Yash Chopra cried in front of Shah Rukh Khan before his final shot; saved Amitabh Bachchan’s career twice but paid him Re 1 for comeback

Chopra shared similar equations with his other leading men, including Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor. He softened Amitabh’s action-heavy image in films like Silsila and Kabhi Kabhie, bringing out his romantic side at a time when the actor was ruling the screen with action-packed blockbusters like Deewaar and Trishul. With Rishi Kapoor, Chopra entrusted him with nuanced roles in women-centric films such as Kabhi Kabhie and Chandni. On his birthday, let’s take a look at Yash Chopra’s collaborations with these three stars.

When Amitabh Bachchan Did Yash Chopra’s Mohabbatein for Rs 1

Yash Chopra came to Amitabh Bachchan’s rescue twice in his career. First, after the actor delivered back-to-back flops and was almost written off from the film industry, Chopra, along with writers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, resurrected his career with Deewaar (1975). The film, directed by Yash Chopra, gave Big B the iconic title of “Angry Young Man” and kick-started his career in Bollywood once again. Chopra also directed him in other action films like Trishul (1978) and Kaala Patthar (1979), but it was his romantic films like Kabhi Kabhie and Silsila that allowed audiences to see Big B in a softer, more sensitive light.

In the late 1990s, when Bachchan’s career was again facing a lull and he was looking for a third inning, Yash Chopra once more came to his aid by offering him the role of a stern, discipline-driven headmaster in Mohabbatein. Grateful for Chopra’s support, Big B decided the favour this time.

Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani recalled an incident between the two icons in an old interaction with Radio Mirchi,“While making Silsila, Yash Chopra asked Amitabh Bachchan, ‘How much do you want as remuneration?’ Amit ji said, ‘I want to buy a house, so I’m going to have to ask you for a decent amount this time.’ He said okay. During Mohabbatein, when Yash ji asked Amit ji how much he wanted, Amit ji said, ‘You gave me what I asked for back then, this time, I’ll do the film for Re 1.’ He actually did it for Re 1.”

Amitabh Bachchan and Yash Chopra. (Pic: Big B/X)

Yash Chopra convinced ‘silly’ Rishi Kapoor to not quit Kabhi Kabhie

Rishi Kapoor, known for his boyish charm, had a blockbuster entry in Bollywood with his lead role in his father Raj Kapoor’s film Bobby. The actor was known to be bullish and even earned the tag of ‘male chauvinist.’ However, it was this ego that almost made him miss out on the nuanced role in Yash Chopra’s Kabhi Kabhie. The film explores themes of loss, sacrifice, complex relationships, and marital fidelity.

In the film, Rishi and Neetu Kapoor played a young couple in love. While Rishi’s character was pivotal to the film’s plotline, he felt his role was less impactful than Neetu’s and even asked Yash Chopra to give him her part. “I was reluctant to do Kabhi Kabhie in the beginning because I had been warned against working with Amitabh Bachchan. The second reason was that I felt Neetu had a more prominent role than I did. That’s why I had said to Yash Chopra, if you want me to do the film, give me Neetu’s role. Naturally, Yash-ji was confused,” he wrote in his biography Khullam Khulla.

In the Netflix documentary The Romantics, Rishi’s last interview before his death in 2020, he admitted that he had been childish at the time. He said, “Perhaps I was being childish. My uncle Shashi Kapoor and Yash ji sat me down and made me understand. They took me to Srinagar, shot about 14-15 scenes with me in that one day when I was with them and then I was stuck in the continuity of the film. I was stuck. But in retrospect I feel that how stupid and silly I was. I would have missed out on such a wonderful film, which is one of the few lovely romantic films we have made in this country.”

When Yash Chopra cried in front of Shah Rukh Khan before giving his last shot

Yash Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan shared a bond that went beyond films; they were more like family. If SRK is called the King of Romance, it is only because Yash Chopra is called the Father of Romance. SRK’s association with Yash Raj Films spans decades, with iconic films like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Chak De! India, and others.

It was Chopra who first saw the potential in SRK to become a romantic hero. When Yash Chopra was going through a lull period, he cast Shah Rukh in Darr in a negative role, and the film turned out to be a commercial success. Later, he honed SRK’s image as a romantic star with films like Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Veer-Zaara, and Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan was SRK and Yash Chopra’s last collaboration, and it was also Yash Chopra’s final film. He passed away days before the film’s release in November. In The Romantics, Shah Rukh recalled Yash Chopra crying before shooting the last shot with SRK of the film. Shah Rukh also shared that he had refused to shoot a film with Aditya Chopra at the time because he wanted to star in Yash Chopra’s directorial.

He said, “I remember he had started speaking a lot more. ‘I am not doing a film. This is my last picture,’ Yash ji used to say ‘Jab Tak Hain Jaan’ was actually a film which I chose over a film Adi had offered me. I said no (to Adi). If Yashji is making a film, I’ll be a part of that.”

Shah Rukh Khan and Yash Chopra.

Recalling how Yash Chopra became emotional during the shoot of Jab Tak Hai Jaan, SRK said, “We were shooting in Ladakh and in really difficult conditions. He was the coolest of us all. I was shivering to death. I was doing a shoot in Kashmir, but then he came and said ‘yaar teri picture khatam ho gayi’. I said ‘kya bol rahein ho aap?’ He said ‘last shot hain, bas. Ab toh kuch raha nahi. Picture khatam’.” He went on to say, “And he (Yash Chopra) became very emotional. Then he kind of started crying. He said this could be our last shot. I said why last shot? So, he said no there are no more shots left of you. I said yeah, but we’ll make the next one. He said yeah… last hain yaar. Last shot hain.”