Veteran film maker Yash chopra passed away today evening in Mumbai. He was 80. The renowned director was admitted to Lilawati hospital in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on the 13th of this month, after getting diagnosed with dengue.

Known as the king of romance, Yash Chopra made many romantic hits under his direction, including Silsila, Chandni, Lamhe, Darr, Dil to Pagal Hai, Veera Zaara and the upcoming movie Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Yash Chopra led a romantic era of Hindi cinema. He was instrumental in launching many hit romantic pairs in his films.

Yash Chopra had announced his retirement from film direction last month. He was awarded with Dada Saheb Phalke award in 2001 and was also conferred Padma Bhushan in 2005. The entire film fraternity has expressed their grief over the death of Yash Chopra.

Yash Chopra is reputed to make his characters look most gorgeous in his films, whether he worked with a well-known star or a newcomer, they have never looked so visually appealing as in his films. His sense of music, an integral part of Indian cinema, is renowned – musical scores from his films have become the largest selling albums in Indian film history. He also brought the concept of multi-starrer romance in Hindi films.

Yash Chopra was one of the first directors to shoot his films out of India. Switzerland, Holland, Germany and the United Kingdom have become even more popular with the Asian population, who have been enamoured by the locales in Yash Chopra’s films. In fact, a lake in Switzerland has been unofficially named ‘The Chopra Lake’ because of the way he has used it in films. Yash Chopra has been honoured by The Swiss Government for rediscovering Switzerland.

As a producer he has lent the largest canvas to his films. He has never fought shy of adventuring into bold and controversial themes. His films have always had a message and have never failed to bring either a smile to the lips or a tear in the eye of the viewers.