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Yash Raj Films
Company typePrivately held company
Founded1970; 54 years ago (1970)
FounderYash Chopra
Headquarters
Mumbai
,
India
Key people
ProductsFilms released
Divisions
Subsidiaries
Websitewww.yashrajfilms.com Edit this at Wikidata

Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. Since 2012, it has been led by his son Aditya Chopra. The company mainly produces and distributes Hindi films and is one of the largest film studios in India.[1]

History

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In 1970, YRF was founded by Yash Raj Chopra, a veteran director and producer in the Indian film industry, who has made various films in different genres.

YRF Studios

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In 2005, Chopra built YRF Studios in Mumbai. In 2006, The first film shot at YRF Studios was the romantic thriller Fanaa in 2006. Since then, several notable films have been shot at YRF Studios, including Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), Partner (2007), Taare Zameen Par (2007), Dostana (2008), Wanted (2009), 3 Idiots (2009), Dabangg (2010), Bodyguard (2011), Ra.One (2011), Agneepath (2012), Chennai Express (2013), Jai Ho (2014), and PK (2014). The studio consists of six floors and spans 20 acres. YRF Studios has also been rented out for other film and television productions, including 10 Ka Dum, and Kaun Banega Crorepati for Sony Entertainment, as well as Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, Koffee With Karan, and Satyamev Jayate for STAR India.[2]

YRF Home Entertainment

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The YRF has distributed a variety of independent films and Parallel Cinema industry within India, such as Godmother (1999), Zubeidaa (2001), Maqbool (2004), Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities (2004), My Brother Nikhil (2005), Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005) and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (2005). YRF Distributors released several films such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001), Koi... Mil Gaya (2003), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Black (2005), Krrish (2006) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006). In 2013, the company's distribution sold the satellite rights of its venture Dhoom 3 for ₹75 crore (US$9.0 million)[3] to Sony Entertainment Television.[4]

YRF Music

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The company decided to leverage their popularity in the music industry through Darr (1993), Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995) and Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). In 2004, YRF established their independent feature music distribution named YRF Music. The first soundtrack to be distributed under YRF Music was the company's critical and commercial blockbuster epic love saga Veer-Zaara. It supported the careers of upcoming composers such as Jatin–Lalit (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge), Anu Malik (Dum Laga Ke Haisha), Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy (Bunty Aur Babli), Pritam (Dhoom), Vishal–Shekhar (Salaam Namaste), Salim–Sulaiman (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi), Amit Trivedi (Ishaqzaade), Ram Sampath (Luv Ka The End), Sajid–Wajid (Daawat-e-Ishq), Sohail Sen (Mere Brother Ki Dulhan), Raghu Dixit (Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge), Sachin–Jigar (Shuddh Desi Romance), Mithoon (Shamshera), Jasleen Royal (Hichki), and Amartya Rahut (Aurangzeb).[5]

The Walt Disney Company

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2007 Disney buyout-refusal

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In 2007, The Walt Disney Company entered Indian Entertainment through a three-film co-production agreement with YRF, Ta Ra Rum Pum, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic and Roadside Romeo. Disney's move was seen as a bid to increase its global recognition and finally enter the increasingly lucrative Indian Cinema arena. In 2009, Disney offered a 49% acquisition of YRF at ₹2,500 crore (US$300 million)[6] (unadjusted for inflation), which took the valuation of the Indian entertainment company to ₹5,000 crore (equivalent to ₹130 billion or US$1.5 billion in 2023),[7] at the time. YRF declined the acquisition offer.

2011 Acquisition by Disney

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In 2011, a 99% share acquisition offer by Disney was accepted by UTV at ₹2,000 crore (US$240 million)[8] (unadjusted for inflation). The two companies together established Disney UTV, that functioned as the Indian subsidiary of the American company. In December 2016, Disney announced that it is restructuring its Indian operations and UTV will no longer produce movies and will focus only on the distribution of its Hollywood films.[9]

Aditya Chopra

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Aditya Chopra as Vice-Chairman

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From 2007 to 2010 the company saw an all-time low, with several of their high-budgeted films failing at the box office, and thereby suffering losses amounting to millions. The films broke YRF's perfect success ratio and were oddly released one after another. Some of the most unsuccessful films produced under the banner were Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Aaja Nachle, Tashan, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, Roadside Romeo, Dil Bole Hadippa!, Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year and Pyaar Impossible.

