Baldev Raj Chopra, better known as BR Chopra is hands-down one of the most underrated filmmakers and producers in the history of Indian cinema. Despite proving the mettle of his sound knowledge of filmmaking by directing and producing a series of hit films and shows, he never got the recognition he deserved. BR Chopra was the man, who gave Indians the epic television show, Mahabharat, as it was created and produced by him, while his son, Ravi Chopra directed it.
For the unversed, BR Chopra assembled a series of exceptionally talented actors, writers, set designers, and cinematographers from different regions of the country for his dream project, Mahabharat. Building such a show wasn't a cakewalk, but BR Chopra's vision and decision not to compromise on the content's quality made it possible. That is the reason why, even after 33 years of its release, it is still considered as the greatest epic show ever made in India.
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Talking about BR Chopra's professional career as a director, he has directed many iconic films and given breaks to a lot of talented actors. Some of his most notable films include Afsana, Naya Daur, Sadhna, Kanoon, Ek Hi Raasta, Gumrah, Hamraaz, Dhund, Nikaah, Pati Patni Aur Woh, and Insaf Ka Tarazu. BR Chopra's exceptional knowledge of cinema helped him a lot when he started his journey as a producer with his production house, B.R. Films.
BR Chopra had this remarkable talent of picking up the right scripts that have the chance of being successful. Some of the hit films that he produced include Dhool Ka Phool, Waqt, Ittefaq, Aadmi Aur Insaan, Baghban, Chhoti Si Baat, The Burning Train, Bhoothnath, and Aaj Ki Awaaz. Besides movies, BR Chopra also made his mark in television by producing shows like Vishnu Puran, Ramayan, Aap Beeti, Kamini Damini, Viraasat, and Mahabharat Katha.
Lal Vilayati Raj Chopra and Draupadi Chopra reportedly gave birth to eight children. However, the names of only six kids are available in the public domain. The six children of Lal Vilayati Raj Chopra and Draupadi were Hiroo Johar, BR Chopra, Dharam Chopra, Hans Raj Chopra, Kuldip Raj Chopra, and Yash Chopra. Most children entered the Hindi film industry; while some became camera operators, others worked as filmmakers. However, BR Chopra and Yash Chopra were the most successful people in their clan.
BR Chopra and Yash Chopra had an illustrious career as filmmakers in the Indian film industry. However, only a few know that it was BR Chopra, who taught filmmaking to Yash Chopra. For the unversed, their father, Lal Vilayati Raj Chopra wanted Yash Chopra to go abroad and become an engineer because all his kids were already in the film industry. However, Yash Chopra was never inclined towards engineering, and when he went to Mumbai on his father's orders, he told his brother, BR Chopra, about his interest in filmmaking.
When Yash Chopra told his elder brother, BR Chopra that he wanted to become a director like him and not an engineer, the latter agreed to his decision and told him to assist directors in Mumbai. From referring him to his fellow directors to teaching him a lot of things about filmmaking, it would be fair to say that BR Chopra was the first person in Yash Chopra's life, who understood his dream and helped him achieve that dream.
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Yash Chopra gained enough knowledge about filmmaking in the coming years and soon started working with his elder brother, BR Chopra, at his production house, B. R. Films. Everything was going fine, and despite their creative clashes while working on a film, BR Chopra and Yash Chopra were quite close to each other. However, things changed drastically after Yash Chopra got married to Pamela Chopra. The couple lived with BR Chopra and his wife, Prakash Chopra, for many years.
However, after returning from their honeymoon, Yash Chopra decided to leave his elder brother, BR Chopra's production house, B. R. Films and even moved out of his house. It was a strange decision for many people, and most of the fingers were pointed at Yash Chopra's wife, Pamela Chopra. However, once in an old interview, Yash Chopra admitted that he wanted to create his own identity, which was why he created Yash Raj Films.
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Even after his clarification in the public domain, people still criticised Pamela Chopra and termed her as the 'main factor' behind BR Chopra and Yash Chopra's split. While the split worked for Yash Chopra as he went on to make a series of blockbusters, on the other hand, BR Chopra couldn't cope with the way he left. As a result, an exceptional filmmaker, who had delivered several hits, created a mammoth show like Mahabharat and taught filmmaking to Yash Chopra in the past, that same BR Chopra remained unable to replicate the same brilliance in his work, which resulted in his eventual fall.
On one side, while BR Chopra was struggling to cope with the shock of his younger brother not living and working with him, on the other side, Yash Chopra kept on achieving milestones in his filmmaking journey. As per reports, the decline of B. R. Films and the rise of Yash Raj Films soon created a big bridge between the two brothers, which stood firm for decades. Although they never talked ill about each other, but their split will always remain one of the most controversial moments in Indian cinema.
What are your thoughts on Yash Chopra's decision to leave his brother, BR Chopra and create his own production house, Yash Raj Films? Let us know.
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