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Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (English: The Big-Hearted Will Take Away the Bride), also known by the initialismDDLJ, is an Indian romance film, directed by Aditya Chopra (in his directorial debut), produced by his father Yash Chopra, and written by Javed Siddiqui with Aditya Chopra. Released on 20 October 1995, the film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The plot revolves around Raj and Simran, two young non-resident Indians, who fall in love during a vacation through Europe with their friends. Raj tries to win over Simran's family so the couple can marry, but Simran's father has long since promised her hand to his friend's son. The film was shot in India, London and Switzerland, from September 1994 to August 1995.

Earning ₹1.06 billion (valued at about US$32,766,000 in 1995)^[a] in India and ₹160 million (valued at about US$4,946,000 in 1995)^[a] overseas, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge became the highest grossing Bollywood film of the year, and one of the most successful Indian films in history. It won 10 Filmfare Awards, the most for a single film at that time, and won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Its soundtrack album became one of the most popular of the 1990s.

Many critics praised the film, which connected with different segments of society by simultaneously promoting strong family values and the following of one's own heart. Its success led other film makers to target the non-resident Indian audience, which was deemed more lucrative for them. It spawned many imitations of its story and style, and homages to specific scenes. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was one of only three Hindi films in the reference book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and was placed twelfth on the British Film Institute's list of top Indian films of all time. It is the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema. As of 2018, over 20 years after its first release, it is still being shown at the Maratha Mandir theatre in Mumbai.^[6]

• 3Production
• 6Release
• 7Legacy

Plot[edit]

Raj Malhotra (Shah Rukh Khan) and Simran Singh (Kajol) are non-resident Indians living in London. Simran was raised by her strict and conservative father, Baldev Singh (Amrish Puri), while Raj's father Dharamvir Malhotra (Anupam Kher) is very liberal. Simran always dreams of meeting her ideal man; her mother Lajjo (Farida Jalal) warns her against this, saying dreams are good, but one should not blindly believe they come true. One day, Baldev receives a letter from his friend Ajit (Satish Shah), who lives in Punjab, India. Ajit wants to keep a promise he and Baldev made to each other 20 years ago—to have Simran marry his son Kuljeet (Parmeet Sethi). Simran is disappointed, as she does not want to marry someone whom she has never met.

One evening, Raj enters Baldev's shop after closing time to buy beer. Baldev refuses, but Raj grabs a case of beer, throws money on the counter, and runs away. An infuriated Baldev calls Raj a disgrace to India. Meanwhile, Raj's father agrees to his request to go on a train trip across Europe with his friends, and Simran's friends have invited her to go on the same trip. Simran asks her father to let her see the world before her marriage, and he reluctantly agrees.

On the trip, Raj and Simran meet. Raj constantly flirts with Simran, much to her irritation. The two miss their train to Zurich and are separated from their friends, but start to travel together and become friends. Raj falls in love with Simran on the journey, and when they part ways in London, Simran realises she is in love with him as well. At home, Simran tells her mother about the boy she met on her trip; Baldev overhears the conversation and becomes enraged with his daughter. He says the family will move to India the next day. Meanwhile, Raj tells his father about Simran and that she will soon get married. When Raj says he believes Simran loves him too, his father encourages him to go after her.

In India, Baldev is reunited with his relatives and his friend Ajit. A miserable Simran and her younger sister Chutki (Pooja Ruparel) take an instant dislike to Simran's fiancé Kuljeet because of his arrogance. Simran pines for Raj, but her mother tells her to forget him because she knows Baldev will never accept their relationship. The next morning, Raj arrives outside of the house where Simran is staying and the two reunite. She begs him to elope with her, but Raj refuses and says he will only marry her with her father's consent. Raj befriends Kuljeet and is quickly accepted by both families. Later, his father arrives in India and also becomes friends with Simran's and Kuljeet's families. Eventually, Lajjo and Chutki discover that Raj is the boy Simran fell in love with in Europe. Lajjo also tells Raj and Simran to run away, but he still refuses. Baldev recognises Raj from the beer incident but eventually accepts him. However, after he discovers a photograph of Raj and Simran together in Europe, he slaps and humiliates Raj and tells him to leave.

As Raj and his father wait at the railway station, Kuljeet, who is angry to learn of Raj's love for Simran, arrives with his friends and attack them. Eventually, Baldev and Ajit arrive and stop the fight, and Raj boards the departing train with his father. Simran then arrives with her mother and sister; she tries to join Raj on the train, but Baldev stops her. Simran begs him to let her go, saying she cannot live without Raj. Baldev, realising nobody loves his daughter more than Raj does, lets her go, and she runs and catches the train as it departs.

Cast[edit]

Credits adapted from British Film Institute.^[7]

• Shah Rukh Khan as Raj Malhotra
• Kajol as Simran Singh
• Amrish Puri as Chaudhary Baldev Singh, Simran's father
• Farida Jalal as Lajwanti 'Lajjo' Singh, Simran's mother
• Satish Shah as Ajit Singh, Baldev's friend in India
• Achala Sachdev as Simran's grandmother
• Himani Shivpuri as Kammo Kaur, Simran's aunt
• Pooja Ruparel as Rajeshwari 'Chutki' Singh, Simran's sister
• Anupam Kher as Dharamvir Malhotra, Raj's father
• Parmeet Sethi as Kuljeet Singh, Ajit's son
• Mandira Bedi as Preeti Singh, Ajit's daughter
• Anaita Shroff Adajania as Sheena, Simran's friend
• Karan Johar and Arjun Sablok as Raj's friends

