Anyone who is a big fan of romance in Bollywood films would know Yash Chopra. However, he is also the man who made Amitabh Bachchan the icon he is. In a twist of fate, Amitabh went bankrupt. This was when Yash Chopra came to his rescue. On Yash Chopra’s 89th birth anniversary, here’s remembering his collaboration with Amitabh Bachchan for some of the most iconic Bollywood films. 

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Deewar 

Deewar in 1975 marked the first collaboration between Yash Chopra and Amitabh Bachchan. Even though he became a star after the 1973 film Zanjeer that gave him the title of ‘angry young man’, Deewar shot him to superstardom.

Chopra, in a conversation with Shah Rukh Khan on his 80th birthday, had revealed that he found Deewar’s script to be the finest of all, “There was no flaw in it (the script),” he had said. Written by Salim-Javed, it is still considered as one of the best films of Hindi cinema. 

Kabhi Kabhie

YRF’s Kabhi Kabhie released a year after Deewar. However, it was shot at the same time as Deewar. Kabhi Kabhie boasted an ensemble cast including Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Rakhee, Neetu Singh, Waheeda Rehman and Rishi Kapoor.  

Shortly before the release of the film, Chopra told Dreamstar magazine’s Jyothi Venkatesh in 1976, “Amitabh Bachchan is a very good artiste. But unfortunately, he has got himself typecasted today as an ‘angry young man’. Of course, I do not deny that I am also partly to be blamed, because I had cast him as an angry young outlaw in Deewar, which gave a fillip to his career after Zanjeer which resurrected him in the industry.

In Kabhi Kabhie, Amit is breaking new grounds. He is underplaying his role. You will be able to see the romantic as well as the serious side of Amitabh’s facet. I know that it is risky to cast Amitabh in a different mould after he has acquired for himself a star image, but then I am of the opinion that it is a thrill to risk and succeed.”

Trishul

Produced by Gulshan Rai and written by Salim-Javed, Trishul added to the roster of successful collaborations between Yash Chopra and Amitabh. It is a story of a son who goes out to avenge his mother. 

Silsila

In an interview with Shah Rukh Khan, Yash had revealed that he had cast Parveen Babi and Smita Patil in the film with Amitabh but was not really convinced with the cast. After having talked to Amitabh Bachchan, Yash replaced the female cast with Jaya and Rekha. Despite all the gossip about Rekha and Amitabh, the cast managed to deliver a successful piece of work. 

Mohabbatein

Amitabh, at the India Today Unforgettables stage in 2016, had said, “I had a huge financial failure in the corporation that I began. It went bankrupt and it bankrupted me.” He said that is when he weighed his options, “You sit back and think ‘What can I do?’ and I said, ‘You are an actor. Go back to acting so, that’s what I did. I went to Yash ji and said I am without a job. I need it.” And that’s how Mohabbatein happened.