Aditya Chopra and Yash Raj Films may have popularised the culture of romance in Hindi Cinema, the filmmaker has also narrated stories that are far removed from the world of gloss and grandeur.
Aditya Chopra Picture Courtesy: Yogen Shah
Aditya Chopra is the son of Yash Chopra, who’s the brother of BR Chopra, so two things were very much likely to be inherited by the filmmaker- Romance and Scale. We all saw that and were swept away by the world he created in his directorial debut in 1995, the blockbuster 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'.
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Yash Raj Films has built its legacy on creating larger-than-life sagas with gorgeous locations, haunting music, and mega movie stars. Particularly talking about Aditya Chopra, who celebrates his 50th birthday today, all his films as a director have been love stories. But as a producer, he has attempted to narrate stories that come very close to reality.
One of the leading production houses in the country, Chopra's YRF has gone beyond the glossy world of love multiple times in the last decade. Expectedly, few of them failed to strike a chord initially, but still remain brave experiments. Here are some of them:
Dhoom (2004)
'Dhoom' is now an immensely successful franchise that reinvented the careers of Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra. Back in 2004, YRF attempted to create a world what Rohit Shetty mastered later. 'Dhoom' gave us infectious exchanges between the hero and the villain, flying cars, and montages of some very beautiful and exorbitant bikes. John Abraham as the suave antagonist and Bachchan as his bete noire remains a rivalry for the ages.
Kabul Express (2006)
War documentary filmmaker turned film director Kabir Khan shot this thriller in the landscape of Afghanistan, brimming with mystery and mayhem. Two journalists arrive for a story and are sucked into the terror that controls Kabul. It stars John Abraham and Arshad Warsi, is presented by the late Yash Chopra, so calling Khan’s debut ‘non-commercial’ isn’t fair, but yes, for those who savour the other side of the YRF staple, 'Kabul Express' may not excite you.
Chak De! India (2007) and Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year (2009)
Few filmmakers have shown the range Shimit Amin has in his career. He began with a gangster flick, followed with a sports drama, and continued with a film about something we all detest but miss in 2021- The office space. 'Chak De! India' and 'Rocket Singh' were films about a man’s journey in a familiar land, and the challenges that he encounters. Shah Rukh Khan’s hockey field and Ranbir Kapoor’s office desk are filled with people who look at these heroes with disdain. Both Kabir Khan and Harpreet Singh Bedi are Superheroes without the capes and any histrionics. One wants to conquer the World Cup victory and the other wishes for integrity in the business world. Khan and Kapoor were barely Khan and Kapoor, yet delivered what remains their most rousing performances so far.
Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015)
Is there any other actor who understands the milieu of the heartland as tenaciously as Ayushmann Khurrana? Who but Bhumi Pednekar to essay a woman who hails from a small-town, the very representation of the soil? Her name says it all. This charming ode to nostalgia begins as a hate story and slowly morphs into a romance with a sport in its climax, where the husband literally has to lift the burden of his wife to win a coveted prize by none other than Kumar Sanu, arguably the biggest name in the music industry in the 90s. Anu Malik marked his solid return as the music director with one comforting melody after another. The 90s were truly the best.
Fan (2016)
Maneesh Sharma and Aditya Chopra wanted to pay homage to the legacy of Shah Rukh Khan, and also paint it with a critical lens. A fan (Khan as Gaurav), a Superstar (also Khan, as Aryan Khanna) and a tragedy (Khan vs Khan) was what transpired the narrative of this thriller. People have issues with the second half, critiquing the fan’s means to seek revenge from his idol. A sudden case of mistaken identity triggers Gaurav’s objective and we witness what personally remains an audacious attempt. Gaurav resembles Aryan, and it could have been nothing else but his face as the object of retribution. With Fan, SRK not only showed the magnitude of his stardom but also displayed how the biggest of stars are inconsequential without a… FAN.
Also Read: Aditya Chopra donates YRF 50 celebration budget to Covid-19 aid
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