There was a daily ritual that was followed at the sprawling BR House.  Every evening at 5 pm, the veteran film-maker’s married daughters, Shashi and Bina, would drop by to have tea with their dad. The lady of the house, daughter-in-law Renu Chopra, made it a point to make tea-time interesting —and varied. There’d be vol-au-vents filled with cheese and mushrooms or chicken in white sauce, sometimes samosas too, and always something meetha like brownies. If Renu was ever introduced to a new place, like Annapurna in Bandra for readymade pani puri, she was delighted to have an addition to the menu. Tea time was special because that’s when B.R. Chopra got to meet his family.

Most mornings, much-younger-brother, Yash Chopra (once estranged, the gradual patch-up happened just a few years ago), would come by to spend some time with Bal­dev Chopra over a cup of tea. That was the time the ageing film-maker would be bathed, dressed in crisp white clothes and ready to meet the brother who was more like a son to him.

By the time B.R. Chopra lost his wife last year, his memory too had begun to desert him. Recognising people had become difficult but his welcoming smile more than made up for it. Happily, right till the end, whenever he met yours truly (I’d drop in to say a quick ‘hi’ whenever possible), he may not have got the name instantly, but he had a distant connect and would inevitably say, “I was also a journalist when I was in Lahore”. The disarming grin had so much warmth, it didn’t matter if he soon rambled about something else. Juhi Chawla was one of the actresses who’d regularly stop by at the beautiful bungalow which is a landmark in the suburbs. Early in her career, Juhi had dropped out of playing Draupadi in B.R.’s ambitious Mahabharat, since films beckoned and television was like a step-sister.  It was a decision that helped everybody. Juhi went on to become a top-rung film actor while B.R. launched the well-endowed Rupa Ganguly as Draupadi, a perfect casting move that made her a household name. Those were the days when Rupa would be ensconced more in Mumbai than in Calcutta.Funnily, Juhi was more the rival brother Yash Chopra’s girl after Chandni (she did the guest role with Vinod Khanna) and Darr than a B.R. Films’ artiste. Still, even after stepping out of Mahabharat and doing a B.R. film only recently in Bhootnath, Juhi had a special bond with the film-maker. Thus, visiting him occasionally was always on her agenda when she was in the suburbs. (Juhi is one of the few film personalities who lives in South Mumbai.) Even Meenakshi Seshadri, who tuned out of the Hindi film industry more than a decade ago, and has settled in the US with her banker husband and two kids, would make it a point to visit the B.R. bungalow on her annual visits to Mumbai. She did a long-forgotten film called Dahleez and only a Lux ad with the banner but the equation was life- long.  Looks like B.R. Chopra’s charm worked on all his women!

Those daily rituals, those occasional and annual visits will all be phased out with the passing away of legendary film-maker B.R. Chopra on Wednesday, November 5 at 9.48 am. His soul will rest in peace as he went away in complete calm at the age of 94. “I’m really happy papa died so peacefully with the entire family by his bedside,” said daughter-in-law Renu, even as she ran around making arrangements for the last rites. 

Renowned for his hospitality, BR House was always the venue where leaders (from politics and industry) and workers were welcome. In his prime, B.R. had once phoned Renu and told her that the President of India was dropping in and she had fifteen minutes to get things ready —she did lay out a spread by the time the VIP guest arrived! Till the end, B.R. Chopra went to his office in Khar-Santa Cruz, even if he had to go in a wheel-chair, and sit in his room which had in recent years been shifted to the ground floor for his convenience.  His only son, Ravi Chopra, would sit with his dad and narrate all the stories that were being discussed as potential scripts. “Irrespective of how much he really grasps, I always narrate all our stories to him,” Ravi would explain to friends who understood why he had made that a practice. That is another ritual which has come to an end. It’s Ravi now who is the official head of the vast B.R. empire. Hopefully, the warmth will remain.

Bharathi S. Pradhan is managing editor Movie Mag International