Popular filmmaker, Yash Chopra was hailed as the evergreen 'King of Romance', as he created a legacy in Hindi cinema which redefined love. He brought a whole new perspective to movies with his progressive thinking, as he always believed in experimenting with modern ideas. However, despite the ever-increasing dynamics of Indian cinema, he kept the tradition intact in his films.
As Yash Chopra always stressed on relationships in his films, people always wondered if he would be a romantic by heart. Well, to find out the answer, you will have to look at his love story with his wife, Pamela Chopra, which is every bit filmy. While Yash Chopra was not interested in marrying Pamela on their first meeting, destiny had different plans. The duo had an arranged marriage, and their relationship became an inspiration for many. So, without further ado, let's have a look at their love story.
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Yash Chopra's love story with his darling wife, Pamela Chopra, was an extremely beautiful one. The filmmaker first met Pamela during his niece's wedding sangeet, but the duo had a brief interaction. It so happened that Yash was busy convincing Hema Malini to do a film with him, but when he came downstairs, he spotted Pamela singing a song. He was so impressed by her skills that he walked up to her and praised her. Recalling their first meeting, once in an interview with Rediff, Pamela said:
“I think the first time I spoke to him was at Yashji's niece's wedding sangeet I was in Mumbai for my holidays and staying at Simi's home. They were invited and took me along. They said I would be a great asset as I sing Punjabi songs. I met him very briefly at first. He was too busy trying to convince Hema Malini to do a film. He and Hema were on the balcony the whole time. He came in only when the singing started. I was singing. He came up to me and complimented me on my singing. That was it.”
While their first meeting was short and unintentional, destiny had full plans to tie them together as soulmates. Actor, Romesh Sharma’s mother was in awe of Pamela and thought of her as the perfect match for Yash Chopra. So, she sent her husband and son to go and meet Pamela and find out more about her. Pamela, who was working with British Airways back then, went out for lunch with Romesh and his father, thereafter a meeting was fixed between her and Yash. Talking about the same, Pamela said:
“Romesh and his father came to meet me at work. I was working with British Airways at the time. They took me out for lunch. They did not mention Yashji at all. Romesh Sharma is a very entertaining person, and we had a wonderful time. They told bhabhiji that I was working, and had short hair! Then my parents and I went to meet him.”
While everyone was expecting Yash and Pamela to develop an instant connection, things didn’t work out so well during their meeting. Their interaction was quite underwhelming as Yash didn’t speak much, which led to an awkward silence between the duo. Later, when their respective families asked them if they liked each other, Pamela said she didn’t find anything great in the guy. However, it was Yash’s response which was every bit dramatic as he said that the bell didn't ring, meaning it didn't work for him. Pamela revealed:
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“That meeting was a disaster because he wouldn't speak. They left us alone and we did not have a word to say to each other. After an embarrassing silence, he said, 'I suppose we have met before.' I asked, 'Where?' He said 'I met you twice, first at the cricket match (where I thought he was looking at my pretty cousins) and the second, at my niece's wedding sangeet.' When I came back home, my parents asked what I thought of him. I said, 'Theek hain, nothing great.' He told his family, 'Ghanti nahi baji'.
Things appeared to be falling out of hand, and everyone believed that this match was not going to happen. However, it was at this point fate intervened and a miracle happened. It so happened that Yash missed his flight due to which he had to spend another day in Delhi, and as a result, another meeting was arranged. Well, luckily things played out quite well this time, as the two developed a liking for each other. Sharing the details, Pamela said:
“He was wearing a lungi and kurta, sitting on the floor and playing a chamach on the dholki and Romesh's sister was playing the dholak and they were singing. It was great fun. We were relaxed because we thought that this match won't happen. When you meet someone for matrimony, there is a certain tension. This time, there was no tension because we had both decided we were not going to go ahead with the wedding. Strangely enough, I started liking him and he reciprocated. He went to Mumbai and told his family 'Ghanti baj gayi'.”
