B. R. Chopra was a prominent film director from the early days of Bollywood who made ground-breaking films that entertained the masses but also touched on important social and often delicate themes in Indian culture.

Baldev Raj Chopra was born in Ludiana, Punjab, in 1914. He took a masters degree in English literature at Lahore University and remained in the city after graduation, working as a film reviewer for a monthly film magazine, Cine Herald.

He soon turned to film production, but, having been financed by a friend of his father, work on his first film, Chandni Chowk, was abandoned when violence over the impending Partition broke out in Lahore. His house was burnt down and he joined the exodus of Hindus from the region. His next film venture, Karwat (1948), was a flop, and the film financier Goverdhandas Agarwal suggested that, instead of producing movies, Chopra should take up directing.

Chopra sweet-talked the famous actor Ashok Kumar into starring in his directing debut Afsana (1951). The thriller about mistaken identity was a hit and elevated Chopra on to the A-list. The success of his next two films, Shole (1953), and the previously abandoned Chandni Chowk (1954), enabled Chopra to form his own production house, B. R. Films.

Chopra was determined to make socially relevant films that would entertain the masses. The first film under his banner was Ek Hi Raasta (1956), which dealt with the delicate subject of the remarriage of widows. His next film, the Man-v-machine drama Naya Daur (1957), was one of his biggest hits. “The script had something different from what was being done in Hindi cinema. It was a great story with a great message,” Chopra recalled.

Kanoon (1960) was the first Bollywood film to have no songs, and Gumrah was about a woman resuming an affair with her lover after her marriage. From the 1960s onwards, Chopra’s career as a film director was eclipsed by that of his younger brother, Yash, who went on to become the most successful film-maker in Bollywood history.

Meanwhile, the popularity of the elder brother’s less commercial films waned. He revived his fortunes in the 1980s when he ventured into television, and his epic Mahabharat became the most popular serial in Indian TV history.

He was awarded the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his contribution to Indian cinema in 1999. In 2007 his black-and-white classic Naya Daur was re-released in colour.

Paying tribute to him, India’s biggest film star, Amitabh Bachchan, said: “The core of humanity and social relevance remained with Chopra saab till the end.”

Chopra is survived by a son and two daughters.

B. R. Chopra, writer, producer and director, was born on April 22, 1914. He died on November 5, 2008, aged 94