Here’s taking a look at some of the iconic films by YRF, that defines its larger-than-life legacy

Yash Raj Films completed a glorious 50 years in the Bollywood industry last month. It was founded by late filmmaker Yash Chopra. YRF is popularly known for its mushy romantic dramas and colourful sets. The banner started experimenting with its content once Aditya Chopra took over from his father. Slice of life, comedy, romance — all these were brought with variant flavours on the big screen.

The production house first entered Bollywood through the movie Daag: A Poem of Love in 1973, and since then there’s been no looking back. YRF has given back-to-back blockbuster hits at the box office.

Moreover, YRF didn’t just entertain us through its larger-than-life films, but also through its diverse, unforgettable  music — which also helped it to take forward its legacy. Yash Raj Music has been an integral component of pop culture, and has been living up to its undying legacy since decades.

From Kabhie Kabhi, Silsila,Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to Veer-Zaara and Mardani 2, let’s celebrate the legacy of Yash Raj Films on its completion of 50 years in industry by taking a look at some of its memorable works:

Waqt: Through Waqt, Yash Chopra introduced ensemble cast in Hindi cinema. This directorial debut of Yash-Ji was released in 1965. Actors like Raj Kumar, Balraj Sahni, Sunil Dutt, Sharmila Tagore, Sadhana and Shashi Kapoor were a part of this film. It was rewarded with six Filmfare awards and was declared one of the greatest hits at the box office. One thing which is still so new and refreshing are its songs, written by Sahir Ludhianvi. Songs like Aye Meri Zohra Jabeen still are very much in our minds even today.

Daag: This film, starring Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore , Prem Chopra and Madan Puri, was released in 1973. Daag was the debut movie of Yash Chopra as a producer and director. From here onwards his new journey began as Yash Raj Films production house. Daag: A Poem of Love is an adaptation of the novel The Mayor of Casterbridge. The film was made by keeping in mind the great fan following of Rajesh Khanna and it stole the show at the box-office.

Kabhi Kabhi: Another gem of Yash Chopra was his second directorial film released in the year 1976. The movie featured  Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bacchan, Rishi Kapoor, Rakhee and Neetu Singh. This love story goes beyond generations.  Noted for its wonderful music track, Khayyam also bagged the filmfare award for this.  The song Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein still holds a special place in the hearts of Bollywood music lovers. Winning about four Filmfare awards, it is also known to be one of Yash Chopra’s personal favourites.

Chandni: Starring the evergreen beauty Sridevi, the movie Chandni is also among the best works of Yash Raj. Also starring Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna, this movie is regarded as a blockbuster. It was released in 1989 and is one of  the most- watched movies of Bollywood. The iconic dialogue ‘Dard ki dawa na ho … Toh dard ko hi dawa samajh lena chahiye’ is still memorable. Chandni proved to be a comeback for Chopra after several failures at the box office. This film has also bagged a National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment in 1990.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, popularly known as DDLJ, has a different fan base. This movie was released in 1995. It’s been 25 years now since its release but the craze surrounding the film  is still palpable. Starring Kajol and Shahrukh Khan, YRF created history as it is the longest running movie in Maharashtra’s Maratha Mandir cinema hall. This movie is iconic in every possible way — be it in acting, dialogue or music. DDLJ never fails to put a smile on the viewer’s face. It’s Dialogue, “Palat, Palat, Palat” or “Ja Simran Ja.. Ji Le Apni Zindagi”  is still widely used.

Darr: Portraying a villainous character in Darr, Shahrukh Khan stepped into the Yash Raj Films. The movie had a great impact on the audience and it was a major hit at the box office. The one-sided lover and his famous dialogue ‘I love you KKKKK … Kiran’ is still popular among Bollywood fans. Darr proved to be a turning point in ShahRukh Khan’s and Yash Chopra’s life. The movie also starred Juhi Chawla and Sunny Deol in the lead characters. It was released in 1993 and is one of the finest works of Yash Raj. The movie bagged National Awards and two Filmfare awards.

Dil To Pagal Hai: One of the most entertaining musicals ever made in Bollywood under the Yash Raj banner is Dil To Pagal Hai. Filled with comedy, great music, upbeat choreographies, superhit dialogues, it was also a box office hit. The love triangle story featured Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor in the lead roles. It has bagged several awards and is still recognised as one of the best romantic films of the time. Yash Raj also came to be known as “king of romance” after this film.

Veer-Zaara: Seven years after Dil To Pagal hai, YRF made a grand comeback with the most beautiful cross-border love story of all time. Veer-Zaara was released in 2004 and has Shahrukh khan and Preity Zinta as the main lead. Manoj Bajpayee and Boman Irani have also given wonderful performances in the movie. The dialogue and story was written by Aditya Chopra, Yash Chopra’s elder son. This tear-jerking love story was a huge hit at the international box office. Veer-Zaara has also bagged the National Award. Aisa desh hai mera song from the movie still brings smiles on the faces of Indians.

Chak De! India: This of the finest movies released under Yash Raj Banners. Chak De! India was released in 2007 starring Shahrukh Khan, Shilpa Shukla, Sagarika Ghatge and many more. The plot of the film was about a hockey player played by SRK who was falsely accused for taking a bribe from Pakistan to lose the match. Many sports films have been made in the world till date, but Shimit Amin and Jaideep Sahni’s ground story hits hard the gender politics and Islamophobia, and thus it broke the box office.

Hichki: Through time, YRF started investing in slice-of-life films as well. Hichki starring Rani Mukherji was released in 2018 directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra and produced by Maneesh Sharma under YRF. This movie is an adaptation of Brad Cohen’s autobiography Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had. It’s rights were acquired by YRF with Cohen himself giving him advice during the production of the film.