SOAS Research Online

Abstract

As a charismatic director in the Indian film industry, Chopra’s name is synonymous with the glamour of the romantic film and a certain style within Indian culture. Spanning four decades, his directed features include some of the classic films of Indian film history, such as Deewaar and Kabhi Kabhie. His directorial career began in 1959 with Dhool Ka Phool and he has been a major producer since 1973, consolidating his success in the 1990s with a series of huge box office hits including Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. He has also worked in other Hindi movie genres, directing action movies such as Mashaal and a thriller, Darr. This book discusses in depth his work with the Hindi megastar Amitabh Bachanan in films such as Deewaar, Trishul, Kala Patthar and Silsila and how, in his transformation of the look of mainstream cinema in Dil To Pagal Hai and other films, Yash Chopra has proved to be a tireless innovator within a mainstream tradition. The author integrates this analysis with information about the man and his work, based on interviews with Yash Chopra, his family, his colleagues, his stars, his contemporaries and major critics that include views from Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Shashi Kapoor and Sri Devi. A study of a top contemporary Indian film director, Rachel Dwyer’s book also examines the influence on Chopra of predecessors such as Raj Kapoor and how his own legacy can be seen in such films as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and younger directors such as Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra.