We Will Miss

Yash Raj Chopra, often regarded as the "King of Romance", passed away in October. A filmmaker par excellence, Chopra created the "angry young man" that turned Amitabh Bachchan into a star. He debuted with the Rajendra Kumar-Mala Sinha starrer Dhool Ka Phool. He caught the pulse of the audience and delivered hits such as Deewar, Silsila, Kabhie Kabhie and Dil Toh Pagal Hai.

Rajesh Khanna, the "first superstar" of Bollywood passed away after a prolonged illness in July. A sure shot success formula (Khanna gave 15 hits in a row), he was a phenomenon, who made men envy his style and women swoon away to glory. Khanna debuted with Akhri Khat, which was followed by hits such as Anand, Aradhana and Kati Patang. Dara Singh, the wrestler-turned-actor from Punjab, who was known as much for his comic timing as for his generosity and affable demeanour, died after a cardiac arrest at his Mumbai residence in July. He was also the first sportsperson to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Apart from acting, he directed seven films and produced two.

Initially a freedom fighter and stage actor, aK Hangal was a popular character actor. He acted in 225 films and is remembered for his roles as Imaam Sa'ab in Sholay and Rashid Ahmed in Avtaar. Just before he died, Hangal's financial crisis and deteriorating health came to the fore, after which Bollywood came forward to help. He eventually died of respiratory problems.

Jaspal Bhatti was famous for his satirical take on common man's problems, with series such as Flop Show and mini capsule Ulta Pulta. He acted in around 25 Indian films. Bhatti died in a car crash in October while on his way to Jalandhar to promote his directorial venture Power Cut. Bhatti's son, Jasraj Bhatti, who also acted in the film, was on the wheel, and suffered some injuries.

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