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Legendary actress Mala Sinha who regaled generations of Hindi cineastes with her powerhouse performance in Guru Dutt's Pyaasa, B R Chopra's Dhool Ka Phool and Gumrah and Ramanand Sagar's Geet, is at the moment very angry and upset with the committee that has just bequeathed the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award on her. Speaking exclusively to this writer Mala Sinha says, "They've done grave injustice to me. They haven't even mentioned my name on the invitation card! When members of the Phalke committee including their chairperson came home to me to request me to take the award for being what they called a legendary artiste, I was happy to accept it. But when I saw the invitation card for the event I was shocked. My name was not there with the other winners of award. Asha Bhosle and Pam Chopra (who is to receive the award on behalf of...

Chennai, Jan 25: Playback singer Sudha Malhotra, known for films such as "Dhool Ka Phool", "Barsaat Ki Raat" and "Prem Rog", has been named for the Padma Shri award on the eve of 64th Republic Day.

The 76-year old made her singing debut with the song "Mil Gaye Nahin", composed by Anil Biswas from the 1965 Hindi film "Arzoo".

Some of her other popular songs include "Salaam-e-Hasrat" and "Kashti Ka Khamosh".

Sudha is also known for composing some of her own songs such as "Tum Mujhe Bhool Bi Jao".

Ians...

She has sung for almost all of Yash Chopra’s films and provided his heroines with an iconic voice. So to hear the news of her very close friend passing away, whom she also considers to be a brother, came as a huge shock for the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. The 83 year old expressed her deep sadness to CNN-ibn regarding Yash Chopra’s death last weekend: “The news of Yashji going came as a bolt from the blue. Nothing had prepared me for this loss. I had been told he was down with dengue… I was planning to visit him in the hospital. But that visit kept getting put off because of problems in the family. Now I will never be able to see him.”

“I have lost a true friend and dear brother. He loved me to death. He had made it clear that I’d have to sing...

“I always believe that my films should give some hope to the man who comes to watch them for those three hours. If he goes home on an optimistic note, I would feel satisfied at having done my duty.” – Yash Chopra

It was indeed a sad day when news spread that one of India’s finest filmmakers, Mr. Yash Chopra, unexpectedly passed away at the age of 80. Mr. Chopra is an undisputable legend and he has crafted some of the finest commercial films the Bollywood audiences have ever feasted their eyes upon. If Satyajit Ray is considered by Indian film enthusiasts to be the supreme director when it comes to art-house cinema, Yash Chopra can be classified as the definitive director when it comes to mainstream cinema. Yash Chopra is largely famous for making wonderful romantic films, though he has directed a handful of non-romantic films also. Yet no director...

“To call him the ‘King of Romance’ may be doing disservice to a prolific creator like Yash Chopra”

Yash Chopra

(27 September 1932 – 21 October 2012)

There are some who thrive on becoming a part of history. And then there are those who take it upon themselves to change it. Yash Raj Chopra belonged to the latter category. Since his first outing “Dhool ka Phool” in 1959. he churned story after fascinating story – a fertility unparalleled in the history of Hindi Cinema. Without sounding preachy or pretentious, his megaphone blared the saga of our times. At a time when India was coming to terms with the socio-economic realities of freedom, his debut film was soaked in Nehruvian Socialism. And to prove he wasn’t a flash in the pan, the very next film was on religious fundamentalism: Dharmputra (1961). His third film had the most epic ensemble cast ever assembled on Indian screens: Waqt (1965). Without revelling in the success,...

This is one of the most saddening news of this decade. The legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra is no more. Though the official statement of the reason for his death is not announced yet, Chopra had been diagnosed with dengue and was admitted to Lilavati hospital a few days back. Yashji recently celebrated his 80th birthday. The celebrated Producer-Director, renowned worldwide for his epic blockbuster films, was one of the most successful filmmakers in the world. He started his career with Dhool Ka Phool in 1959 and went on to make multiple blockbusters like Waqt, Deewaar, Kabhi Kabhie, Trishul, Kaala Patthar, Chandni, Darr, Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Veer-Zaara amongst others. Yash Chopra recently announced his retirement in an interview with Shah Rukh Khan and declared his upcoming film Jab Tak Hai Jaan, starring Srk, Katrina and Anushka, as his last film. Yash Chopra's sudden death marks the end of an era in the Indian Cinema.

New Delhi, Oct 21: Yash Chopra, a director who excelled in telling love sagas on silver screen in the most alluring and entertaining manner, started his career with socially relevant "Dhool Ka Phool", "Dharmputra", a film on communal clashes and multistarrer "Waqt". In his 53 year long career, he directed 22 films that included romantic hits such as "Daag", "Kabhi Kabhie", "Chandni" and "Lamhe"

Chopra passed away Sunday evening after multiple organ failure.

Here is the list of his directorial.

“I always believe that my films should give some hope to the man who comes to watch them for those three hours. If he goes home on an optimistic note, I would feel satisfied at having done my duty” – Yash Chopra

Today is an incredibly sad and shocking day for the Bollywood film industry and its fans as veteran director Mr Yash Chopra has died at the age of 80. Chopra, who is regarded by many as one of the greatest filmmakers to have ever emerged from the Indian film industry, was suffering from dengue fever for the past week. His condition had suddenly deteriorated and he passed away unexpectedly. A source from Lilavati hospital in Mumbai, where Chopra was being treated, gave the following statement to the Indian press. “He had been suffering from complications of dengue for a long time. He suffered from multi-organ failure, because of which he died.

Veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra, 80, passed away on Sunday. He had been admitted in hospital after being diagnosed with dengue.

His last film Jab Tak Hai Jaan starring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma will release this Diwali.

Chopra made his directorial debut with Dhool Ka Phool in 1959 and founded Yash Raj Films in 1973.

He gave Hindi cinema memorable hits like Deewar (1975), Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Trishul (1978), Lamhe (1991) and Dil To Pagal Hai (1997).

The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2005 for his contributions to Indian cinema.

Karan Johar announced the news earlier this week, but the legendary Yash Chopra confirmed it today in his conversation with Shah Rukh Khan. “I will not direct any other film after Jab Tak Hai Jaan”, says the veteran director who turned 80 today.

“Bahut ho gaya abhi. My heart says its enough now. I will not direct any other film after Jab Tak Hain Jaan. I have got a lot of love in all these years. I think now the time has come to pay back. I want to help directors, actors, technicians who I could not help all these years,” he said.

Chopra adds that this industry has given him so much, that he doesn’t want anything else. About Jab Tak Hai Jaan he says: “I am very much happy and satisfied with the film. This film has turned out better than my expectation.”

“My wife has been complaining a lot.

Films that gained a ‘cult following’ over the years,despite being unnoticed on release

Silsila

Yash Chopra is looked upon as the grandfather of candyfloss romance, an antithesis to the more ‘artistic’ genre of films. One wonders why. Here’s what his early films were about:

Unwed mothers and illegitimate children – Dhool ka Phool (1959)

Partition and the rise of Hindu fundamentalism – Dharmputra (1961)

Taut, song less thriller about a fugitive, a lone woman and a corpse – Ittefaq (1969)

A man who lives with his wife and the ‘other woman’, Hindi Cinema’s first Ménage à trois- Daag (1973)

In 1981, we had another of his equally risqué works, Silsila. Expectedly, sparks flew when the Screen God of the time shared screen space with the reigning diva. Rekha and Amitabh were quite an item on screen and allegedly, off screen too. The grapevine has it that Chopra was inspired to make Silsila on this relationship...

She is 81 and scoffs at any talk of retirement. After working for seven decades, recording songs for over 1,000 movies and singing in more than 36 regional Indian languages, Lata Mangeshkar, known as the Nightingale of India, is still raring to go. Lata's passion for music became evident recently when she trashed a newspaper for spreading rumours about her retirement. 'I read a news in the newspaper that said that I am retiring. This is absolutely wrong. If I want to retire, then I will make that decision myself, not others,' she tweeted adding, 'Mera maanana hai ki mera janam gaane ke liye hua hai aur jabtak mere praano mein praan hain, main wahi karti rahungi.' Lauding her undying spirit, veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra told Ians: 'For an artiste to be at the pinnacle of her career for 69 uninterrupted years is an unprecedented feat in any field anywhere in...

Tributes continue to follow Yash Chopra who added the "Asian Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema" honour to his long list of well-regarded achievements on Tuesday, October 26, in London. This follows Mr. Yash Chopra being felicitated with the 'Swiss Ambassador's Award 2010" for his contribution in promoting 'Brand Switzerland' through his movies, earlier last week. The Asian Award was presented to Mr. Yash Chopra by Gurinder Chadha. The Awards honour excellence and talents from business to the arts, technology to politics, sports to public service. Presented by Lord Sebastian Coe, this year the Asian Awards 2010, saw many industry leaders in attendance, including Ratan Tata, Sunil Mittal, Sachin Tendulkar, A. R. Rahman and Vijay Mallya who were also awarded for their yeoman services in their own spheres. Guests at the award ceremony included luminaries Jermaine Jackson, Nasser Hussain OBE, Gurinder Chadha, Christian Louboutin and singer Sonu Nigam. Mr. Amitabh Bachchan was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tributes continue to follow Yash Chopra who added the "Asian Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema" honour to his long list of well-regarded achievements on Tuesday, October 26, in London. This follows Mr. Yash Chopra being felicitated with the 'Swiss Ambassador's Award 2010" for his contribution in promoting 'Brand Switzerland' through his movies, earlier last week. The Asian Award was presented to Mr. Yash Chopra by Gurinder Chadha. The Awards honour excellence and talents from business to the arts, technology to politics, sports to public service. Presented by Lord Sebastian Coe, this year the Asian Awards 2010, saw many industry leaders in attendance, including Ratan Tata, Sunil Mittal, Sachin Tendulkar, A. R. Rahman and Vijay Mallya who were also awarded for their yeoman services in their own spheres. Guests at the award ceremony included luminaries Jermaine Jackson, Nasser Hussain OBE, Gurinder Chadha, Christian Louboutin and singer Sonu Nigam. Mr. Amitabh Bachchan was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Veteran Bollywood director Yash Chopra is set to receive a prestigious honour - organisers of the international Pusan Film Festival have named him Asian filmmaker of the year.

Asian Cinema Night will be held in Chopra's honour at the upcoming 14th annual event, held in South Korea.

The 76 year old made his directorial debut in 1959 with Dhool ka phool (Blossom in the Dust).

The Yash Raj Films founder has produced, written and directed celebrated films including Waqt, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Lamhe, Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai, and Veer-Zaara.

Previous recipients of the Asian filmmaker of the year award include Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Taiwan's Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Edward Yang, Hong Kong's Andy Lau, and Kazakhstan's Gulnara Sarsenova.

The festival is scheduled to run from 8 to 16 October.