Memories for a lifetime

Its difficult to encapsulate his contribution to Indian cinema. For many of us especially lovers and friends he was Indian cinema. Chopra directed 22 films and furnished a filmmaking style so distinct and individual that it came to be known as the Yash Chopra style. Its not for nothing that when the first teaser of his swan song Jab Tak Hai Jaan was released before the film had a title,many felt the title was unnecessary. Who needed a name for a film when A Yash Chopra Romance could communicate it all?

A Yash Chopra Romance was always about the everyman and the everyday. An entire generation fell in love for the very first time while humming Tere chehre se nazar nahin hatthi. The peak of love was with Mera pyaar keh raha hai main tujhe khuda bana doon. The dating ritual got a nod with Dekha ek khwaab toh yeh silsile hue. The height of eternal love is of course Tere liye hum hain jeeye. And who can forget the first-night song the Kabhi Kabhie poetry.

The various hues of love timeless love,extramarital affair,obsessive love,older man-younger woman love,soulmate-waala love Chopra gave us all. Yet he said,I dont make romantic films. I make films about human relations. Everyones desire is to love and be loved again and again. Relationships are complex. I never have villains because real life brings with it so many complexities and destiny plays such a crucial part in the fortunes of lovers that you never need villains.

He never feared to tweak the conventional and charted his success story following his heart,with an eye on dramatic stories and characters one could relate to. When the country only knew Amitabh Bachchan as the Angry Young Man,Chopra showed the lover-boy side to him. He brought back Rajesh Khanna to the helm with his first production,Daag. Shah Rukh Khan maintains he owes a huge part of his stardom,especially his lover-boy currency,to Chopras films.

If the Yash Chopra lover boy made us swoon,the Yash Chopra heroine is known for the way he presented her,from Silsilas Rekha to Chandni and Lamhes Sridevi to Dil Toh Pagal Hais Madhuri Dixit. Chopra acknowledged his hallmark as the leading-lady expert in a chat with SRK on his 80th birthday: After nature,the most beautiful thing God has made is woman. I never see bad points in a woman. I like to make films that take a peek inside a womans heart.

Its difficult to imagine cinema without Yash Chopra. Though he had announced his retirement from direction,it was widely accepted that he would stay the guiding light of Yash Raj Films. He was the social face of Bollywood lighting the ceremonial lamp at festivals,lending an ear to newcomers. Just the sight of him at film events was reassuring. Just like his movies. Yeh lamhe,yeh pal hum barso yaad karenge… yeh mausam chale gaye toh hum faryaad karenge.