Swiss government honours Yash Chopra with special statue

Mumbai: Director Yash Chopra, who shot most of his romantic dramas in the lush mountains of Switzerland, has been honoured with a special statue by the government.

The bronze statue of the late filmmaker, which weighs about 250 kilos, was inaugurated on Wednesday by his wife Pamela and daughter-in-law Rani Mukerjee, said a statement from Yash Raj Films.

Chopra, who opened a legacy of South Asian tourists flocking to Switzerland, loved to spend time in the country besides shooting his movies.

This statue is installed at the heart of Interlaken, inside the Kursaal area, near the Congress Centre which is a prime, popular spot with tourists.

Ministers and senior bureaucrats from the Swiss government attended the inauguration event that was organised by Interlaken Tourism and Jungfrau Railways.

This is not the first time the filmmaker has been honoured in this way. The government of Interlaken awarded him the honorary title of "Ambassador of Interlaken" in 2011, and Jungfrau Railways named a train after him an honour shared only with the railway's founder, Adolf Guyer.

The five-star Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken also named a suite after Yash Chopra.