Pamela Chopra, Yash Chopra's wife, passed away on 20 April due to age-related illness. The playback singer was known for singing in films like Kabhi Kabhie, Noorie, Kaala Patthar, Silsila, Chandni, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, and Mujhse Dosti Karoge!. Chopra was also a writer, producer and costume designer in her own right.
Here are some lesser-known facts about Pamela Chopra, who greatly impacted Yah Chopra's legacy:
Pamela Helped in the Evolution of Women Characters in Yash Chopra's films
In Netflix's docu-series The Romantics, Pamela's younger son and actor Uday Chopra spoke about how Yash Chopra was always interested in Pamela's perspective. Uday said, "He would always ask her, what is the woman's perspective?' He went on to emphasize that Pamela's opinions brought about a change on how women were portrayed in his films.
Film journalist Tanul Thakur explained in the series,
"Having a partner by his side who is a keen, intelligent mind, started to imbue in his films, not just with a certain kind of softness, but also with a keen awareness about the female characters".Tanul Thakur, Film Journalist
Pamela Wrote the Story for 'Kabhi Kabhie'
Pamela also took to writing some films for the ace filmmaker. The highly acclaimed Kabhi Kabhie, was written by her, as we were shown in The Romantics. Kabhi Kabhie starred Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee, Shashi Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor in lead roles.
She Was Partially Responsible For Introducing Punjabi Music in Hindi Films
Veteran actor Poonam Dhillon revealed in The Romantics that Pamela was partly responsible for introducing Punjabi music into Hindi movies. "I think that the credit for getting Punjabi music into the films was partly Pam Chopra ji's. Till today it's such an integral part, and all the hit songs which we dance to have a Punjabi background", Dhillon added.
In the documentary, Pamela disclosed how Yash Chopra knew of her passion for music and how he would invite her to music sittings for his films.
"Music is my passion. Yash knew that and he would invite me to attend the music sittings. Slowly, I became a part of that group."Pamela Chopra
Not Just a Singer, Pamela Was a Producer Too
Pamela Chopra became an associate producer in many of the films her son Aditya Chopra made. One of them is the mega-successful film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, starring Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan in lead roles. The 1993 film Aaina was independently produced by her.
... And a Costume Designer
Pamela also worked as the costume designer for films like Silsala and Swaaal. Yash Chopra had a singular sense of costume designs for his films as well. Karan Johar went on to add, in the Netflix documentary, how the late filmmaker would flip through Vogue magazines to get ideas for his costumes. Seeing as Pamela was credited as the dress designer for a few of his films, it must have been a shared passion.
How Pamela Made Everyone Comfortable On Sets
In one of the episodes of The Romantics, Anupam Kher said, "The kind of importance Yashji had on set, Pam Chopra had off the set. She's an automatic organizer. It's in her."
Kajol also highlighted in the same series that Chopra was the glue that held everyone together, ensuring that "everybody knew everybody" and that they stayed in touch.
A Raj Kapoor Fan
In an interview with Rediff in 2015 Pamela said that she was more of a Raj Kapoor fan than a Yash Chopra fan, although her love for films knew no bounds. "Oh, yes, I was a complete film buff. Every Friday when a film released, we would watch the matinee show."
She also went on to talk about how she ended up marrying the filmmaker.
"I was not a Yash Chopra fan; I was more of a Raj Kapoor fan... Our families (Yash and her's) had a common friend in (actor) Romesh Sharma's mother. She had seen me at a wedding in Delhi, where I was singing and thought I would be ideal for Yash. She was not wrong because we had a wonderful marriage."Pamela Chopra, Singer
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)