Shades of a Hero

Ittefaq,Daag,Vijay

That Chopra had an eye for the stars is evident from the fact that he worked with Rajesh Khanna much before he earned the ‘superstar’ tag. In a thriller titled Ittefaq,Chopra made Khanna portray the role of a neurotic who is blamed for his wife’s murder. Soon after,when superhit Aradhana made Khanna an overnight superstar,Chopra took stock of Khanna’s romantic image and cast him in a musical love triangle Daag,and in the multi-starrer family drama Vijay.

Shashi Kapoor

Deewaar,Kaala Patthar,Trishul,Kabhi Kabhie,Waqt

The first time Chopra worked with Kapoor was in Dharamputra. So impressed was he with Kapoor’s work ethics that Chopra continued to cast him in his future films. Kapoor,more often than not,played second fiddle to Bachchan. It was perhaps Chopra’s directorial skill that gave Kapoor his career’s best roles — from the righteous police officer Ravi in Deewaar,to the happy-go-lucky,understanding husband Vijay in Kabhi Kabhie,the peace-loving engineer in Kaala Patthar and the cheerful Shekhar in Trishul. When it came to Kapoor,Chopra’s moulding qualities were impeccable.

Amitabh Bachchan

Deewaar,Trishul,Kabhi Kabhie,Kaala Patthar,Silsila

The angry young man was called Vijay,and the romantic hero was called Amit in all of Chopra’s films with Bachchan. Deewaar,Trishul and Kaala Patthar showcased Bachchan’s angst and cynicism towards the society at large and earned him the tag of ‘angry young man’. Chopra,who saw Bachchan as a complete actor,also projected the actor’s softer side through romantic dramas such as Kabhi Kabhie and Silsila.

Sanjeev Kumar

Trishul,Silsila

It wasn’t difficult to get a performance out of a powerhouse actor like Sanjeev Kumar,but to Chopra’s credit,Kumar’s roles in Trishul and Silsila have varied shades. In Trishul,he goes from playing a caring lover to Waheeda Rehman,to portraying the temperamental rich man,fighting with his stepson. In Silsila,he plays the accommodating husband to Rekha,who doesn’t lose faith in marriage till the end.

Rishi Kapoor

Kabhi Kabhie,Vijay,Chandni

He was christened the romantic hero soon after the release of his debut film Bobby. But Chopra played an important role in taking his romantic image forward — first in Kabhi Kabhie,where he was paired opposite his real-life sweetheart Neetu Singh,and then in Vijay. But Kapoor’s biggest test as the romantic hero came with Chandni. In a heroine-oriented film,Kapoor showcased a range of emotions. From being the overenthusiastic lover boy in the first half to playing the exasperated paralytic in the second,Chandni can be considered Kapoor’s best romantic film till date.

Anil Kapoor

Mashaal,Vijay,Lamhe

Chopra has the rare distinction of convincing Anil Kapoor to shave off his moustache and play the role of a man who falls in love with an older woman,and several years later,with the woman’s daughter,in his masterpiece Lamhe. After Mashaal,where Kapoor played a vagabond,and Vijay,where he played the feisty son,Lamhe was a challenge for Kapoor who was never quite seen as a romantic hero. While the film tanked at the box office,Kapoor is still credited for pulling off a brilliant performance.

Shah Rukh Khan

Darr,Dil Toh Pagal Hai,Veer Zaara,Jab Tak Hai Jaan

SHAH Rukh Khan was introduced as the anti-hero in Darr,but for two decades,he was the permanent hero for the Yash Raj banner. The role of an obsessive lover is what made critics and audience take notice of Khan. When he was bombarded with negative roles like these,Chopra took him and put him in a romantic setting in his son Aditya Chopra’s debut venture,Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Along the way,Khan,with the tilt of his head and the stretch of his arms,earned the title of the ‘King of Romance’,and as he admits,he has Chopra to thank for it.