'Daag' to 'Chandni': Five Yash Chopra Films With Strong Women Characters

From Sharmila Tagore in 'Daag' to Sridevi in 'Chandni', Yash Chopra has always celebrated the women in his films.

The Romantics, a four-part docu-series celebrating the legacy of Yash Raj Films and streaming on Netflix, is receiving a lot of appreciation in the way it has documented the journey of Yash Chopra and YRF.

Through interviews with actors, filmmakers and others who worked with Yash Chopra, one thing was clear - he celebrated his heroines. In a career spanning over five decades, Chopra cast almost every A-list heroine in his movies. They were dressed in the choicest of chiffons and textured silks but were never blindsided.

Right from Mala Sinha, Nanda, Hema Malini, Rekha, Rakhee, Neetu Singh to the latter-day Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, most of the female leads in the Chopra universe had feisty dialogues and their unconventional choices were never frowned upon. These women broke stereotypes and did not adhere to the moral constructs set by society.

On Yash Chopra's birth anniversary, let's revisit some of the strongest female characters from his films.

Sonia & Chandni - 'Daag'

In 1970, Yash Chopra parted ways with his brother and mentor BR Chopra's filmmaking banner to set up his own, and Daag was his first production. The film begins with the warm love story of Sunil (Rajesh Khanna) and his wife Sonia (Sharmila Tagore). However, when circumstances play the devil, Sunil finds himself in a pretend marriage with Chandni (Rakhee).

Daag was completely different from the other Hindi film love triangles that were made at the time. In this movie, Sunil ends up with both Sonia and Chandni and the three of them are very accepting of the relationship.

In Daag, as with most Yash Chopra films, there's no malicious or evil character. Everyone is a victim of their circumstances. Female solidarity has also been explored beautifully. In one of the most touching scenes, Chandni, who yearns for Sunil's affection, pleads with Sonia to stay despite her knowing the truth. Chandni realises that all three of them have very important roles to play in each other's lives and they can help each other tide through tough times.

During the climactic courtroom scene when Sunil and Sonia reunite, she tells Chandni, "Let's go home".

Daag doesn't use the word polyamory to explain the primary relationship between the characters, but Chopra sticks to his conviction and presents a story that does not punish its characters, especially the women, for making certain choices.

Chandni - 'Silsila'

Yash Chopra directed Silsila in 1981. The movie dealt with an extra-marital affair, with Amitabh's character Amit pining for Chandni (Rekha) while married to Shobha (Jaya Bachchan). In its depiction of infidelity, the movie wasn't gimmicky at all. Chopra's mettle as a filmmaker shone in the way the movie explored passion, guilt, jealousy and the complexities surrounding relationships. At a time when adultery was looked upon like a crime in India, Chopra narrated a story wherein the audience would root for the characters in an extra-marital relationship. Not even once was Rekha portrayed as the stereotypical vamp, a trope very common in movies released around the time.

The wardrobe in Chopra's films has always been talked about, with white making an appearance in almost all his movies. In Silsila, Rekha wears white in her very dramatic face-off with Jaya. She also dons a white salwar kameez during the hugely-popular Holi song Rang Barse.

Chandni - 'Chandni'

In The Romantics, we hear Rishi Kapoor talking about how Chandni saved Yash Chopra from closing his "shop". The movie released in the 80s, one of the worst decades for the Hindi film industry. Despite having Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna as the male leads, Chandni was an out-and-out Sridevi film. It was headlined by a female character who wasn't afraid of taking risks. Towards the beginning of the film, Chandni falls in love with Rohit but she is too naive to understand the relationship. When she meets Lalit (Khanna), she discovers other aspects of a romantic relationship. Chandni still is hopelessly in love with Rohit, so the end does not come as a surprise to us.

For someone who was never stubborn, Chandni is very clear about her boundaries and doesn't hesitate to speak up. In a scene where Lalit asks her to take on a few duties that don’t belong to her, she flatly refuses.

Apart from the storyline, Sridevi's iconic outfits, designed by Leena Daru, became the talk of the town. Yash Chopra dressed her in ethereal white ensembles. Who can forget one of the most romantic scenes, where the late actor is dressed in a white churidar set, sitting on a bed of rose petals?

Pallavi and Pooja, 'Lamhe'

Lamhe was ahead of its time in the way it explored a romantic relationship of a younger man with an older woman. Anil Kapoor's character Virendra Pratap falls in love with Pallavi (Sridevi), who is elder to him and already in love with someone else. While Virendra's romantic relationship with Pallavi's daughter Pooja (also played by Sridevi) is hugely problematic, Pallavi and Pooja's characters weren't villainized at all. Both of them, in their own way, show remarkable audacity in falling in love with men who were considered unsuitable for them.

Sheetal Verma, 'Trishul'

Sheetal, played to perfection by Hema Malini, was one of the first businesswomen in Yash Chopra's cinema. She was privileged, didn't hesitate to call a spade a spade, had impeccable work ethic and wore her heart in her sleeves.

(This article is from The Quint's archives and was first published on 17 February 2023. It is now being republished to mark late filmmaker Yash Chopra's birth anniversary).