NEW DELHI: Vice President M Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and several union ministers have expressed shock at the passing away of famed filmmaker Yash Chopra.

Chopra died at the Leelawati Hospital in Mumbai yesterday, aged 80. He had been suffering from dengue and had been admitted around ten days earlier. The last rites were performed today in the presence of a large number of Bollywood personalities and his fans.

Ansari said Chopra‘s "valuable contribution to Hindi cinema and the wholesome entertainment his films gave us will be long remembered."

Dr Manmohan Singh said: "An icon of Indian Cinema, Chopra entertained many generations with his rare creativity. He had an aesthetic talent to make his films look larger than life. His flourish in essaying romance and social drama was unmatched. Chopra established the popularity of Indian cinema internationally and was honoured by many governments. He will be remembered by millions of his fans around the world and his work as a director and producer will be treasured by the nation for many more generations."

New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah said "Chopra was one of our greatest film makers. In his death, the Mumbai Film Industry has suffered an irreparable loss".

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni also expressed her condolences, saying, "Today, Indian cinema has lost one of its iconic personalities and a creative genius."

"Through films, Yashji connected generations together. His idea of portraying love as the essence of life and relationships will fondly be remembered by all movie lovers. His death is a void which will be difficult to fill," Soni said.