King of Romance Yash Chopra Passes Away

Veteran Indian filmmaker Yash Chopra, who was known as "king of romance" passed away in Mumbai on Sunday evening at around 5:30 PM. He is survived by wife Pamela and sons Aditya and Uday Chopra. He was 80.

Yash Chopra, who recently announced retirement from films, had been undergoing treatment for dengue at Lilavati hospital, Mumbai since October 13.

His last film as a director titled, "Jab Tak Hai Jaan", starring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma is scheduled for release this Diwali on November 13.

Born on September 27, 1932 in Lahore, now in Pakistan, Chopra began his career as an assistant director and made his directorial debut with "Dhool Ka Phool" in 1959 followed by "Dharmputra" in 1961. He went on to make hit films like "Waqt" (1965), "Deewar" (1975), "Kabhi Kabhie" (1976), "Trishul" (1978), "Chandni" (1989), "Lamhe" (1991), "Darr" (1993), "Dil To Pagal Hai" (1997) and "Veer-Zaara" (2004).

A multi-talented personality that he was, Chopra was into script writing too. He  then founded his own production company, Yash Raj Films in 1973, which is perhaps the biggest production house in Bollywood today. Yash Raj Films banner has produced over 50 films, including some of the biggest hits in India cinema including "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" (1995).

In a career lasting over five decades, Yash Chopra was known for making intensely emotional and tragic movies, and shooting films in exotic locales. His last film as a director "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" will be released this Diwali. It features Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.