Legendary filmmaker B.R. Chopra passes away
Legendary filmmaker Baldev Raj Chopra, better known as B R Chopra died today Wednesday, November 5th morning at his Juhu residence following a prolonged illness. He was 94. Chopra was not keeping well for some time and the end came at 0830 hours at his residence in suburban Juhu. Chopra had been one of India’s most respected film personalities, is survived by his filmmaker son Ravi Chopra and two daughters. He was the elder brother of Bollywood’s most respected filmmaker in today’s times, Yash Chopra.
His funeral will take place at the Juhu crematorium at 4.30 pm, family sources told us.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner, B.R. Chopra was born in Lahore in 1914 to an accountant working in the administration of the British Punjab administration. After graduating, he did his M.A. degree in English Literature from Lahore University. Having a deep-rooted fascination for films, he switched over from a higher education to film journalism much to the surprise of his family. He began his celluloid career writing and editing film reviews for the Cine Herald journal.
In 1949, he produced his first film Karwat (1949). Unfortunately for him it turned out to be a flop. In 1951 he tried his luck again as the producer and director of the film Afsana which struck gold for him. The movie was a tale of mistaken identity with Ashok Kumar in a double role. It was a runaway hit and went on to celebrate its silver jubilee.
He was an architect of what is now known as the golden era of the Bollywood industry. He converted offbeat stories into immortal classics like Waqt (1965), Naya Daur (1957), Gumrah (1964) and Insaaf Ka Tarazoo (1980).
B R Chopra turned to television in 1985 and made several successful television programs – the most successful of the being the serial Mahabharat (1988) based on the Hindu epic. Perhaps the most popular serial in the history of Indian television, it entered the Guinness Book of World Records for scoring the highest ever viewership for a serial.
In 1999, he was awarded filmdom’s highest National honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his contribution to Indian Cinema. – (SAMPURN)
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