The romance... the magic... the sheer aura of DDLJ .. My first celluloid crush!!!!

For anyone born during the mid to late eighties and having had the luck of living in the times when India saw a change in its economic and social fabric, the era was marked by various landmarks. Being part of a family that is crazy about movies and everything about them, there was one particular occasion that defined the post 90's era in hindi films.That occasion was the release of Aditya Chopra's directorial debut Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge, fondly called DDLJ. A movie that changed the way audiences percieved romance on celluloid, that changed the idea of falling in love and injecting it with the badly needed realism and subtlety, that made us believe in the 4 letter word called LOVE.

This blog is my tribute to a movie that remains my all time favorite. Its been close to 15 years since that fateful day in 1995 when DDLJ opened across the country to a thunderous response but its impact is still felt in Hindi cinema. Such was the brilliance of this simple love story that every film maker worth his salt attempted to create his/her own version but failed. To quote a few, Jab Pyaar kisi se hota hai, Kuchh Kuchh hota hai and a lot more. But everything paled in comparison to this towering cinematic achievement.

The 90's were a time of change sweeping across India. The new progressive economy saw the birth of a new Indian Middle Class that was more accepting towards western ideas but were rooted in Indian values. 1995 was the year when the film industry and the entire country awaited with bated breath , the release of YashRaj's DDLJ starring the superstar SRK(riding the wave of DARR, BAAZIGAR ) and Kajol(the upcoming superstar with an illustrious lineage!!). It was a time of 'huge' 1000 seater single screen theaters and black tickets worth 100 bucks. Imagine the change, when a legit ticket nowadays  costs almost 3 times the black rates then!!! 

The first promo with the tagline "Come, Fall in Love" set the ball rolling with a tuxedo clad SRK wooing Kajol in a black gown in Swiss country side. The first teaser was nothing but a 15 second peak into the film. The subsequent ones introduced the songs one by one which were to become anthems in the times to come. I have always felt Jatin-Lalit could never outdo what they achieved in this album as this was their most complete work. From the Romantic ' Tujhe dekha toh yeh jaana sanam' to the folksy 'Ghar aaja pardesi", to the naughty "  Zara saa jhoom lun main" to the amazingly heartfelt " Naa jaane mere dil ko kya". Each and every song was just correct in composition , melody , orchestration. The never-seen-before pre-release hysteria had a lot to do with the songs catching the imagination of the nation.

20th October 1995: The day started with me , mom and dad doing our pooja and then calling my aunt with her family to confirm the plan of reaching Satyam Cinema , Patel Nagar , Delhi. It seemed a normal day to begin with, i mean u do ur daily chores and catch a movie with family for an outing. As soon as i reached the theater I saw something that blew my mind. I saw a loooooooooooooong line at the ticket counter and people all over the theater compound. I saw policemen too who had been deployed to deal with any eventuality. My curiosity grew to check out why so many people were going bonkers about getting into the theater. I was in a way glad that mom and dad had booked tickets in advance as we avoided the crowd and went inside to find another bunch of people inside. The buzz was electric and I got goosebumps as soon as the doors to the auditorium were opened. We had got balcony seats where the seemingly 'elite' part of the crowd sits. As the lights were dimmed and the Yashraj logo appeared , a huge roar greeted the start of the film and as soon as the 'now-famous'  DDLJ tune played on the mandolin, the crowd went into a collective tizzy and I felt as if I would faint because I had never witnessed so much energy. The movie started with Amrish Puri at TRAFALGAR SQUARE and his voice-over " Yeh London hai.......". That was the start of a celluloid dream that I live to this day. I had never believed in magic till that moment. 3 hours later I had converted. The movie ended and I came out with the biggest smile I may have ever had on my face and saw the swarm of people waiting to get in for the next show. I just smiled at them and imagined what they were going to feel for the next 3 hours of their lives. I had felt elation, happiness, ecstacy, sadness, tummy-ache due to laughter and an adrenalin rush second to none.

Now when I look back at it , I realize that DDLJ is a film of moments. It is filled with the most amazing cinematic moments that one can imagine and they have stayed with me like no other film. Some of those  moments are -

--The introduction of Kajol when Farida Jalal calls for Simran and wind blows her hair and she takes the hair off her face. Kajol had never looked as pretty and the country had found their new poster girl who could act for a change!!!

--The following introduction of SRK as Raj in all his sporting glory. The roar that SRK recieved on his entry was deafening to say the least, one of the many examples of the kind of connect , this most under-rated actor has with his audience.

--Anupam Kher's hilarious sermon to his son Raj about how 'not studying' is a proud part of their family's legacy!!!  :D
--The scene where SRK lies to Amrish Puri about migrain to get BEER for his friends. The scene was priceless for the sheer timing of SRK and Amrish Puri. It established the characters of both wonderfully. 

--The apocalyptic scenes that were to become the benchmarks for all hindi romantic films when SRK crosses Kajol without noticing and when he gives her a hand to get her on to the train.

--The scenes between SRK and Kajol that showcased their  'chemistry' be it arguing with each other, going to a church together or just chatting with each other. The comfort level was so palpable that half the country's trees must have been felled to write about their percieved romance and how it was irritating a certain Ajay Devgan like crazy...  :)

--The scene where they both separate at the train station , where they both realize that they love each other and Lata Mangeshkar's rendition of 'Na jaane mere dil ko kya ho gaya'.

--The scene in the mustard fields when Simran finally acknowledges her love for Raj and goes running towards him to give hindi cinema its most enduring image of celluloid romance.

--The comic scenes when Anupam Kher turns up to surprise SRK and his exchanges with the family members and .......

--The scene when Amrish Puri stats singing 'Ae meri Zohrajabeen' out of the blue which brought smiles to the faces of each and every audience member.

--The moment of the decade that I am sure all of us at one point of other have played out with our friends, lovers, family members, siblings ...  all of them....

The moment when Amrish Puri tells Kajol," Jaa beta, Jee le apni zindagi". And Kajol's climactic run towards SRK on a running train.......

Love stories were never going to be the same again...............

Within 3 hours Raj and Simran had become the icons of a young generation that was trying to break free and live life the way it is meant to be lived.

DDLJ basically underlines the MAGIC of Cinema and its immense power to dispel your collective sorrow and make you a part of the beautiful dream being playe out on screen.

DDLJ over the years has been played umpteen number of times on the television and people identify it by some of its ,moments now but its charm hasnt faded one bit. For a film-buff like me DDLJ works like ASPIRIN -- that guarantees fast, effective relief from the daily humdrum of life.

All through this post I have gushed , gushed and only gushed about DDLJ but there is one thing I as a true DDLJ fanatic am yet to accomplish. But as luck would have it ... that day is not far.. Dont get it?... see below--

YES.............. watching it at MARATHA MANDIR where it has been playing for 15 years continuously !!!!!  :)

I did fall in love then ...  I guess  :)