He may have been known as the king of romance, but Yash Chopra also made films that defied Bollywood stereotypes. On his birth anniversary on September 27, here`s our pick of 10 films that defined the legendary filmmaker:
Waqt: The film that introduced the concept of multi-starrers in Indian cinema, Waqt starred Sunil Dutt, Raaj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Sadhana, Balraj Sahni and Sharmila Tagore.
Ittefaq: Much before establishing himself as a genius of romantic films, Yash Chopra made this taut suspense thriller with Rajesh Khanna and Nanda. Ittefaq was among the first Bollywood films that did not have any songs in it.
Deewar: If Zanjeer gave birth to the angry young man, this Yash Chopra classic established Amitabh Bachchan`s legendary image. The character of Vijay Verma remains among Bollywood`s iconic ones.
Kabhie Kabhie: The beautiful amalgamation of poetry and love not only resulted in another memorable film but presented before the audiences the subtle side of Amitabh Bachchan.
Trishul: Another revenge saga starring Amitabh, Chopra managed to interlink the stories of the three main characters in the film – Amitabh, Sanjeev Kumar, and Shashi Kapoor – in an engrossing manner.
Silsila: Made at the hype of the alleged Amitabh-Rekha affair, Yash Chopra had the audacity to bring the trio of Big B, Rekha and Jaya Bachchan together on screen. Although the movie bombed at the box office, the film has gone on to become a cult classic.
Mashaal: Another flop, the film though had Dilip Kumar at his very best, playing the honest man who wants to change the ills in society, but is himself forced to become a crime lord. Mashaal had many memorable moments including the `Ae bhai koi hai?` scene, performed incredibly by Dilip Kumar.
Chandni: With Chandni, Yash Chopra not only gave romance a new lease of life in Bollywood but also revived his own career after an unexpected lean spell.
Lamhe: In terms of story, the film was way ahead of his times – the male protagonist falling in love with a girl way younger to him. And though the film was rejected by audiences at the time of release, according to the man himself and film critics, it remains his most accomplished work. Lamhe also proved Yash Chopra was open to taking risks, putting his reputation at stake.
Darr: The film did for Shah Rukh Khan what Deewar did for Big B. SRK had already played the bad guy in Baazigar, but Darr gave fear a new meaning in Bollywood.
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