Dharam Chopra

Dharam Chopra (1924-2002) was an Indian cinematographer whose career spanned four decades from the 1950s to the 1990s in Hindi films and television serials. A distinguished cinematographer, Chopra is best remembered for his work on notable films such as Waqt (1965), Ittefaq (1969), and The Burning Train (1980). His work on Yash Chopra's landmark film, Waqt earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Cinematography. As the younger brother of filmmakers B. R. Chopra & Yash Chopra, Dharam Chopra began his career as an assistant cinematographer in B.R. Chopra's Shole (1953). The following year, he made his debut as a cinematographer in Yash Chopra's Dhool Ka Phool (1960), followed by Dharamputra (1961). His collaboration with B.R. Chopra resulted in commercially successful films such as Ittefaq (1969), Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969), Dastan (1972), Zameer (1975) Dhund (1973), Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978), and The Burning Train (1980). In the later part of his career, he continued working with B.R. Chopra, albeit this time on Television serials. On the small screen, he served as director of photography for several iconic television series, including Mahabharat, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Sauda, Kanoon, Jhansi Ki Rani, Main Dilli Hoon, Aurat, and Vishnu Puran. While he was most closely associated with B. R. Chopra's productions, he also collaborated with other filmmakers, notably T. Prakash Rao on College Girl (1962) and Amanat (1971), and P. L. Santoshi on Dil Hi To Hai (1964), further demonstrating the versatility of his work.