Production[edit]

Origin and scripting[edit]

Aditya Chopra assisted his father, director and producer Yash Chopra, during the making of Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991) and Darr (1993).^[8] During this time, Aditya wrote several of his own scripts, including one he assumed would be his first film, but eventually became his second, Mohabbatein (2000).^[9] For three years, he worked on the story that would become Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge before approaching his father to direct it. Yash did not want to, and tried to persuade Aditya to do it himself.^[10] As they were discussing ideas for the script, Aditya conceived the notion that Raj would seek permission for marriage from Simran's stern father, rather than eloping with her. He then became excited about the possibility of directing the film himself. After his mother, the playback singer Pamela Chopra, agreed that the idea was sound, he decided to make this his directorial debut.^[11] Aditya wanted to make a wholesome film that people could watch repeatedly. He wanted to diverge from the typical plot line of the time, in which lovers run away when their parents object, and show that if their love was strong enough, the parents would eventually understand.^[10]

In May 1994, Aditya read the first draft of the script to several members of the Yash Raj Films production team assigned to work with him, including a cinematographer, an art director and a dialogue writer. They were not impressed, but Aditya held fast to his ideas.^[12] He was given total editorial control by his father, the producer, and made the film according to his own tastes and sensibilities.^[13] Aditya struggled with both the dialogue writer Javed Siddiqui and the song lyricist Anand Bakshi to develop words that were 'young-sounding'.^[14] There were personal clashes over writing credits on the final script. Pamela's friend Honey Irani believed she deserved a writing credit that she did not receive, and Siddiqui believed Aditya did not deserve partial credit for the dialogue. After Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, neither of them ever worked with Yash Raj Films again.^[15] After approving the script, Yash was consulted about the songs, but mostly left the creative process to his son, and has firmly denied that he was a ghost director on the project.^[13] He did not shoot a single frame, and did not even view some portions of the film until it was nearly completed.^[16]

Casting[edit]

Aditya originally wanted the film to be about a relationship between an Indian and an American. He wanted Tom Cruise for the role of Raj but was dissuaded by Yash, who did not want to use a foreign star.^[17] They decided their characters would be non-resident Indians (NRIs). Aditya approached Shah Rukh Khan to play the role of Raj. Shah Rukh was initially not interested because of the romantic nature of the role, having had success playing villainous roles.^[12] Aditya then asked Saif Ali Khan to play the lead role because he was having problems persuading Shah Rukh to do it.^[18] Saif declined for unknown reasons,^[19] as did Aamir Khan,^[20] causing Aditya to continue pursuing Shah Rukh.^[18][b] Aditya and Shah Rukh had four meetings over several weeks; he finally persuaded Shah Rukh by telling him he could never be a superstar unless he became 'every woman's dream man, and every mother's dream son'.^[12] Since then, Shah Rukh has expressed his gratitude to Aditya for helping to make him a star with this film.^[9] Shah Rukh said that fellow actor Salman Khan also encouraged him to do the role, saying that he thought the film would be very successful.^[22] Shah Rukh has also noted the similarities in the film's script to his own relationship with Gauri Khan before their marriage.^[23]

Kajol was the first choice to play Simran, to which she quickly agreed; she was a good friend of Aditya.^[24] She and Shah Rukh had previously worked together in the successful films Baazigar (1993) and Karan Arjun (1995).^[25] Kajol said her character was very difficult for her to relate to, whereas Shah Rukh said Raj's personality was very similar to his own.^[26] Aditya chose the name Raj for the character, and the mandolin that he played, based on his admiration for the actor Raj Kapoor.^[27] After a successful screen test, Parmeet Sethi was chosen over Armaan Kohli for the role of Kuljeet Singh.^[28] In addition to his assistant director Sameer Sharma, Aditya asked for two additional assistants, his brother Uday Chopra and his cousin Karan Johar. Johar also played a small role in the film as Raj's friend.^[29] Sharmishta Roy was the film's art director^[30] and Manish Malhotra was its costume designer. While Malhotra had many new ideas, Aditya wanted to keep the clothing style simple; he did not want it to distract from the story.^[31] Despite this, Malhotra was responsible for the idea of Simran wearing a green dress in the song 'Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna', an unusual colour for a Punjabi bride.^[28]

Filming[edit]

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was filmed in several 5-, 10- and 20-day schedules between September1994 and August1995.^[32] The first sequence filmed was for the song 'Ho Gaya Hai Tujhko' with Kajol and Shah Rukh in Switzerland.^[33] The European journey scenes and songs were mainly filmed in Saanen, Montbovon and Gstaad, Switzerland.^[34][35][36] Other scenes were shot in England, at locations including Trafalgar Square, King's Cross railway station and Angel Underground station.^[37][38][39] Film's cinematographer Manmohan Singh, a regular collaborator with Chopra, shot the song 'Tujhe Dekha To', including the iconic mustard fields scenes with Shah Rukh and Kajol in the mustard fields in Gurgaon on the outskirts of the National Capital Region Delhi.^[28][40]The cast faced difficulties while filming the final scene, which shows Simran running to catch the train on which Raj is travelling. The smoldering heat made it difficult to shoot and each time there was a retake, the train took 20 minutes to return.^[41]

