
Uday Chopra, the youthful son of the late Yash Chopra, started his movie journey by helping his father in motion pictures comparable to ‘Lamhe’ (1991), ‘Parampara’ (1993), ‘Darr’ (1993), and ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ (1997). Moreover, he offered help to his elder brother Aditya Chopra in his debut movie, ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ (1995), which emerged as one of many highest-grossing movies of its launch yr.
Uday Chopra had a profitable appearing debut in ‘Mohabbatein’ (2000), directed by his elder brother, which emerged as one of many highest-grossing movies of the yr. Uday Chopra, portraying the character Ali, captivated audiences nationwide in ‘Dhoom’ (2004), a movie that stood among the many highest-grossing Hindi movies of the yr.
He additionally took on a number one position in ‘Neal ‘N’ Nikki’ (2005). Following the great success of ‘Dhoom,’ its sequel, ‘Dhoom:2’ (2006), showcased one other stellar efficiency by the youngest member of the Chopra household. Uday additionally portrayed the lead position in ‘Pyaar Unattainable’ (2010), a movie that he additionally wrote and produced for YRF. Moreover, he starred in ‘Dhoom:3’ alongside Aamir Khan in 2013.
In 2012, Chopra based his personal firm, Yomics, which creates comics about well-known Yash Raj Movies together with Hum Tum, Dhoom and Ek Tha Tiger.
