Bollywood mourns demise of Pamela Chopra; stars extend their condolences

Mumbai, April 20 (IANS) Singer-writer-producer Pamela Chopra, who was the wife of filmmaker Yash Chopra, passed away on Thursday at the age of 74 after battling prolonged illness.

She was last seen in the streaming documentary 'The Romantics' in which she recollected the journey of her husband Yash Chopra and how the production transformed into a film conglomerate over the years. The documentary focused on the contributions made by Pamela to the studio and how she was the spine of YRF having excellent people skills in addition to her craft of singing and writing.

The Hindi film industry mourned the loss of Chopra as several film personalities took to their social media to mourn her loss.

Screenwriting legend Javed Akhtar of the duo Salim-Javed, took to Twitter and offered his condolences to the grieving family. He tweeted: "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."

Superstar Ajay Devgn, who is married to 'DDLJ' actress Kajol, tweeted: "My thoughts & prayers are with Adi, Rani, Uday and all members of the Chopra family in their hour of grief. RIP respected Pam Chopra Ji Om shanti."

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt took to his Twitter and wrote: "My heart is heavy with the news of Pamela aunty's passing. Her impact on the industry and the lives she touched will always be remembered."

Taking to her Instagram stories, actress Anushka Sharma reshared the production company YRF's social media post notifying the passing away of Chopra. She wrote: "Rip Pam Aunty." Anushka made her Hollywood debut in 2008 with YRF's 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.'

Veteran actor Anupam Kher shared an old photo of Pamela with her husband Yash happily posing for the camera in monochrome on his Instagram. He captioned the picture in Hindi, that translates to: "I have seen friendship of the world, all separated turn by turn .... Goodbye Pam Chopra!! You and Yash ji were an unbreakable and important part of my years in Mumbai! I always considered your smile as a beautiful gift of life. I was lucky I got to spend so much time with you! Om Shanti!" along with the Pamela's song 'Ghar Aaja Padesi.'

Actor-dancer Raghav Juyal, who will be soon seen in 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan', also mourned the loss of Chopra as he wrote on Twitter: "Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Pamela Chopra, lovingly called as Pam Auntie. She was a primary driving force behind #YashRajFilms. My thoughts and prayers are with the Chopra family during this difficult time. May she rest in peace. #PamelaChopra Om shanti."

Pamela Chopra lent her voice to several films, including 'Kabhie Kabhie', 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' and 'Mujhse Dosti Karoge.' She also produced the 1993 film 'Aaina' independently. Pamela also co-wrote the script of 'Dil To Pagal Hai' along with Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra and writer Tanuja Chandra.

Their two sons Aditya Chopra and Uday Chopra are also in the business of films. While Aditya is a film producer and director and heads the Yash Raj Films in India, Uday is an actor and film producer and heads the YRF Entertainment in the US.