Saroj Khan was the choreographer throughout most of the production, but after several disputes between her and Aditya, she was replaced by Farah Khan near the end of the shoot. After the film's eventual success, Saroj apologised to Aditya for underestimating him, but she never worked with him again.^[42] Farah choreographed the song 'Ruk Ja O Dil Deewane',^[43] during which Aditya did not tell Kajol that Shah Rukh was going to drop her, as he wanted to capture her genuine reaction.^[44] The film's title was suggested by actress Kirron Kher; it came from the song 'Le Jayenge Le Jayenge', in the film Chor Machaye Shor (1974).^[21] The Raj character sings parts of this song during the story, and it recurs at the end. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is believed to be the only Bollywood film with a 'Title suggested by' credit.^[45] The film has since become universally known by the acronym DDLJ.^[46][47]

Towards the end of the principal photography, Shah Rukh had to split his time between this film and Trimurti (1995), spending half of his day on each film.^[48] In early August1995, when filming on Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was not yet finished, a release date in October around the time of the Diwali festival was decided upon. Composers Jatin and Lalit Pandit were given only 10 days to complete the background score, and the first copies were printed on 30 September.^[48] After filming was complete, Aditya decided to make a Hollywood-style documentary of the film-making process, which had not been done before in India. Karan Johar and Uday were put in charge because they had already been recording some of the process. On 18 October, two days before the film's release, the 30-minute special Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, The Making was broadcast on television by Doordarshan.^[28][48]

Themes[edit]

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge repeats the usual conservative agenda of family, courtship and marriage, but it proposes that Indian family values are portable assets that can be upheld regardless of country of residence.^[49] To prove this, Raj, an NRI who was brought up in London, is portrayed as the story's 'good guy', whereas Kuljeet, raised in India, is portrayed as the villain. This is a reversal of the roles in typical Indian films, which usually portray Indians as being morally superior to Westerners.^[50] Here, NRIs are validated as potential model Indian citizens.^[51]

The story aims to capture the struggle between traditional family values and the modern value of individualism.^[52] Although Raj and Simran want to be together regardless of her father's plans for her, Raj tries to win over his girlfriend's father rather than simply eloping with her. In this and other Indian stories, family values are ultimately considered more important than the romantic plot. Moral values and rules of conduct take precedence over individual desires.^[53] The film implies that 'Indianness' can be defined by the importance of family life; whether at home or abroad, it is the Indian family system that is recognised as the social institution that most defines Indian identity.^[54]

In Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, the purity/sanctity of women is being related to that of the nation. In the scene after Raj and Simran spend the night together, and Simran is concerned that something happened, Raj tells her: 'You think I am beyond values, but I am a Hindustani, and I know what a Hindustani girl's izzat (honour) is worth. Trust me, nothing happened last night.' This speaks to the Indian diaspora and their need to try and sustain their value system,^[55] and the man's responsibility to protect the Indian woman's sexual purity.^[56] In The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films, Ranjani Mazumdar says the film has a running theme of unfulfilled desires, which is exemplified by Raj's father telling him to enjoy life because his own was a struggle, and Simran's mother telling her to run away with Raj because she was unable to live her own dreams.^[57]

Scott Jordan Harris, writing for Roger Ebert's website, says the film's popularity lies in its ability to effectively convey two opposing themes appealing to different portions of society. He said, 'It argues that we should follow our hearts and chase happiness wherever it leads, regardless of the obstacles in our paths, while simultaneously suggesting we should respect the ways of our elders, particularly our parents, and do nothing that challenges their will'.^[58] Rachel Dwyer said the film was important for presenting marriage as an understanding between parents and children. While fighting the old tradition of the arranged marriage, it still encouraged the importance of seeking parental consent, even for a love marriage.^[59] According to Patricia Uberoi, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge reiterates the theme of Hum Aapke Hain Koun.! (1994)^[c] in a self-conscious manner while also linking it explicitly to the fact that the protagonists tend to remind themselves and each other of what it means to be an Indian.^[60]

Music[edit]

The Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge soundtrack features seven songs composed by Jatin Lalit, a duo consisting of the brothers Jatin and Lalit Pandit. Anand Bakshi wrote the lyrics and Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet Bhattacharya and Udit Narayan performed the vocals.^[62] Jatin Lalit was considered for the job when singer Asha Bhosle contacted Yash Chopra after meeting the duo. It was their first collaboration with Yash Raj Films. They secured the job after singing 'Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna' for Yash. In return, they ensured she sang one song, 'Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main'. Pamela Chopra helped them select tunes and instruments to give some of the songs a Punjabi flavour.^[63] Bhasker Gupta, writing for AllMusic, said the soundtrack was the best of Jatin Lalit's career, and that it 'marked the beginning of the fifth wave in Indian cinema ..'.^[64]

The soundtrack became the best-selling Bollywood soundtrack of the year, with 12 million official units sold by HMV, although it is estimated the same number or more copies were pirated.^[65] More than 1 million of those sales occurred prior to the film's release,^[48] with Chopra earning an advance of ₹10 million for the music rights.^[66]Gulshan Kumar sold an unofficial version of the soundtrack under his T-Series label. Combined sales of both the official HMV version and the unofficial T-Series version amounted to 20million copies.^[61] The total number of estimated sales including pirated copies range from 25million^[65] to over 100million.^[67]

In 2005, the album was judged the top Hindi soundtrack of all time by voters on the BBC Asian Network website.^[68] Anand Bakshi won his third Filmfare Best Lyricist award after 14 years,^[69] having two nominations for this film.^[70] The wedding song 'Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna' from the film became an all-time hit; it is played at weddings across the South Asian diaspora.^[63][71] The following is the track listing.^[62]

