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Bhawana Somaaya

Film critic & author

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From 'Deewar' to 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan': tracing the footsteps of a giant

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Who among the two - Raj Kapoor and Yash Chopra - is a greater showman, since Chopra sahab too had directed many a hits. I know it might just be difficult for you to answer this, but it nevertheless is worth an ask. Asked by: Mansoor
withoutdoubt raj ikapoor. raj kapoor was a genius with acute kinowledge of every department, a visionary. yash chopra was vastly influenced by raj kapoor in his aesthetics and vshantaram in his dynamism and confidence.
yash chopra with amitabh or yash chopra with shah rukh khan... which jodi do you prefer??? Asked by: raj
with amitabh - they did a variety of roles. drama in deewar, anguish in kala pathar, pain in kabhi kbhie and conflict in silsila.
how many stars would you give out of 5 to the following yash chopra-srk movies?? 1. Darr 2. Dil toh Paagal hain 3. Veer Zaara 4. Jab tak hai Jaan (if any how you gotta see the movie) Asked by: pawan
let me see- 3 to daqrr, 3.5 to DTPH, 4 to VZ and cant say about last till i see it.
Yash Chopras best work was Daag,Deewar,Trishul and Kala Pathar.Somehow his films started becoming frivolous after Faasle.Would you agree? Asked by: kaushik bhowal
no, his films were never frivolous. they always had story and substance but he went through a bad patch of luck and the stories did not touch the audience. it happens to the best in showbiz.
any chances of the release of jab tak hain jaan delaying due to the absence of yash ji.. Asked by: shantanu
never, yashji would never have liked that. he was a thorough professional and his family will respect that. infact i feel the best way to deal with his loss is through the release of the film.
how curious are you to watch JTHJ judging by the official trailer... please answer as a normal audience.. and not as a critic :-) Asked by: lotzz
not very curious and this is no reflection on my affection for him as a person. however after the tragedy, i want to watch it soon to understand what was going on in his head in his last days...
whats your take on JTHJ music album??? according to me... the songs dont have the magic that the songs from veer zaara had.. you views please Asked by: kishore
have to confess i have not heard them. ar rehman i feel is overusing himself. u cannot compare rehman - even with his oscar to the golden madan mohan. VZ was special because of the music.
i would like to know the kind of chemistry that yash chopra shared with SRK??? Asked by: seema
srk was always his blue eyed boy. he treated him like a son and srk always said he never did yrfilms for money. karan and srk were with uday and adi during the last rites of yashji
How did Salim-Javed scripts contribute to his success? Asked by: Monty
he always acknowledged their contribution but the fact is yashji gave the writers as much as the writers gave him. all of them were equal partners of failure and success of films they did together
given the fact that the director's vision is important during the post production phase of the movie also.... what are the chances of JBTH not being upto the yash chopra's standards?? Asked by: saurabh
post production is done by technology, it is a myth that directors are bringing the magic. the technicians are big heroes and should be saluted
Which movie do you think is Yashji's best movie as director and as producer? Asked by: HS
i think deewar but id also like to pick- silsila, kabhi kabhie. chandani
How was he as a person? Asked by: Anu
grounded, attentive, meticulous, engaging conversationalist
Can Aditya carry forward the Yash Chopra Legacy? Asked by: SS singh
yes he will do it in his own way - he will not immitate his dad but follow in his footsteps.
How was your personal experience interacting with him? Asked by: Sneha
very good, he was media shy and did not like too many journalists but i have to say he liked me and i loved him
How will history remember him? Asked by: Neha
as a man who made films from the heart - as a romantic - and as the producer who built the country's biggest film studio
Should he be awarded Bharat Ratna? Asked by: Anurag
why not?
With mr Chopra no more, do you think YRF will follow any new strategy Asked by: amit
no, the strategies kept changing even while he was there. changing is positive.
Did he accept Rani as her would be daughter in law? Asked by: Anu
yes, she was there with the family in his last daqys and after that in the preparations for goodbye
What has been Yash Chopra's biggest contribution to Indian cinema? Asked by: Anu
he made us believe in love when we were going through troubled times
your personal favourite- Yash Chopra film? Asked by: Ak
silsila- becausion passion is more important
Was he the Best Director Bollywood produced? Asked by: smriti
no, there were many brilliant filmmakers. Yash Chopra was a sincere and a lucky filmmaker
Uday tried best to be an actor but failed. How he guided his sons in their career? Asked by: smriti
he did his best and worried about uday. i feel uday is a super actor but the media was unkind to him coz he is YRC son
So did YRF die of Dengue or some other disease.. there is some controversy Asked by: SBH
such a great man and a mosquito killed him. that is the truth. in hospi he had failure of multiple organs.
What does the London and NY office of YRF do? Asked by: SBH
distribution and production
Deewar was the ggreatest film ever after Silsila Asked by: SBH
yashji said it was a perfect script and 'mere paas maa hai' is an immortal line
How is Adi and Kjo related? Asked by: SBH
they are like brothers because their fathers were friends
Rani is having a string of bad news- first her film, then her brother and new her father in law Asked by: SBH
this too shall pass. she is a lovely girl and deserves better. it will come.
Which is the best bographical account of Yash? Asked by: SBH
