|

October 22, 2017

Indian cinema's prominent film maker Yash Chopra was active in the RSS in his youth

Tracing Yash Chopra’s Journey, From the Sangh to Romantic Filmmaking

By on

The eve of independence brought with it a fearful darkness of violence and killing for the people of Punjab and Bengal. The Chopra family in Jalandhar too was in quest of the dawn that would deliver it from the abyss of despair. Only recently, the family had lost the head of the household when an accident in Bengal claimed the life of Lala Vilayati Raj Chopra. Even as the Chopra clan struggled to come to terms with the tragedy, the dark clouds of Partition started to gather over the land.
The branches of the family, settled in Lahore, Amritsar and Jalandhar, lay scattered on the chessboard of history, politics and fate. Communal forces were taking full advantage of the circumstances to further their ends.
Like the young Arya Samaj boys in the neighbourhood, a young lad of the Chopra clan also enlisted himself in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and began actively participating in their shakhas, akharas and training routines.
While his zeal pushed him towards activities that sought to cross all limits of danger, his family remained unaware of it. It took one accident to reveal the teenager’s undesirable pursuits to everyone. One evening, as his sister-in-law lit the earthen stove, a big explosion rocked the house. The youngster had used the hearth as a hiding place for bombs to be used in riots. Fortunately, the explosion caused minimal damage. [ . . . ]

FULL EXT HERE: https://thewire.in/186803/sangh-romantic-filmmaking-yash-chopra/