Release[edit]

Box office[edit]

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge opened on 20 October 1995 to sold-out shows worldwide.^[72] Every show in every theatre in Mumbai—save one—was completely full for the first week.^[73] The film was popular among both resident Indians and NRIs.^[74] At San Francisco's 720-seat Naz theatre, 1,000 people arrived for the first showing, and the theatre staff were forced to run another show late that night. In the UK, the film ran for over a year,^[75] and as of 2017, the Maratha Mandir cinema hall in Mumbai has been showing it for more than 22 years.^[76]

The film earned ₹1.06 billion (valued at about US$32,766,000 in 1995)^[a] in India and ₹160 million (valued at about US$4,946,000 in 1995)^[a] overseas; it became the biggest Bollywood grosser of the year,^[77] and the second highest-grossing film of the 1990s behind Hum Aapke Hain Koun.!. It was the second Indian film to gross over ₹1 billion worldwide,^[78][79] and one of the biggest Bollywood earners of all time.^[80] Adjusted for inflation, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is among the highest-grossing Hindi films ever;^[81][82] its domestic net income (₹533 million at the time)^[2] is approximately ₹4.613 billion ($71 million) when adjusted for inflation.^[83] As of 2009, the film had generated over ₹60 million in revenues for the Maratha Mandir since its release.^[84] In later years, that theatre ran one matinee show per day at reduced ticket prices, which averaged about 50% occupancy.^[76]

Critical reception[edit]

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge received many favourable reviews.^[72] An initial review by weekly magazine Screen said of Aditya Chopra, 'A young master arrives'.^[73] Tom Vick, reviewing the film for Allmovie, said, 'An immensely likeable movie, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge performs the rarely achieved feat of stretching a predictable plot over three hours and making every minute enjoyable.'^[85] When the film toured the US in 2004 as part of the Cinema India showcase, 'The Changing Face of Indian Cinema',^[86] Charles Taylor reviewed the film for Salon and said, 'It's a flawed, contradictory movie—aggressive and tender, stiff and graceful, clichéd and fresh, sophisticated and naive, traditional and modern. It's also, I think, a classic.'^[87]

Writing for NDTV, Anupama Chopra said, 'Perhaps the innocence of Raj and Simran's romance in which they can spend the night together without sex because Raj, the bratish NRI understands the importance of an Indian woman's honor. Perhaps it's the way in which the film artfully reaffirms the patriarchal status quo and works for all constituencies—the NRI and the local viewer. Or perhaps it's the magic of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol who created a template for modern love, which was hip and cool but resolutely Indian.'^[88] She also called the film a milestone that shaped Hindi cinema through the 1990s, and one of her personal favourites.^[9] In 2004, Meor Shariman of The Malay Mail called the film a 'must watch' for Bollywood fans, and also for those seeking an introduction to Bollywood.^[89]

Raja Sen gave a reflective review for Rediff.com in 2005, calling the film one of the best Hindi films made in the previous 20 years. He said 'Shah Rukh Khan gives a fabulous performance, redefining the Lover for the 1990s with great panache', and called Kajol a 'real-as-life actress bringing warmth and credulity' to her role. Sen called the film well balanced and said only the fight scene and some mother-daughter dialogue can wear after multiple viewings.^[90] Omer M. Mozaffar, writing for Roger Ebert's website in 2012, likened the film to a Disney Princess story, saying, 'the young princess feeling trapped by the traditional patriarchy, seeking freedom through discovering the world, but finally finding it through silent, but inappropriate love. The Little Mermaid. Beauty (of the Beast). Jasmine (friends with Aladdin). Pocahontas. Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). And here, Simran.'^[91] Scott Jordan Harris, also writing for Roger Ebert in 2014, called it 'one of the world's favorite films', and said it plays as a masterful soap opera, with one of the best screen couples ever seen.^[58]Sogosurvey conducted an online survey in 2016 in which approximately 47% of the people who participated voted Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge as Bollywood's most evergreen love story.^[92]

Accolades[edit]

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was ranked among The Times of India's list of the '10 Bollywood movies you must see before you die'.^[93] It was one of three Hindi films in the film reference book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, the others being Mother India (1957) and Deewaar (1975).^[94] It was placed twelfth on the British Film Institute's list of top Indian films of all time.^[95] It is one of the films on Box Office India's list of 'Biggest Blockbusters Ever in Hindi Cinema'.^[96] The film won a National Film Award and 10 Filmfare Awards, setting the record at the time for the most Filmfare trophies.^[97][d]

Legacy[edit]

Historic box office run[edit]

In 2001, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge overtook Sholay (1975), which had run for over five years at the Minerva theatre, as the longest-running film in Indian cinema history.^[102] It has been showing at the Maratha Mandir theatre (which was famous for having shown Mughal-e-Azam (1960) for three years) since its original release in 1995.^[103] There are often people in the audience who have seen the film 50 or more times, but still clap, cheer, mouth the dialogues and sing along with the songs,^[9][47] raising comparisons with The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), the longest running film in America.^[104]

