Why Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge remains so loved 25 years on
It’s so hard to believe that ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ (DDLJ) is actually 25 years old today! It’s seems like just yesterday, when we were mesmerised by the sweet love story of Raj and Simran, that starts amid the lush locales of Europe and then moves to the sarson ke khet of Punjab, where the two young NRI lovers get to wed happily ever after.
No wonder then that DDLJ (as the movie came to be known lovingly) was the longest-running Indian film in theatres. The movie ran for a mind-boggling 1,009 weeks at Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir since its release in 1995, before the pandemic played spoil sport. A whole young generation has grown up in the mean time.
Written and directed by debutant Aditya Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol brought Raj and Simran to life. Amrish Puri and Anupam Kher, both playing the role of fathers, were a study in contrast. While the stern Puri is a strict disciplinarian, but has a soft corner for both his young daughters, only he rarely expresses it; on the other hand, Kher is more of a buddy to Raj and even celebrates his failing the college exams. Farida Jalal is the devoted, loving mother, who always sides with her daughters, so much so that she even encourages Simran to elope with Raj, not fearing the wrath of her husband.
Parmeet Sethi is the betrothed to Simran, whom Raj comically tries to dissuade from marrying his lady love. Mandira Bedi in her debut film is docile and hardly has any lines. How far the actress has come – today she is a fitness icon, sports commentator, among her myriad roles. And yes, we did have more than a glimpse of a chubby Karan Johar, who plays Raj’s friend.
Even today, people catch the movie whenever it is aired on TV. There are many, many reasons that make this movie so refreshing even after 25 years, here are a few of them:
- ‘Tujhe Dekha To Ye Jaana Sanam’ – Raj and Simran’s onscreen chemistry is the inspiration that has been working its magic since 1995.
- The couple takes the audiences on a tour of some of the best locales across London, Switzerland and India as they cross multiple hurdles before the famous ‘Jaa Simran, Jee Le Apni Zindagi’ moment.
- ‘Mere Khwabo me jo aaye’ remains an absolute favourite of girls, especially teenage girls who believe in fairy-tale stories like DDLJ.
- This movie is a perfect blend of family drama, romance, love triangle and iconic dialogues. No ‘shock the parents’ scenes here.
- This movie has one of the most iconic shaadi songs – ‘Mehendi lagake Rakhna’. The song has the potential to give every girl a bride feeling.
- Last but not the least, the famous Swiss cow bell that Raj gifts Simran everyone dreamed of having one.
- The ‘Palat’ test to know how one’s crush feels about the relationship.
- ‘Badi badi deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hain, senorita’, how many times have we said this dialogue to brush off an adversity?
In a bid to commemorate the timeless movie and offer Indian viewers a slice of Bollywood’s golden era, Sony MAX and Sony MAX2 is airing to movie at 12 pm and 7 pm today. To celebrate the silver jubilee occasion, both Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol have changed their Twitter names to Raj and Simran.
Some of the brands are also celebrating this occasion in a quirky way...
Youtube
https://twitter.com/YouTubeIndia/status/1318483586828283904
PIB India
https://twitter.com/PIBMumbai/status/1318446318524669953
Voot select
https://twitter.com/VootSelect/status/1318490343428427776
Inox Leisure
https://twitter.com/INOXMovies/status/1318414229234352128
Pinkvilla
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