Veteran filmmaker Ravi Chopra passed away at Breach Candy Hospital at 3.30 pm, today. He was said to be suffering from a severe lung ailment for the last couple of years. Ravi Chopra was admitted to the hospital last week and was said to be recovering under doctor’s intense care. Son of producer-director B.R.Chopra and nephew of Yash Chopra, Ravi has given many hits like ‘Zameer’, ‘Baghban’, ‘Mazdoor’ etc. He also produced Bhootnath and Bhootnath Returns, after his father’s demise. Aditya and Uday Chopra are his cousins. As soon as the news of his demise broke out, Twitter was flooded with condolence tweets. Let’s take a look at some of the lesser known facts of the director’s life:
The Burning Train: Ravi Chopra was the writer and director of 1980’s classic – ‘The Burning Train’. This Dharmendra, Hema Malini starrer received critical acclaim but failed to generate a buzz commercially. Though the film had a massive opening, it could not emerge as a box office success. This had left Ravi Chopra heartbroken. However, Burning Train is now considered a masterpiece.
Mahabharat: Ravi Chopra also directed one of the most popular mythological shows – Mahabharat. The show ran from 1988 to 1990 and was lauded by the Indian audience. The show was produced by Ravi Chopra’s father BR Chopra. The show was also shown on BBC in the United Kingdom. As per IMDB, the approx cost of producing the show was Rs 9 cr.
Aaj Ki Awaaz: Ravi Chopra was keen on casting Kaka as the lead actor in Aaj Ki Awaz. Rajesh Khanna too liked the script but asked Ravi Chopra to wait for one year because of his date problem. Ravi Chopra could not wait for so long and thus went ahead with Raj Babbar. Smita Patil was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for this film.
Zameer: Ravi Chopra’s debut film was Zameer which could not fair well at the box office. He assisted his father BR Chopra in films like ‘Dastan’, ‘Dhund’, etc., which were commercially successful. Later, Ravi Chopra incurred debts after his films – Baabul and Bhootnath did not do well. Ravi Chopra is survived by his wife and three children. His funeral most probably will take place tomorrow at around 11 am.