When a theatre strike in early 2011 threatened the film's uninterrupted run, the producer Yash Chopra contacted theatre owners to try and ensure the film would continue. He hoped the film would continue to run for at least 1,000 weeks,^[105] which it achieved in December2014.^[76] To commemorate the event, cast members including Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal, Mandira Bedi and Pooja Ruparel appeared on the television show Comedy Nights with Kapil.^[106] Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and director Aditya Chopra also attended a live chat with fans and a black tie event at the theatre on 12 December.^[107] The same day, they launched a coffee table book written by Aditya Chopra about the making of the film.^[108] Also in December, Yash Raj Films announced the availability of a collection of commemorative, licensed merchandise from various suppliers to mark the event.^[109] The Maratha Mandir's management ended the film's run after 1,009 weeks on 19 February2015 because of low attendance (the last show was viewed by 210 people).^[110] However, after an outpouring of support from fans, and talks with the production company, they decided to reinstate the film.^[111]

Influence[edit]

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge spawned many imitators of its story and style, especially throughout the 1990s.^[112] According to the Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema, it and a handful of other films and young directors started a trend for 'designer' films. The authors said that these were 'a carefully packaged and branded product in which every little visual and physical detail .. is of utmost importance'.^[113] In Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema, Namrata Joshi said Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge 'reinvented Bollywood romances so decisively that we can neatly divide them into two eras—before DDLJ and after DDLJ'.^[114]

Yash Raj Films was previously known for using locations outside India for item numbers in its films.^[115]Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge started the trend for films designed to appeal to the Indian diaspora, which have foreign locations as integral parts of the story.^[115] The characters are themselves diaspora and tend to be able to move with ease between India and the West.^[116] Some later films that followed this trend include Pardes (1997), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.. (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Salaam Namaste (2005), Neal 'n' Nikki (2005) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006).^[116][117]Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge became the first Hindi film blockbuster to feature NRIs as main characters.^[118] It helped to establish the diaspora market as a vital source of revenue for the industry; that market was seen as a safer financial investment than the desi market.^[116]

Several later films have paid homage to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. The Karan Johar-produced Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014) was directly inspired by it.^[46] The films Jab We Met (2007), Bodyguard (2011), Chalo Dilli (2011), Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) and Chennai Express (2013) include scenes similar to the climactic train sequence, wherein a woman is running to catch a moving train and is helped aboard by a man with his outstretched arm.^[119][120] The British film Slumdog Millionaire (2008) contained a similar train scene, and its final dance sequence was partially shot at the same railway station as the Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge finale.^[46]

Impact[edit]

Audiences appreciated the screen chemistry between Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol,^[90] who later worked together in several successful films including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.. (2001), My Name Is Khan (2010), and Dilwale (2015), and are often referred to as Indian cinema's most loved on-screen couple.^[25][121] Shah Rukh Khan credits this film with making him a star,^[9] and says it 'changed the entire scene for romantic movies of the 90s'.^[122] During an interview in 2002, he said 'Whatever I'll stand for as an actor, in the whole of my career, whenever it ends, it will start with and end at Dilwale'.^[123] The actress Farida Jalal said the film gave her career a boost, saying she got many offers and 'could quote any price'.^[124] It also helped the young careers of Pooja Ruparel, who received advertising offers, and of Sharmistha Roy.^[21]

The British Film Institute (BFI) commissioned a book about Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. It was the first Hindi film chosen for a series of studies on international films, called 'BFI Modern Classics'. The author was Anupama Chopra and the book was released in 2002.^{[8][125][126]} It was reissued in paperback by Harper-Collins as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: The Making of a Blockbuster in 2004.^[127] After an unexpectedly long delay, the film was released on DVD by Yash Raj Films in 2002.^[128] The release included The Making and 300 Weeks Celebration documentaries, Success Story (highlights from the film's premiere), clips from the 41st Filmfare Awards ceremony and other interviews.^[129]

In 2006, members of the film crew were honoured at a dinner event to celebrate the film's 500th week since release. It was hosted by the Consulate General of Switzerland in Mumbai and by Switzerland Tourism.^[130] In 2010, Yash Raj Films signed an agreement with Indian and Swiss tour companies to provide a tour package called 'YRF Enchanted Journey', to allow visitors to Switzerland to view filming locations used for famous Yash Raj films including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.^[35][36] In 2014, Yash Raj Films released Aditya Chopra Relives .. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (As Told to Nasreen Munni Kabir), an attractive but expensive book about the making of the film.^[131] In response to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi quoting the line 'May the force be with you' from the American film franchise Star Wars during a visit to the US, President Barack Obama decided to quote a line from a Hindi film during his visit to India in January2015. He chose a line from this film, 'Senorita, bade bade deshon mein ..' (Miss, in large countries ..), and added 'you know what I mean'.^[132]

Notes[edit]

1. ^ ^abcdThe exchange rate in 1995 was 32.35 Indian rupees (₹) per 1 US dollar (US$).^[5]
2. ^Other sources claim that Saif was approached for the role before Shah Rukh, so this point is not entirely clear.^[21]
3. ^Uberoi states the theme to be that the lovers were willing to sacrifice their own feelings for their families.^[60]
4. ^The record has since been tied by Devdas (2002), and broken by Black (2005).^[98]

References[edit]

1. ^'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (PG)'. British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
2. ^ ^abc'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'. Box Office India. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
3. ^Baker, Steven (12 January 2013). 'Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol's 'DDLJ' completes 900 weeks'. Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
4. ^These are old sources:
   'Top Worldwide Grossers ALL TIME: 37 Films Hit 110 Crore'. Box Office India. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
   'Top Lifetime Grossers Worldwide'. Box Office India. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
5. ^'Yearly Average Exchange Rates'. USForex. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2015. Select Indian Rupee on the 'Compare' pulldown, then click 'Retrieve Data'
6. ^'Bollywood's longest-running movie gets big screen reprieve'. Khushbu Shah. CNN. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
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Bibliography[edit]

