Son of Bollywood’s most successful filmmaker, he made his debut in a Shah Rukh Khan movie; left India and acting after facing flops to become a CEO

Transition to acting

The star kid was launched in a hit film, Aditya Chopra’s Mohabbatein, alongside superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Aishwarya Rai. In the coming years, he also became a part of the successful Bollywood franchise Dhoom as the popular character Jai, sharing screen space with Abhishek Bachchan. He reprised his role in Dhoom 2 and Dhoom 3 in 2006 and 2013 respectively.

However, his career as a mainstream Bollywood actor failed after receiving criticism from audiences. His performances in movies such as Neal ‘N’ Nikki, Pyaar Impossible, and Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai didn’t impress the public. His last big screen appearance was in 2013 in Dhoom 3.

ALSO READ | Aditya Chopra says YRF spent more money on bikes than on John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra in Dhoom: ‘Wanted to combine Manmohan Desai and Michael Bay’

In Netflix’s docu-series The Romantics, which released in 2023, Aditya had addressed the nepotism debate and said, “People often overlook that not everyone from a privileged background becomes successful. Take my own family, for example. My brother, Uday, is an actor, but he hasn’t had a very successful career. He’s the son of one of the biggest filmmakers and the brother of another. Even with YRF, a company known for launching numerous newcomers, we couldn’t turn him into a star. Why? Because the ultimate decision lies with the audience—they choose whom they like and whom they want to see. No one else can make that decision for them,” he elaborated.

In the series, the former actor had revealed that being labelled as an unsuccessful actor ‘did affect him’. “When Dhoom happened, I was still trying to establish myself as a mainstream actor. I should have taken a cue from my character Ali and pursued roles in that space. When I started acting, I was naive. I thought everyone would like me. It never occurred to me that some might not. It did affect me a lot,” he added.

Uday Chopra’s career in production

Uday graduated from Sydenham College in Mumbai, India, and went to Los Angeles to join a production work shop in UCLA in 2011. In 2014, he produced two Hollywood movies – Grace of Monaco, featuring Nicole Kidman in the leading role, and The Longest Week, a comedy drama starring Olivia Wilde and Jason Bateman. It was the first project of Yash Raj Film’s subsidiary Hollywood production house YRF Entertainment. Uday was also the producer of their legacy celebration series The Romantics.

Dating life

The actor-producer dated actor Tanishaa Mukerji (Kajol’s younger sister) while shooting for their film Neal ‘n’ Nikki in 2005. However, the duo parted ways after two years. He then came in a relationship with actor Nargis Fakhri in 2013. They became the talk of the town during that time, with several rumours around their impending marriage. But, they broke up towards the end of 2017.

Where is Uday Chopra now?

Currently the CEO of YRF Entertainment (Hollywood subsidiary), he also handles his business ventures, which include his comic company Yomics (creates comics based on YRF films), and investments in tech and real estate.