In a way, his passing means that love onscreen has come to a complete halt. No one understood and expressed passionate, unconditional, sacrificial, all consuming love like he did. As news of his passing came, immediately a sense of grief was felt. Irrespective of which Yash Chopra film you’ve seen—all or even one, you always walked away knowing you saw a masterpiece.
Through Yash Chopra’s films, we were able to dream. As women, we believed a man would come, he would fight, believe, love and sweep you off your feet. But it wasn’t just love between a man and a woman that he fully understood. Yashji understood all forms of love—bonds between a son and mother, brothers and especially, friends.
My memory of my first Yash Chopra film dates back to 1989. Chandni. Between my sister and I, the dialogues were learned, the dances were mimicked and Sridevi was imitated over 100 times. But we were too young to even understand who the genius behind the camera was. All we knew was that we loved this film. A few years later, we fell in love with Darr and eventually, it was through Dil Toh Pagal Hai that finally, we understood that we were experiencing magic.
Believe it or not, I’ve still to fully familiarize myself with his older iconic films. Silsila and Kabhi Kabhie happened to be in my early twenties while it was only a few months ago that I caught myself watching the absolutely fantastic Mashaal and Waqt.
It is today that I must give thanks. For every time I want to run through a field of flowers. For chiffon saris. For sangeet songs. For snow-capped mountains. For music that lasts a lifetime. And for love that every girl craves for, we thank you Yash Chopra. One day I'll run through a meadow of tulips with my chiffon dupatta flying high and I know you'll be looking down smiling. You will be missed.
