After a run of more than 20 years, the Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge - known to fans as DDLJ - has had its final screening at a cinema in Mumbai. It's one of the most successful Indian films of all time, grossing millions not just in India but around the world. Rajini Vaidyanathan asks what makes it such a classic.
The ultimate Bollywood rom-com
To the uninitiated, this film was significant to Bollywood, as When Harry Met Sally was to Hollywood - a rom-com which defined a generation. The romance forged by two expat Indians who meet on an inter-railing trip around Europe, still warms hearts today, however outdated it now feels. It also fulfilled every cliche in the Bollywood rule book, while showing a new self-confidence about the portrayal of love. A boy named Raj falls for a young woman named Simran, her father disapproves and tries to marry her off to someone else. Raj tries to win her family over, but it all ends up in a bloody fight scene (where grown men are seen hitting each other with sticks). But a few black eyes later true love prevails. The idea of a 'love' marriage was still seen as rebellious in 1990s India, but the finale where Simran's father finally gives in provided the perfect family-friendly ending. 'It says that it is cool to be Raj and Simran while maintaining our Indianness and culture,' actor Shah Rukh Khan said of the film last year.
Free Watch Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
The cult of Shah Rukh Khan
The film catapulted actor Shah Rukh Khan to stratospheric levels of fame, and made him Bollywood's biggest heart-throb. His role as Raj Malhotra, the doe-eyed, lovesick bad boy with a good heart, served as a mould for several of his later characters (some of them also called Raj). His pairing with the actress Kajol, was also seen as a turning point for both their careers. They'd acted together before, but their chemistry in DDLJ made them the one of the hottest on-screen couples Bollywood had ever seen.
Reflection of the times
Watching DDLJ I feel the same desperate desire for the lovers to be united that I feel watching Casablanca, When Harry Met Sally or Brief Encounter
Aditya was one the first Directors of the New Generation of the Indian film Directors. With his first film he got rave reviews and was immediately classified as one of the best directors in Indian Cinema. With DDLJ, Aditya showed us what falling in love, respect, and family values are all about. This film also confirmed the Pair of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as one of the best in the Indian Cinema. It made Kajol and Shah Rukh superstars over night and two of the most sought after actors.
DDLJ also started the trend of love stories in Indian Cinema. Before DDLJ, most Indian films were action films. But DDLJ changed all that and the way of war was changed to a way of love. It's incredible how this film changed the Indian Cinema and the way of making films. DDLJ is a Forever Classic.
It recently set a new record for the longest running film when it crossed the 500th week mark (that means it's a 10 time golden jubilee), the previous record was 275 weeks and was held by SHOLAY (another forever classic). All I can say is you must watch this movie, because 'After Raj met Simran, love wasn't the same..come fall in love all over again'.
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Upgrade to PremiumTrailerThe movie revolves around two warring gangster clans in Bulgaria and the star-crossed lovers like Romeo and Julliet. After a 15-year separation, a couple in love try to overcome the violent conflict between their respective families.Actors: Shah Rukh Khan,Vinod Khanna,Kajol,Kriti Sanon,Varun Dhawan,Kabir Bedi,Boman Irani,Johnny Lever,Mukesh Tiwari,Pankaj Tripathy,Sanjay Mishra,..»Country: IndiaQuality: HDIMDb: 5.3Keywords:- Birthdate: 14 March 1974, Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Careening from romance to action to comedy like one of the vrooming cars that pop up in every Shetty production, Dilwale is a movie in need of a road map.
So insipid is Dilwale's screenplay, and the outcome so inevitable, that there is nothing really to engage the audience, especially in the second-half.
The dud second half feels copied-and-pasted in from some Big Bollywood Book of Star-Crossed Lovers, tossing out one implausible, indigestible chunk of melodrama after another.
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Something went wrong.
Please report this problem
Upgrade to PremiumTrailerThe movie revolves around two warring gangster clans in Bulgaria and the star-crossed lovers like Romeo and Julliet. After a 15-year separation, a couple in love try to overcome the violent conflict between their respective families.Actors: Shah Rukh Khan,Vinod Khanna,Kajol,Kriti Sanon,Varun Dhawan,Kabir Bedi,Boman Irani,Johnny Lever,Mukesh Tiwari,Pankaj Tripathy,Sanjay Mishra,..»Country: IndiaQuality: HDIMDb: 5.3Keywords:- Birthdate: 14 March 1974, Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Careening from romance to action to comedy like one of the vrooming cars that pop up in every Shetty production, Dilwale is a movie in need of a road map.
So insipid is Dilwale's screenplay, and the outcome so inevitable, that there is nothing really to engage the audience, especially in the second-half. Download gratis aplikasi pdf.
The dud second half feels copied-and-pasted in from some Big Bollywood Book of Star-Crossed Lovers, tossing out one implausible, indigestible chunk of melodrama after another.