Aditya Chopra then took over as the vice-chairman of Yash Raj Films in 2010, soon after the release of the film Badmaash Company under the same banner.[10]

In 2011, the company went into production of three individual films with Aamir Khan for Dhoom 3, Shahrukh Khan for Jab Tak Hai Jaan and with Salman Khan for Ek Tha Tiger, the first installment in the YRF Spy Universe. The three films would become the most expensive productions ever undertaken by YRF; Ek Tha Tiger[11] was produced at ₹75 crore (US$9.0 million),[12] Jab Tak Hai Jaan was produced at ₹60 crore (US$7.2 million)[13] and Dhoom 3 was produced at ₹150 crore (US$18 million).[14]

Film Day of Release Screen Releases Distribution Budget Worldwide Gross
Ek Tha Tiger Eid (2012) 3,850 screens[15] YRF Distributors ₹75 crore (US$9.0 million)[12] ₹320 crore (US$38 million)[16]
Jab Tak Hai Jaan Diwali (2012) 3,100 screens[17] ₹60 crore (US$7.2 million)[13] ₹241 crore (US$29 million)[18]
Dhoom 3 Christmas (2013) 5,250 screens[19] ₹150 crore (US$18 million)[14] ₹542 crore (US$65 million)[20][21]

All three of these films broke box office records in India and went on to become some of the highest-grossing films of their time. Ek Tha Tiger,[11] which released on the 66th Independence Day of India, earned approximately ₹320 crore (US$38 million)[22] and became the eleventh highest-grossing film of Indian cinema. Jab Tak Hai Jaan opened worldwide on the Diwali day of 2012 and went on to earn ₹241 crore (US$29 million)[18] and became the fifteenth highest-grossing film in India. Dhoom 3 released in (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Arabic) on the Christmas week of 2013 and grossed approximately ₹542 crore (US$65 million),[23][24] in the worldwide market and went on to become the twelfth highest-grossing film of Indian cinema, as of January 2022.

Aditya Chopra as Chairman

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After the death of Yash Chopra in October 2012, Aditya Chopra was elevated to the position of chairman and Chief Executive of the company's studio wing. Facing overwhelming pressure by the Indian bourses to be publicly listed around the same period, the company went for a soft-launch on 3 January 2013.

The company received angel investment by institutional fund-raisers such as LIC of India, RNT Associates, PremjiInvest, Catamaran Ventures, Maruti Udyog and Unilazer Ventures. YRF was made open to Indian enterprises only and no FDI was accepted. Venture capitalists also showed interest with Adi Godrej, Y. C. Deveshwar, Kumar Birla, Arundhati Bhattacharya, Anand Mahindra, Chanda Kochhar, Sunil Mittal, Shikha Sharma and Uday Kotak investing undisclosed sums. YRF produced more films under the chairmanship of Chopra and the new management.[25]

Produced and distributed films

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Main article: List of films released by Yash Raj Films

YRF Entertainment

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In November 2011, YRF Entertainment was announced as a subsidiary of Yash Raj Films, in Beverly Hills, California, USA, with Uday Chopra serving as the CEO.[26]

By 2023, YRF Entertainment was transformed into the streaming division of Yash Raj Films.[27]

Film

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Year Title Language Notes Ref.
2014 The Longest Week English Debut in Hollywood [26]
Grace of Monaco [28]
2024 Maharaj Hindi Netflix Original [29]
Vijay 69 Netflix Original [29]

Television

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Year Title Language Platform Notes Ref.
2023 The Romantics English
Hindi 		Netflix Documentary series
The Railway Men Hindi [27]
TBA Mandala Murders Hindi [29]
Akka Hindi [30]

Work with newcomers

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YRF launched a number of budding screenwriters and directors under their banner throughout these years. Directors and screenwriters such as Kunal Kohli, Kabir Khan, Sanjay Gadhvi, Ali Abbas Zafar, Jaideep Sahni, Siddharth Anand, Shimit Amin, Habib Faisal, Shaad Ali, Maneesh Sharma and Vijay Krishna Acharya debuted under YRF and have gone on to become independent entities in films. The company also produced films for filmmakers such as Anil Mehta, Chandraprakash Dwivedi and Pradeep Sarkar under their banner. The company was ranked #1 (among the most successful film production companies in India) in a survey conducted by Filmfare and Number 27 (among the most successful film production companies in the world) in a survey by The Hollywood Reporter.[31]

Talent Management

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Apart from producing big-budgeted films with established actors, YRF also announced several films featuring relative newcomers in the fourth quarter of 2012; Aurangzeb starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, Sashaa Agha and Arjun Kapoor, Gunday starring Ranveer Singh, Bewakoofiyaan starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sonam Kapoor, Daawat-e-Ishq with Aditya Roy Kapur, Mardaani with Rani Mukerji, and Kill Dil starring Ali Zafar and Govinda.[32] The films released all through 2013 and 2014 were seen as a strategic move by the company to infuse newer jobs into Indian Cinema in the form of actors, screenwriters, directors and technicians. In a bid to break away from the traditional star system of Indian cinema, the company ventured into producing low-budgeted independent films with new creatives (actors, creatives and technicians) from 2008. Apart from working with upcoming actors, the company independently launched several new faces as leading actors in several of their big-budgeted films through their home banner and through Y-Films.[33]

Offices

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YRF is headquartered in Mumbai. In India, YRF has a network of distribution offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Jalandhar, Jaipur, Amravati, Indore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Kochi. Internationally, there are offices in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the United Arab Emirates.[34]

Tie-ups

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Throughout the years of its existence, YRF inked various business agreements with independent film and media entities present in the country.

Entity Period Description
Sa Re Ga Ma HMV[35] 1995 to
2005		 Music rights of all films produced under the YRF banner (deal existed until the launch of the company's independent music distribution leg, YRF Music)
Raj Kapoor Films[36] 1995 to
present		 Satellite and home entertainment rights to all films produced under the Raj Kapoor Films banner through the company's home entertainment division, YRF Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Networks India[37] 1995 to
2018		 Exclusive satellite rights of all films produced under the YRF banner
Dharma Productions[38] 1998 to
2008		 Film distribution and home entertainment rights of all films produced by Dharma Productions (deal existed until the release of Dostana)
FilmKRAFT[39] 2000 to
2008		 Theatrical and home entertainment rights to all films produced under the FilmKRAFT banner (deal existed until the release of Krazzy 4)
Disney[40] 2006 to
2008		 3-film (Ta Ra Rum Pum, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic and Roadside Romeo) co-production agreement with Walt Disney Studios
The IMAX Corporation[41] 2012 to
present		 2-film co-production agreement (with IMAX) for Dhoom 3, Thugs of Hindostan, War, Shamshera, and Pathaan
Dolby Laboratories[42] 2013 to
present		 Multi-film co-production agreement for all YRF projects (as of October 2013)
The Nikkatsu Corporation[43] 2013 to
present		 3-film exclusive distribution agreement for Ek Tha Tiger, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Dhoom 3 in the Japanese market
Dell Inc.[44] 2013 to
present		 Joint Venture agreement with Dell Computers for digitization and electronic re-distribution of the entire YRF Library up to Fiscal year 2015
Dibakar Banerjee Productions[45] 2013 to
2015		 3-film co-production agreement for feature films to be directed by Dibakar Banerjee

