Bern, May 5 (IANS): The Swiss government has honoured late Indian filmmaker Yash Chopra, whose lens captured the breathtaking locales of Switzerland for decades, with a special statue as a mark of gratitude.

The statue was inaugurated on Wednesday. A sculpture made of pure bronze, and weighing about 350 kilos, presents Chopra in an iconic pose of directing a film, read a statement on yashrajfilms.com.

Chopra, who opened a legacy of South Asian tourists flocking to Switzerland, loved to spend time there. 

Natural beauty and warm hospitality mark the association that his banner Yash Raj Films shares with the country. 

The statue will be installed in the heart of Interlaken.

While many ministers and senior bureaucrats from the Swiss government attended this inauguration, his wife Pamela Chopra and his daughter-in-law Rani Mukerji were also present on the occasion. The event was organised by Interlaken Tourism and Jungfrau Railways.

This is not the first time the filmmaker has been honoured in this way. The government of Interlaken awarded him the honorary title of Ambassador of Interlaken in 2011, and Jungfrau Railways named a train after him. In addition, the five-star Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken named a suite after Yash Chopra, known for films like "Jab Tak Hai Jaan", "Silsila" and "Kabhi Kabhie".