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As everything fell into place, Yash Chopra tied the knot with his ever-so-gorgeous ladylove, Pamela. The duo had an arranged marriage in 1970 in a traditional ceremony. The couple is blessed with two sons, Aditya Chopra and Uday Chopra. While Aditya went on to become one of the most celebrated film producers and directors in B-Town, Uday is an actor and film producer.
There is no denying the fact that even though Yash and Pamela's relationship faced quite a few challenges, as the duo withstood the test of time and grew stronger with each passing day. In the same interview, Pamela remarked that Yash gave her the freedom to do things her way and revealed how he softened post-marriage. Elaborating on the same, Pamela compared her husband's behaviour in his personal as well as professional life and said:
“When I was not married to him, he was an angry man on the sets. Any mistake from anyone on the sets or from the production, and he would fire that person. He was famous for not having lunch breaks when he was shooting outdoors. He was a very hard taskmaster. But slowly, he softened. He was a completely different person at home and at work. At work, he was very efficient, and in control of things. At home, he didn't bother. He allowed me to manage the house the way I wanted to.”
Right from the beginning, Pamela Chopra knew that being married to a public figure came with its own set of challenges. Soon after her marriage, she realised that she would never have much privacy at her own home because of her husband, Yash Chopra's professional commitments. This promoted Pamela to join Yash on the work front as well to increase her involvement in his life.
However, at times, Pamela Chopra used to be at home, taking care of their kids, Aditya and Uday, while Yash Chopra was out filming movies. The filmmaker was not as romantic as his movie characters, but Pamela never complained about her married life. However, the only thing that always bothered her was that her husband used to forget their children's birthdays. Moreover, he wasn't even aware of their kids' classes and never attended any parent-teacher meetings.
Time and again, Yash and Pamela's relationship went through multiple hardships over the years, but their love enabled them to endure it with a smile. However, when Yash and his brother, BR Chopra got split, it too caused some difficulties in Pamela’s life. Recalling the same, she once stated that following the split, people made her feel that she was the reason behind it and added:
“Everyone kept telling me not to blame myself for the split. But they always gave me the feeling that I was not welcome, so I thought maybe it happened because of me. Yash would reassure me every time. The unpleasantness had started even before I was married; that was the reason we shifted out of the house.”
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Famous actress, Mumtaz, who ruled the Hindi film industry in the 60s and 70s, left people obsessed with her gorgeous looks and enchanting smile. But not many know that the actress, who found a place in the hearts of millions of people, was bowled over by Yash Chopra. Yash and Mumtaz used to spend a lot of time with each other. Moreover, the filmmaker would give leading roles to Mumtaz in his films and would often increase the length of her role or add a song based on her even if it was not needed. Initially, Mumtaz was known as a side heroine, but Yash Chopra brought her into the mainstream.
The duo was so much in love with each other that they decided to marry each other. Of course, both were unmarried at the time. However, when Yash Chopra's elder brother went to Mumtaz's house to demand her hand in marriage, her family immediately refused as they didn’t want Mumtaz to leave her career and take care of the house. So, the duo’s dream to get married never got fulfilled, and thus, their love story remained unfinished.
After their marriage, Pamela had to put up with rumours of her husband, Yash dating Mumtaz, which even suggested that the duo was on the verge of tying the knot. Recalling this phase of her married life, Pamela once shared how her friend, Romesh assured her that there was nothing going on between Yash and Mumtaz. However, she stated that she knew that they were more than just friends and said:
“Actually, there was more gossip before I got married. There was this gossip that he was involved with this heroine and they were on the verge of getting married. In fact, that was the only question I asked Romesh when he met me. I asked him what is this thing between Mumtaz and Yash? He said it was nothing. He said Mumtaz is not a filmy, dainty heroine type at all and they are very good friends. He said there was nothing more. That is not the truth, but never mind."
There is no denying the fact that Yash Chopra and Pamela Chopra's love story is one of the most underrated sagas in Bollywood. What do you think?
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