• Chatterjee, Saibal (2003). '1990–2001: Designer Cinema'. In Ramchandani, Indu (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. pp. 117–134. ISBN978-81-7991-066-5.
• Chopra, Anupama (2002). Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge ('The Brave-Hearted Will Take the Bride'). British Film Institute, London. ISBN978-0-85170-957-4.
• Dengel-Janic, Ellen; Eckstein, Lars (2008). 'Bridehood Revisited: Disarming Concepts of Gender and Culture in Recent Asian British Film'. In Eckstein, Lars; Korte, Barbara; Pirker, Eva Ulrike; et al. (eds.). Multi-Ethnic Britain 2000+: New Perspectives in Literature, Film and the Arts. Rodopi. pp. 45–64. ISBN978-90-420-2497-7.
• Dwyer, Rachel (2014). Bollywood's India: Hindi Cinema as a Guide to Contemporary India. Reaktion Books, London. ISBN978-1-78023-304-8.
• Ganti, Tejaswini (2004). Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema. Psychology Press. ISBN978-0-415-28854-5.
• Joshi, Namrata (2012). 'Shahrukh Khan: Yuppie Prince of Liberalized India'. In Patel, Bhaichand (ed.). Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema. Penguin Books, India. pp. 231–242. ISBN978-0-670-08572-9.
• Mazumdar, Ranjani (2014). 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge / The Brave-Hearted Will Take Away the Bride'. In Barrow, Sarah; Haenni, Sabine; White, John (eds.). The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films. Routledge, New York. pp. 205–208. ISBN978-1-317-68261-5.
• Mehta, Rini Bhattacharya (2011). 'Bollywood, Nation, Globalization: An Incomplete Introduction'. In Mehta, Rini Bhattacharya; Pandharipande, Rajeshwari V. (eds.). Bollywood and Globalization: Indian Popular Cinema, Nation, and Diaspora. Anthem Press. pp. 1–14. ISBN978-0-85728-782-3.
• Punathambekar, Aswin (2005). 'Bollywood in the Indian-American Diaspora: Mediating a Transitive Logic of Cultural Citizenship'(PDF). International Journal of Cultural Studies. 8 (2): 151–173. doi:10.1177/1367877905052415.
• Ramchandani, Indu, ed. (2003). 'Biographies'. Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. pp. 515–640. ISBN978-81-7991-066-5.
• Mukherjee, Madhuja (2012) [2011]. 'Mustard Fields, Exotic Tropes, and Travels through Meandering Pathways: Reframing the Yash Raj Trajectory'. In Roy, Anjali Gera; Huat, Chua Beng (eds.). Travels of Bollywood Cinema: From Bombay to LA. Oxford University Press. pp. 35–54. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198075981.003.0004. ISBN978-0-19-807598-1.
• Sarrazin, Natalie (2008). 'Songs from the Heart – Musical Coding, Emotional Sentiment, and Traditional Sonic Identity in India's Popular Film Music'. In Kavoori, Anandam P.; Punathambekar, Aswin (eds.). Global Bollywood. New York University Press. pp. 203–219. ISBN978-0-8147-4798-8.
• Uberoi, Patricia (1997). 'The Diaspora Comes Home: Disciplining Desire in DDLJ'. Contributions to Indian Sociology. 32 (2): 305–336. doi:10.1177/006996679803200208.
• Virdi, Jyotika (2003). The Cinematic ImagiNation: Indian Popular Films as Social History. Rutgers University Press. ISBN978-0-8135-3191-5.

Further reading[edit]

• Chopra, Aditya; Kabir, Nasreen Munni (12 December 2014). Aditya Chopra Relives .. (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: As Told to Nasreen Munni Kabir). Yash Raj Films. ISBN978-93-5196-188-8.
• Sharpe, Jenny (2005). 'Gender, Nation, and Globalization in Monsoon Wedding and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'. Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism. 6 (1): 58–81. doi:10.1353/mer.2005.0032.

External links[edit]

• Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge on IMDb
• Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge at the British Film Institute's Film and TV Database
• Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge at the TCM Movie Database
• Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge at AllMovie
• Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge at Bollywood Hungama

Karan Kumar Johar (born Rahul Kumar Johar, 25 May 1972),^[1] often informally referred to as KJo,^[2] is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, costume designer, actor and television personality who works in Hindi films.^[3] He is the son of Hiroo Johar and the producer Yash Johar.

Johar made his directorial debut with the widely-seen romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), which earned him the Filmfare Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay. His next two films were the ensemble dramas Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.. (2001) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), which were both very successful in the overseas market. His social drama My Name Is Khan (2010) earned him his second Filmfare Award for Best Director. The 2018 spy thriller Raazi won him Filmfare Award for Best Film. These, along with the several successful films he has produced under the Dharma Productions banner, have established him as one of the leading director-producers in Hindi cinema.

Johar has also ventured successfully into other avenues of the entertainment industry. He hosts a television talk show, Koffee with Karan, and a radio show Calling Karan, and appeared as a judge on competition reality shows Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, India's Got Talent, India's Next Superstars.

