Aditya Chopra

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Lore & Background

Aditya Chopra, the elder son of late filmmaker Yash Chopra and Pamela Chopra, was born on 21 May 1971. He completed his secondary education at Bombay Scottish School and graduated from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics. He started his filmmaking career at age 18 as an assistant director, working on films such as Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991), and Darr (1993). He wrote screenplays for Parampara (1992) and Aaina (1993) before making his directorial debut at age 23 with the all-time blockbuster romantic comedy-drama Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, which won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and the Filmfare Award for Best Film, in addition to the Filmfare Award for Best Director for Chopra. He started work on the script in 1990 at age 19, making about five drafts. He convinced his brother Uday Chopra and Karan Johar to enter the industry as assistant directors on that film. Chopra later directed Mohabbatein (2000), which emerged as the highest-grossing film of the year and earned his second Filmfare nomination for Best Director, and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), which earned his third nomination for Best Director. He produced numerous critically and commercially successful films including Hum Tum, Dhoom, Veer-Zaara (which won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment), Bunty Aur Babli, Salaam Namaste, Fanaa, Dhoom 2, and Chak De India (which also won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment). He took over as Vice Chairman of Yash Raj Films in 2010. His directorial comeback Befikre (2016) opened to widespread negative reviews and failed to break even, grossing ₹63 crore against a ₹70 crore budget.

Reader's Guide

Aditya Chopra's significance lies in his role as the chairman of Yash Raj Films, which was ranked Number 1 among the most successful film production companies in India in a survey by Filmfare and at number 27 among the most successful film production companies in the world in a survey by The Hollywood Reporter. As a producer, he holds the record as the highest grossing Indian film producer of all time. His directorial debut Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge became one of the biggest hits of all time and won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Chopra's career reflects a shift toward a film studio model through independent projects helmed by talent under his banner. He launched numerous directors and screenwriters including Karan Johar, Kunal Kohli, Kabir Khan, Sanjay Gadhvi, Jaideep Sahni, Siddharth Anand, Shimit Amin, Habib Faisal, Shaad Ali, Maneesh Sharma, and Vijay Acharya. Despite his influence, he has consistently rejected the publicity and fame associated with being Yash Chopra's son and the chief executive of Yash Raj Films. His work has been recognized with National Awards from the Film Division of India in 1995, 2004, 2007, and 2015, a notable honor given that he was once denied admission into the National School of Drama due to his severe stammering as a young applicant.

Did You Know?

• Aditya Chopra was denied admission into the National School of Drama due to his severe stammering as a young applicant.
• He started work on the script of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge in 1990 at age 19, making about five drafts before the film's release in 1995.
• Chopra convinced his brother Uday Chopra and Karan Johar to enter the film industry as assistant directors on Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.
• He was present at a private screening of Aamir Khan's Ghajini on 27 December 2008, where photographers caught a glimpse of the extremely-reclusive Chopra.
• The Government of India appealed both Chopra and Mani Ratnam to focus on content created locally under its Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.