RIP Pamela Chopra: The First Lady of YRF

‘With heavy hearts, the Chopra family would like to inform,’ Ain’t no words that are heavier than this. We last saw her in YRF documentary, The Romantics, and had a better understanding of who the First Lady of YRF is and why Yash Chopra considered her a pivotal part in the evolution of Yash Raj Films.

It was not every day that you got to see Pamela Chopra on the screen. And when she did, all we did was gawk at her powerful storytelling, at what it took for YRF to be here, where it is today. Sadly, we never knew it would be the last time we’d see her.

Pamela Chopra passed away on April 20 at the age of 74. Reportedly, she was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital for the past 15 days. She was put on a ventilator by the doctors but her health deteriorated. She was cremated in Mumbai today, at 11 am.

YRF shared a statement to confirm Pamela Chopra's death. It read, "With heavy hearts, the Chopra family would like to inform that Pamela Chopra, 74, passed away this morning. Her cremation took place at 11 am today in Mumbai. We are grateful for your prayers and the family would like to request for privacy in this moment of deep sadness and reflection (sic)." The heaviest words ever!

While most have seen Pamela Chopra’s name credited in the producer or co-producer section, there was a lot more to her. Not only was she an established singer and lent her voice to several hits, such as Surkh Jode Ki Yeh Jagmagahat, Chale Aao Saiyaan, Main Sasural Nahi Jaaungi, she was one of the brains behind YRF blockbuster, Dil Toh Pagal Hai’s script. She also oversaw outfits for Silsila and Sawaal.

Pamela Chopra married Yash Chopra in 1970. 40 years after their marriage, Pamela still labelled her union as ‘wonderful’. In an interview with Rediff, she had once described the kind of a person Yash Chopra was. She said, “He was romantic in his movies, but in real life, he was a very practical man. There was a child inside him, like if he was hungry he had to eat at that very moment. If he was sleepy, he would just leave everything and go to sleep. He was a completely different person at home and at work. At work, he was very efficient, and in control of things. At home, he didn't bother. He allowed me to manage the house the way I wanted to.”

Pamela Chopra and Yash Chopra have two children – Aditya Chopra and Uday Chopra. While Aditya is married to Rani Mukerji and prefers to stay far off from the limelight, Uday appeared in a few films and now, oversees the production business.

In spite of owning a vast business, the late Pamela Chopra had appeared in films just once - the opening song Ek Duje Ke Vaaste from the film Dil To Pagal Hai, where she and her husband appeared together. And the next that we saw her, was Netflix’s The Romantics.

Many knew Pamela Chopra as an educated, talented, warm and witty persona. Lyricist Javed Akhtar, in his condolence tweet, mentioned, “Today Pam ji the better half of Shri Yash Chopra has passed away . She was a great lady . Intelligent, educated , warm and witty . Those who like me have worked closely with Yash ji know about her contribution in his scripts and music . She was an exceptional person (sic).” And she was. However, it takes a lot of sacrifices to run a business and equally be there for the family. Late Pamela did both, and with the same passion.

No wonder they say legends don’t die. They continue to live through their work in people’s hearts. That’s what Pamela Chopra’s contribution to YRF and Indian cinema will be known as, for ages to come. And, her name shall forever be engraved as YRF’s

- The First Lady. The end of an era -