• 2Film career
• 4Filmography

Early and personal life

Karan Johar was born in Mumbai, India to film producer Yash Johar, founder of Dharma Productions and Hiroo Johar. He studied at the Greenlawns High School^[4] and attended H.R. College of Commerce and Economics,^[5] both in Mumbai. He received a master's degree in French.^{[citation needed]}

Johar started his career in entertainment industry as an actor, he played the role of Shrikant in the 1989 Doordarshan Serial Indradhanush. As a child, he was influenced by commercial Indian cinema: He cites Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra and Sooraj R. Barjatya as his inspirations.^[6][7] For a time, Johar followed numerology, creating film titles in which the first word and a number of others in the title began with the letter K. After watching the 2006 film, Lage Raho Munna Bhai which was critical of numerology, Johar decided to stop this practice.^[8]

In February 2017, Johar became father to twins (a boy and a girl) through surrogacy.^[9] The twins were born at Masrani Hospital in Mumbai. Johar named his son Yash – after his father; and his daughter Roohi – rearranged from his mother's name Hiroo.^[10][11]

Film career

Director

Karan Johar entered the film industry as an assistant director on Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), which is regarded as a landmark in Hindi cinema. He then made his own directorial debut with the blockbuster romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). The first half of the film centers on a college love triangle between an insensitive boy (Shah Rukh Khan), his tomboyish best friend (Kajol), and the prettiest girl at the college (Rani Mukerji), while the second half centers on the now-widowed boy's attempt to reconnect with his best friend who is now engaged to marry another man (Salman Khan). The film became a major blockbuster at the box office and received mostly positive reviews from critics. Writing for Planet Bollywood, critic Anish Khanna commented that 'Karan Johar makes an impressive directorial debut, has a good script sense, and knows how to make a film with S-T-Y-L-E.'^[12] It won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It swept most of the major awards at the 44th Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and all four acting awards.

Johar's next directorial venture was the multi-starrer family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.. (2001). The film starred Amitabh Bachchan as an egotistical rich industrialist, Jaya Bachchan as his compassionate wife, and Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan as their two sons. It also featured Kajol and Kareena Kapoor as sisters from a lower-class family who become the love interests of Khan and Roshan respectively. The film became Johar's second major blockbuster at the box office and received mostly positive reviews from critics. Critic Taran Adarsh commented that Johar 'confirms the fact that he is the brightest in film firmament. The premise [of the film] is simple, but it is the storytelling that deserves the highest marks.'^[13]

Johar's third directorial venture was the multi-starrer romantic drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), which dealt with the controversial subject of marital infidelity against the backdrop of non-resident Indians living in New York City. The film's plot follows a washed-up athlete (Shah Rukh Khan), whose frustration with his wife (Preity Zinta) results in an extramarital affair with a family friend (Rani Mukerji) who is also unhappy with her marriage to her childhood friend (Abhishek Bachchan). The film was a major success in India and an even larger success overseas. It received mostly positive reviews from critics who praised Johar's departure from the directorial style of his first two films. Rajeev Masand wrote, 'Few writers have such solid control over their screenplay as Karan Johar does. Few understand the intricacies of narrative as well as he does. Johar goes from highs to lows, from plateaus to peaks with the ease of a pro. He knows exactly how to turn a seemingly ordinary scene into something special with just that one line of dialogue, or that hint of background music.'^[14] The script of the film which was co-written by Johar received recognition by a number of critics and was invited to be included in the library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Johar's fourth directorial venture was the social drama My Name Is Khan (2010). The plot follows a Muslim man with Asperger's syndrome and his wife, played by Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, who live in San Francisco and face racial prejudice after the 11 September attacks. The film became a major commercial success, and received rave reviews from critics who praised Johar's unconventional directorial style. Critic Subhash K. Jha wrote that the film 'is a flawless work, as perfect in content, tone, and treatment as any film can get.'^[15] The film won Johar his second Filmfare Award for Best Director.

For his next feature film Student of the Year (2012), Johar chose not to cast established actors for his lead roles and instead recruited three debutante actors (Sidharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, and Alia Bhatt). The plot revolved around the quest of a group of students who are all gunning for the title of 'Student of the Year' at their college. The film was a moderate commercial success and received mixed reviews from critics. Some called it 'supremely entertaining and enjoyable,'^[16] while others called it 'a film which suffers from the lack-of-a-story syndrome.'^[17]

Johar then teamed up with Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, and Dibakar Banerjee for Bombay Talkies (2013), an anthology film released to celebrate the centenary year of Hindi cinema. Each of the directors made one short film to contribute to the large anthology. The plot of Johar’s film followed a magazine editor (Rani Mukerji) who discovers that her husband (Randeep Hooda) is gay after an interaction with an intern at her office (Saqib Saleem). The film did not perform very well at the box office but earned positive reviews from critics.

Johar's next directorial venture was the romantic drama film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016). The film featured Ranbir Kapoor as a man dealing with his unrequited love for his best friend, played by Anushka Sharma. It also featured Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as an older woman who engages in a brief relationship with Kapoor's character. The film emerged as a commercial success and received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who called it 'Johar's most grown-up movie yet.'^[18]

Johar teamed up again with Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, and Dibakar Banerjee for Lust Stories (2018), an anthology film released on Netflix that served as a follow-up to Bombay Talkies. The film was praised for its exploration of female sexuality, a subject rarely dealt with in Indian films. Johar's segment revolved around a newly married schoolteacher (Kiara Advani) whose husband (Vicky Kaushal) fails to recognize her lack of sexual satisfaction.

