Yash Chopra – the man who sold dreams

Blessed are the ones who continue to bask in the glory of love. For others, there will always remain a man called Yash Chopra. The dream weaver, the magician…also called the king of romance had this rare gift of transcending mortals to the land of love – a place one would die for to remain till eternity. Yash Chopra, through his films made that ‘magic’ happen.

I can vividly remember my first brush with romance. Even though the girl in my case wouldn’t have had the faintest idea of my feelings, but the zeal of pursuance in me was undoubtedly the effect of Mr Chopra’s ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’. Sparing details about how a personal love story eventually culminated, which I might share in my next post, let me come straight to how the man captivated an entire generation through his masterpieces like ‘Silsila’, ‘Chandni’, ‘Lamhe’, ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ and many more. Even though, the maverick director was an expert in melodramatic intense love stories, Yash Chopra loved to unravel and showcase the evolving nature of romance. Yash Chopra had this ability to tap the pulse of the ‘young at heart’ and take his audiences into a dream world where everything was beautiful and where the love story always ended on a happy note. He made his viewers wanting to be in love once they came out of the theatre. I was no exception. Yes, his stories tempted one to fall in love and experience it for the sheer joy and the gamut of emotions. There come a phase in life, when people, mostly youngsters like to remain in a world of dream. That mostly happens when they get to acquaint themselves with someone ‘special’ and there is an exchange of hearts. Yash Chopra through his films managed to keep that special feeling alive in the heart of those in love. This man clearly taught India how to fall in love. And not just India – his audiences transcended borders. His methods were simple. While making films, Yash Chopra would rope in the latest heartthrob and the reigning beauty queen of the time with whom most people could relate and then weave a wonderful love story with an interesting plot around them. Right from Rajesh Khanna-Sharmila Tagore to Amitabh Bachchan-Rekha and now his current favorite Shah Rukh Khan with Katrina Kaif in the upcoming ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’, Yash Chopra’s idea was to spread love and he rarely failed if his actors got his drift correct. The ‘King of Romance’ would often venture to far off lands with breathtaking locales for the shoot of his movies - hence, his fascination with Switzerland. The canvas of his films was so picturesque that while watching them most of us would gasp with awe. He also paid great attention to portray his heroines in an aesthetic manner – be it their clothes, makeup or their overall appearance. Seeing a Yash Chopra film is nothing less than going into a trance. I have always felt the lens which Yash Chopra used for his films was somewhat ‘divinely’ as the end result was so pristine. It is just my observation but I have always felt the look of SRK and Amitabh or Rekha and Madhuri were far better, classier and exquisite than most of their non-YRF films. Yash Chopra breathed his last on October 21, 2012. He will remain one of the most charismatic and powerful figures within the Indian film industry. He will remain the embodiment of Indian cinema and Bollywood in particular. And his name will always remain synonymous with romance, glamour and style. Yash Chopra – a man who sold dreams…