It was an event hosted by the company he has ably helmed for decades to felicitate him on his 80th birthday but it ended with Yash Chopra making a surprise announcement about his retirement. The Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jab Tak Hain Jaan will be Chopra's last film as director.
With this one masterstroke YRF threw the gaunt let to the makers of Son of Sardar who have dared to openat the same time as them. Saying that he now wants to move into the mentor mode, Yash Chopra told Shah Rukh Khan, with whom he was in conversation: "Like they say,the best thing sweeat at theend. I want to do other things now. Launch new people. My wife has been complaining, so I will make her happy."
A dapper Shah Rukh, whose first brush with a Yash Chopra film - Joshila, took place at the tender age of nine ("My mom told me she will show me a film if I passed in Hindi"), spoke about the filmmaker's journey - from being an engineering aspirant to the father of romance in Hindi cinema. SRK who may occasionally report late on the sets arrived much earlier than the scheduled time to rehearse for the event. After making a grand entry reciting the now famous verses from his upcoming film, he later sang 'Happy Birthday' for Chopra Sr. And it was one of those rare occasions when he spoke less than the other person on stage. Clearly, the director was the star at this one.
The octogenarian was in a reflective mood as he spoke at length about his life's journey which began, as he said, in 1951, when to fulfill his family's dream of him becoming an engineer, Chopra came to Bombay. "They sent me here to get my passport made so that I could go to England and study engineering." But like his elder brother, BR Chopra, his heart too was set on filmmaking. "Bhaisaab told me not to assist him but I persisted. Mom always used to tell me 'apne dil ki suno'. Finally she gave me Rs 200 and said 'yeh lo mera aashirwad'," he recalled.
And thus, with a scene that could have been handpicked from one of his films, began Yash Chopra's journey in Bollywood. From being 'poetry friends' with Meena Kumari, to getting his first directorial project and the first multi-starrer Waqt, he never lost focus. The next big milestone in his road to success came along in 1971, when moving away from his brother, he started his own production house, Yash Raj Films. "I never cared about money. But when my wife was pregnant, I realised I couldn't manage. I gathered the guts to tell bhaisaab I wanted to make my own films. Hetold me that from now I was on my own."
About his host for the evening, Chopra Sr mentioned that ever since they worked on Darr, he has never lookedforanyotherhero."ShahRukh never asks me about the script. Or the fee." To this, his hero replied: "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" Incidentally, Shah Rukh has still not been paid for the film all set to release this Diwali. Shah Rukh asked Chopra what many haven't been able to: How he convinced Jaya Bachchan and Rekha to share screen space in Silsila.
"I told Amitabh (Bachchan) that I wanted Jaya and Rekha in the film. (At the time they were shooting Kaalia in Kashmir)He paused for a moment and then said, 'Bombay jaake you meet them.' On our return flight, we didn't talk to each other,"recalled Chopra Sr.
"Before I started the film, dono ko maine alag alag bola, for obvious reasons, that please gadbad mat karna. They assured me nothing would happen. I have realised if you are honest with the stars and your script, nothing can go wrong," he added.
And that's a formula along with chiffons and Switzerland, he has stuck by.
YashChopra 's films
Dhool Ka Phool (1959) Dharmputra (1961) Waqt (1965) Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969) Ittefaq (1969) Daag (1973) Joshila (1973) Deewaar (1975) Kabhi Kabhie (1976) Trishul (1978) Kaala Patthar (1979) Silsila (1981) Mashaal (1984) Faasle (1985) Vijay (1988) Chandni (1989) Lamhe (1991) Parampara (1992) Darr (1993) Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) Veer-Zaara (2004) Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)
long Live SRK