On 11 August 2018, Johar took to Twitter to announce his next film Takht, a period drama based in the Mughal era, which will feature an ensemble star cast including Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar, Janhvi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor.^[19] With a screenplay by Sumit Roy and dialogues by Hussain Haidry, this will be the first film directed by Johar that he has not written himself.^[20] In an interview with Firstpost, Johar stated that Takht would begin filming in September 2019.^[21]

Producer

Johar’s directorial work (with the exception of anthology filmsBombay Talkies and Lust Stories) has been produced under the Dharma Productions banner, founded by his father Yash Johar and taken over by him after his father’s death in 2004. In addition to his own directorial work, he has produced several films by other directors under the Dharma banner. Many of these films have become major successes including Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Dostana (2008), I Hate Luv Storys (2010), Agneepath (2012), Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), 2 States (2014), Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014), Kapoor & Sons (2016), Dear Zindagi (2016), Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017), Raazi (2018), Dhadak (2018), and Simmba (2018).

Actor

In addition to working as an assistant director on Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Johar was an actor in the film, playing the minor role of a friend of Shah Rukh Khan’s character. Since then, he has made cameo appearances playing himself in films like Om Shanti Om (2007), Fashion (2008), and Luck by Chance (2009).

He made his full-fledged acting debut alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in Anurag Kashyap’s period drama Bombay Velvet (2015), in which he played the main antagonist. Although the film did not perform well at the box office, Johar earned some appreciation for his performance. Critic Sarita A. Tanwar commented, 'The only consolation in the film is Karan Johar who brings a lot of dignity to the character of Khambatta.. which is commendable since this is totally outside his comfort space.'^[22]

Costume designer

Johar has worked as a costume designer for Shah Rukh Khan on many films like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Duplicate (1998), Mohabbatein (2000), Main Hoon Na (2004), Veer-Zaara (2004), and Om Shanti Om (2007).

Television

Johar is the host of Koffee with Karan, a celebrity-based talk show where he interviews actors, directors, producers, and other prominent members of the Hindi film industry. The first season aired from 2004 to 2005, the second season aired in 2007, the third season aired from 2010 to 2011, the fourth season aired from 2013 to 2014, and the fifth season aired from 2016 to 2017.

Since 2012, he has served as a judge on the reality shows Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (with Madhuri Dixit and Remo D’Souza), India's Got Talent (with Malaika Arora Khan, Kirron Kher, and Farah Khan) and India's Next Superstars (with Rohit Shetty).^[23]

Filmography

As an actor

Awards and honours

References

1. ^ ^abBasu, Nilanjana (16 December 2018). 'Koffee With Karan 6: Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal Discover Karan Johar Was Originally Named As..'NDTV. NDTV Convergence Limited. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
2. ^'KJo meets Kareena on sets of Heroine'. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
3. ^Karan Johar opens up about his sexuality, virginity and Shah Rukh Khan in his new book
4. ^Majumdar, Anushree (16 October 2016). 'P.O.W. director Nikkhil Advani: I will take a position but I don't want to become a jingoist'. The Indian Express. Indian Express Limited. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
5. ^'Karan Johar goes back to college'. Hrcollege.edu. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
6. ^Nandy, Pritish (9 December 1998). ''All the women I meet keep telling me how much they cried in the film! That's what made it a hit, I guess.''. Rediff.Com. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
7. ^V S Srinivasan (15 October 1998). ''I'm a little scared''. Rediff.Com. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
8. ^Khan, Rubina A (7 October 2006). 'Karan to drop letter K'. The Times of India.
9. ^Monica Varma (9 December 1998). 'Karan Johar becomes father to TWINS through surrogacy!'. Zoom (TV channel). Retrieved 5 March 2017.
10. ^'Alia Bhatt to Priyanka Chopra: Celebrities Congratulate Karan Johar on Becoming a Father'. News18. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
11. ^'Bollywood showers blessings on Karan Johar's twins'. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
12. ^Khanna, Anish (16 October 1998). 'Film Review: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'. Planet Bollywood. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
13. ^Adarsh, Taran (11 December 2001). 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'. Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
14. ^Masand, Rajeev (29 April 2010). 'Masand's Verdict: Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna'. IBN Live. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
15. ^Jha, Subhash K (13 February 2010). 'Hug your neighbor, watch My Name Is Khan!'. Times of India. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
16. ^Nahta, Komal (19 October 2012). 'STUDENT OF THE YEAR Review'. Komal Nahta's Blog. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
17. ^Bhattacharya, Ananya (1 December 2012). ''Student of the Year' review: Watch out for the newcomers' infectious charm!'. Zee News. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
18. ^Bhave, Nihit (28 October 2016). 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Movie Review'. Times of India. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
19. ^'Takht is about 2 warring brothers, expect K3G of Mughal era: Karan Johar on Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor film'. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
20. ^'Takht: Karan Johar ropes in Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Janhvi Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and others for his next directorial'. The Indian Express. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
21. ^'Karan Johar on deciding against directing Kalank, Student of the Year 2, and why it's too late to be in a relationship'. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
22. ^Tanwar, Sarita A (16 May 2015). ''Bombay Velvet' review: Despite earnest performances, the film somehow gets derailed'. DNA India. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
23. ^'Karan Johar, Rohit Shetty to judge a new talent show'. DNA. Chaya Unnikrishnan. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
24. ^'Karan Johar and Akshay Kumar's Battle of Saragarhi film to be titled Kesari'. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
25. ^'Brahmastra: Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt's new trilogy'. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
26. ^Thakker, Namrata (13 November 2014). 'Karan Johar's acting again!'. Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 13 November 2014.

External links

• Karan Johar on Facebook
• Karan Johar on IMDb