Bollywood ‘King of Romance’ Yash Chopra dies at 80

Mumbai, India (4E) – Yash Chopra, dubbed as Bollywood’s ‘King of Romance,’ has passed away Sunday at the Lilavati Hospital in Bandra.

“Yash Chopraji breathed his last at around 5.30 pm today. Details of his last rites will be communicated later,” said Yash Raj to the Hindustan Times.

According to the paper, Chopra, who directed some of Bollywood’s most popular and lauded films, has been on a week-long treatment for dengue at the time of his death. He is also said to have been suffering from kidney ailments, according to Dr. Prakash Jiyavani.

Chopra, who spent about half a century building and enjoying his career in the film industry, began as an assistant director to his brother, until he established Yash Raj Films, under which he has produced over 40 films, twelve of which he directed.

Among the films he directed were “Lamhe,” “Chandni,” “Vijay” and “Veer-Zaara.” His last directorial quest, “Jab Tak Hai,” is to be released in November.

He has won the Filmfare Awards nine times, and is the only filmmaker said to have won the National Award six times.