Obituary: BR Chopra

Baldev Raj Chopra, always known as BR Chopra, who has died aged 94, was one of the legendary figures of Bollywood, Bombay's film industry. Whether making musicals or dramatic, socially conscious films he combined quality film-making with an ability to cater to popular taste. Chopra was born in Punjab into a middle-class Hindu family which later moved to Lahore, one of the most culturally vibrant cities in India. One of seven children of a government officer, he studied English literature at Lahore University. He subsequently failed the civil service exam and turned to film journalism, becoming editor of Cine Herald magazine in 1938. After the partition of India in 1947, which left Lahore in Pakistan, Chopra migrated to Delhi and then settled in Mumbai, where he joined a film company as a producer. After the first film he produced flopped, he turned to direction. He persuaded one of the most natural actors of the day, Ashok Kumar, to star in his film Afsana (1951), which was a hit. Its title means story, which proved prophetic because Chopra was to become known as a master of the art of storytelling. In 1955 he founded his own production house, BR Films. His first film under his own banner, Ek hi Raasta (Only One Path), took on the issue of widow remarriage. His later films dealt with subjects such as the after-effects of partition and the rights of Muslim women. Although he presented social issues, he treated them in a way the public would enjoy. One of the best known is Naya Daur (New Age, 1957), which looks at the need to temper industrialisation with a humane approach to labour, and centres on the rivalry between pony-trap drivers and a new bus service threatening to rob them of their livelihoods. Apart from casting the best actors, Chopra also chose the best music directors and lyricists - often Urdu poets. Described as "tall as an emperor, with an athletic throw of voice", Chopra is remembered as unfailingly considerate. He was always open to suggestions and advice. No matter how escapist Bollywood became, he never budged from his conviction that films should have social relevance. In his various roles as writer, producer and director, he made some 40 films. He also introduced his younger brother, Yash, into the industry. The film Dhul ka Phul (Flower of Dust, 1959) was one of their most successful ventures. It includes a song with the lyrics - particularly poignant bearing in mind that India had been divided on religious lines 12 years earlier - "You will become neither Hindu nor Muslim, as a child of a human being, you will be a human being first." Chopra subsequently entrusted the direction of major productions to his brother. When Yash left him to set up his own banner, he was distraught. In the 1980s Chopra had the foresight to move into what was, for India, the new medium of television. After another established film-maker had transformed television drama with his version of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, Chopra took on the challenge of adapting Hinduism's other great epic, the Mahabharat. Bravely, he chose Rahi Masoom Reza, a Muslim, to script it. The results were remarkable, and it was an unprecedented success; millions watched it, and it had a great following on TV networks elsewhere, including the BBC in Britain. Chopra directed his last film in 1991. Baghbaan (2003) was directed by his son, Ravi. Its theme was the family values BR Chopra cherished - in particular, respect for parents. It was a huge hit. In 1999 he received the Dada Saheb Phalke Award from the Indian government for his contribution to Indian cinema. Chopra is survived by his son, Ravi, and two daughters, Shashi and Neena, and two grandsons, Abhay, a Bollywood director, and Kapil, an actor. His legacy lives on in a new generation of film-makers who believe, like him, that films should be entertaining, but also have a relevant social message. • Baldev Raj Chopra, film-maker, born 22 April 1914; died 5 November 2008