Enkayaar, Bollywood Trade News Network

When the legend of Indian cinema B.R. Chopra walked into the sunset, the void that he left behind is indeed difficult to fill, as here was the man who did not think twice before making films with socially relevant themes and had the ability to provoke the audience with each of his expositions.

He was the man who had shocked the conservative sensibilities of the average Indians by making a film tackling the issue of illegitimate child, in the sixties with his work DHOOL KA PHOOL, and underlined the problems that an illegitimate child has to face in this world. He was characterized by his ability to swim against the tide, so in the sixties, when singing and dancing was the basic edifice on which a Hindi film was made; he had the conviction to make not one but two films without any song, KANOON and ITEFAQ.

He was the man who made the courtroom drama an engrossing viewing, be it through WAQT, INSAAF KA TARAAZU, AAJ KI AAWAZ, or even NIKAAH. Courts were the scenes of action where the major actions emanated in most of his films. He was also the legend who could bring out in a distinct relief the existentialist dilemma the development entails through his exposition NAYA DAUR, and as a testimony to his ability to bring this issue out way ahead of the times, the film was recently released as a black and white film.

Through all his films, one thing that comes out as the underlining motif is the importance that he gave to female characters, and the same spirit continued with the same effervescence through his last film NIKAAH. Be it INSAAF KA TARAAZU or AAJ KI AAWAZ, the protagonist was a female character and both these films gave a new meaning to the lead actresses Zeenat Aman and Smita Patil. He was also fascinated by the human urge of crossing the limits, on the part of a man and a woman and exploited the dilemma in interesting details through his series of films starting from AFSANA, GUMRAH, HUMRAZ, DAASTAAN, DHUND, PATI PATNI AUR WOH and DAHLEEZ.

His mastery with the craft of film making was again underlined when he made his debut in television through MAHABHARATA and the standards and the conviction that he brought into the serial is one of the primary reasons why the serial still has not lost its honeymoon with the audience.

When the epitaph of B.R. Chopra would be written, the underlining motif would be here was a man who dared to bring out of the closet the issues that vex the common man, and gave a new meaning to the association with mythology through his magnum opus MAHABHARATA.


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