his interviews- he had elephat memory and could relive all the moments of his life with the press of a button.
what is his influence on present filmmakers? Asked by: Srikar
he has created a long line of clones. YR was influenced by Rk. Sooraj by YC. Adi by Sooraj. KJO by Adi. the list is endless
I have heard his nephew is also in hospital due to Dengue? Asked by: SBH
i dont know his nephew
Typically how much does a production house make for a successful movie like Ek tha tiger? Asked by: SBH
the film did 150 crore so has to be more than that
why did he choose switzerland over other countries? Asked by: SBH
he fell in love with the place and wanted to return to it again and again. so did the audience. remember the tulip gardens in silsila?
He has a train named in his honor in switzerland, will there be a city also named after him? Asked by: SBH
wait and watch many things will happen
What was rated as the best film by YashJI. Deewar?? Asked by: Mayank
yep it created history
Why he did not make any tragedy or serious cinema in the 90s and later? Asked by: SBH
he is the ceo of the new company they launched. i feel he should do both
What do u think was his secret to success? Asked by: Honey
none - as far as i know. he had nothing to hide
Will Uday be still cast as a hero or will he move into administration? Asked by: SBH
he should do both and he will i think
Which are some of the upcoming projects of YRF? Asked by: SBH
at the moment all focus is on jthjaan
Which is the costliest YRF film ever? Asked by: SBH
dont know. good question. im thinking
Silsila was very true as Amit and Rekha were having an affair at that time Asked by: SBH
since you are so sure about this why ask me. i don't know i was neither in kashmir nor in amsterdam where the unit was shooting to confirm this
Will JTHJ be a superhit due to sympathy factor like Rocky? Asked by: SBH
the audience is ruthless, they only react to a good product. and for your info rocky was not a hit even though nargis died a few days before the release
Why is YRF not going public? Asked by: SBH
i will tell adi when i meet him next that you wanted an answer on this
WHo is better Aditya or Uday? Asked by: SBH
depends in which way? Do you have something specific in your mind?
Did Sharmila ever worked in YRF? Asked by: Honey
yes in daag- yashji's debut film as a producer after breaking away from elder brother br chopra who he called bhaisaab
Bhawana, how strict was Yash Chopra as a director, did he maintain a sense of 'fun' in his sets, or would he be serious, and to the point? Asked by: Gurmeet
his shoots were called honemoon travels as he traveled with stars and their families. he was a foodie and served the best food on his outdoors. he was easy but made sure he did not waste a minute on the sets. he was too organised
Why did he break with BR? How was his relations with his bro? Asked by: Himanshu
they did not break away in the litweral sense of the words. it was time for yashji to move on and prove his worth. the relationship was very good and yashji spent a lot of time with his bro in his last days
Was there some sort of rift between Yash ji and Big B post Silsila? Asked by: Abhijeet
there were stories and it is okay. creative people have differences and all is well as long as you dont nurse grudges
Why doesn't YRF make socially relevant films. Its focus has been commercial films with ultimate focus on profitability Asked by: advith
that's not true. this is the man who made dhool ka phool, dharam putra, waqt, ittefaq. kala pathar was abt the coal mines and even the last veer zaara abt cross border issues.
How much 'homework' would he give to his actors? Asked by: Harsh
he wanted them to have a good time on his shoots and gave no homework. he said be natural and feel the emotion, rest will fall into place
Sisila was shot in switzerland or Holland? I have heard tulips are in Holland Asked by: SBH
holland, it is the same place RK shot prem rog
Were there any movies, if you would know, that Yash Ji ever wanted to do differently, or was he happy with his product, not paying attention to critics? Asked by: Preetie
he admitted to kala pathar being too gloomy. he said silsila could have had a different ending and said vijay was not from the heart. he said parampara reflected a low phase and faasley lacked the punch.
Yash did not have any film w Salman, why would that be? Asked by: SBH
his banner made ek tha tiger- salman is not his type of a hero besides he always cast srk
Yash Ji always gave importance to his films music. What according to you the best musically strong movie of his? Asked by: Anurag
all- he experimented with new composers be it shiv hari- madan mohan or rehman
what you liked about veer zaara??? please elaborate on the details as well :-) Asked by: saurabh
it is old world understated and not selfish...
How much time would he spend with his music directors? Almost as much as Raj Kapoor..? Asked by: Pinocchio
i think so but im not his shadow so cannot say - all directors have to spend hours with composers
Is it true that in actuality, Yash sahab wanted the ending of Silsila to be different, that AB would run away with Rekha? Asked by: Ranvir
nobody knows - these are stories -kjo has taken off kabhi alvida ...from where silsila ended. it celebrates the lovers rather the marriage
has yash chopra sucessfully brought the actor's calibre out of SRK??? or any other director is responsible for it... or jusr SRK him self Asked by: lotzz
actors are special they have the capability of adapting the director's personality and absorbing a character and they do it film after film, year after year
Would you know if Yash Chopra was in touch at all with any directors of the *younger* generation, did he admire any 'young' generation's work? Asked by: Seema
all of them - all the time - he saw all the films and never failed to compliment them. most of the screenings were kept in his auditorium
Has he ever done a film with aamir? Asked by: Anurag
yes, parampara. he was to do darr but it did not happen
What was his major inspiration, besides the family ties, for him to enter the film industry? Asked by: Seema
his elder brother BRChopra