References

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  1. ^ "Producers Who Scored at the Box Office". Forbes India. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  2. ^ "YRF Studios". Yash Raj Films. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Top Earners: Box Office 2004". BusinessIndia.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  4. ^ "YRF Home Entertainment". Yash Raj Films. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  5. ^ "YRF Music". Yash Raj Films. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  6. ^ "Walt Disney Studios Teams Up with Yash Raj Films to Create Computer-Animated Feature Films". MovieWeb. 11 June 2007. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  7. ^ "Yash Raj, Disney in animation films tie-up". Business Standard. Mumbai. 13 June 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Walt Disney to buy out UTV Software in Rs 2,000-cr deal". The Hindu Business Line. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  9. ^ Laghate, Gaurav (23 December 2016). "Walt Disney to restructure India operations". Economic Times. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Profile". Yash Raj Films. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  11. ^ a b "TIGER ZINDA HAI Trailer". YRF. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Ek Tha Tiger: It's Salman's show all the way". IBNLive.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  13. ^ a b Adarsh, Taran (15 November 2012). "JTHJ P&A 60 crore". Twitter. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  14. ^ a b Adarsh, Taran (27 December 2013). "Dhoom 3 decoded". Telegraph India. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  15. ^ Bharti Dubey (14 August 2012). "Salman Khan's Ek Tha Tiger gets 'extraordinary' advance booking". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  16. ^ "Chennai Express Crosses Ek Tha Tiger Worldwide in Ten Days". Boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  17. ^ "JTHJ screen count". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  18. ^ a b "Jab Tak Hai Jaan Worldwide Blockbuster". Yash Raj Films. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  19. ^ "All eyes (and wallets) on Dhoom: 3 this Friday". Nandini Ramnath. Live Mint. 17 December 2013. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  20. ^ "Dhoom 3 crosses INR 500 crore". Boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  21. ^ "Dhoom 3 rakes in more than INR 500 crore". Boxofficeindia.com. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  22. ^ "Yash Raj Films makes more than INR 500 crore". Boxofficeindia.com. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  23. ^ "Dhoom 3 crosses INR 530 crore". Entertainment One. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  24. ^ "Dhoom 3 crosses INR 532 crore". IBI Times. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  25. ^ "Profile". Yash Raj Films. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  26. ^ a b "Veteran Bollywood Banner Yash Raj Films Launches Hollywood-Based YRF Entertainment". The Hollywood Reporter. 22 November 2011. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  27. ^ a b "Netflix and India's Yash Raj Films Launch Multi-Year Creative Partnership With 'The Railway Men,' 'Maharaj'". Variety. 14 September 2023. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  28. ^ "Yash Raj Films to produce Nicole Kidman-starrer Grace of Monaco". Business Standard. 20 January 2013. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  29. ^ a b c "Netflix, YRF Entertainment release first looks of 'Mandala Murders', 'Maharaj', and 'Vijay 69'". Deccan Herald.
  30. ^ "Keerthy Suresh, Radhika Apte to Headline YRF Entertainment Revenge Thriller Series 'Akka'". Variety. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  31. ^ "Aditya Chopra Powerlist". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  32. ^ "YFilms". Yash Raj Films. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  33. ^ "Yash Raj Films Newcomers". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  34. ^ "About the Company". Yash Raj Films. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.[self-published source]
  35. ^ "SaReGaMa YRF". SaReGaMa.com. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  36. ^ "R.K.Films YRF". R.K.Films YRF. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  37. ^ "Sony Entertainment Television YRF". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  38. ^ "Dharma Productions YRF". Top News. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  39. ^ "FilmKRAFT YRF". Top News. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  40. ^ "Disney YRF". MovieWeb. 11 June 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  41. ^ "IMAX YRF". MovieWeb. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  42. ^ "Dolby YRF". The Investor. Retrieved 30 May 2010. [permanent dead link]
  43. ^ "Nikkatsu YRF". Bollywood Trade. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  44. ^ "Dell INC YRF". Bollywood Trade. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  45. ^ "Dibakar banerjee YRF". Bollywood Trade. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
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