What started out as Aditya Chopra's dream turned out to be super cinema that struck a chord with the masses and classes for a record 19 years. Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge completes 1,000 weeks on December 12 and the people associated with this cult film are excited about the record run.
They are willing to bet their lives on the fact that the magic of DDlJ cannot be recreated, even by Adi Chopra himself. Deebashree Mohanty speaks with members of the cast, crew and those involved in the movie who recall their fondest memories from this film and who are still trying to decode the reason for this ultimate success of a romance
Raj. Naam to suna hi hoga,’ the audience repeats along with the star on screen. Mehendi laga Ke Rakhna turns into a celebration in the middle of the auditorium and ‘Simran bhaag’, the entire hall says in chorus as Amrish Puri let’s go of Kajol’s wrist in the climax of Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge (DDlJ).
“This is in the 990th week of the film running at Maratha Mandir. There is no reason why we would not want this euphoria to continue,” Manoj Pandey, manager of Maratha Mandir, Mumbai’s iconic cinema hall which has been screening DDlJ for 19 years, says. The 11:30 am show is mostly packed during weekends and is almost 50 per cent during weekdays. The movie has already made several crore in India and still bringing in the moolah 19 years later.
“The best part is that there are a handful of people who come every week religiously to participate in the film. They say, ‘DDlJ se hum hai aur humse DDlJ.’ How true is that,” Pandey says.
TheDDlJ Fan-atic Club on Facebook which has 1.3 lakh registered users speaks volumes about how the film is ageless and how it appeals to all generations and will continue to do so for the next many years to come.
“When I was writing the dialogues for the film, I had not thought that it would be such a great movie. I felt it was an insipid love story told from a different perspective. But I am awed and humbled by the audience reaction. There is a girl from Pune who has watched the film 104 times and can tell me where the exact shot division is. That is what makes this movie an epic,” Javed Sidiqui who wrote the ever famous dialogues forDDlJ says. He recalls that it was Tanuja who was the first to compliment his work for the film.
“After the film’s premiere in December 1995, Tanujaji walked up to me and praised my work. She said if she could remember the dialogues of this film, the audience will do so for a long, long time. She was right. They do,” the scriptwriter who also penned dialogues for Umrao Jaan (1981), says.
The crew says the film re-defined love and relationships in a way that can never be done again. “The movie had an instant connect with the youth. DDlJ came as a refreshing change from what they were watching in the 90s. It was a complete package which was a rarity then. From a storyline that everyone could relate to, to the high chemistry actors, to the enchanting music — just about everything fit into the puzzle. It will be impossible to recreate that magic,” Kajol, who walked away with the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for this film, says. It was a magical experience even when they were shooting for the film and that is what made all the difference, she adds. “If you did not enjoy making the film, then it is not worth the effort,” Kajol surmises.
But the journey was not all bed of roses for everyone. Then newbie Parmeet Sethi, for instance, had a tough first scene. Something that has stayed with him all these years. “Today, I can joke about it but at that time, I was very scared. I thought it was the end of my life. My introduction scene in the movie was supposed to be a macho entry with a gallant horse. But the horse was a wild one sourced from a village entirely untrained. The team had not informed me about this and I sat on it as if I owned it. In a few seconds, the horse started galloping and I just couldn’t control it. By the time he stopped, I was hanging from its neck. I recovered quickly,” Sethi recalls.
He, however, agrees with Kajol that good direction is half the work done for a film. “Adi had DDlJ on his mind all the time. He had decided everything frame wise and stuck to his plan. That made it easy for all of us. This is my biggest take-home. I have learnt to be a planner and a visionary. It helps,” he says.
The film touched the lives of every associate in some way or the other. The legendary Yash Chopra went from shock to awe in a few minutes as his son’s movie premiered at the theatres. “Yashji wanted to see the audience react to Adi’s debut film from close quarters. We stood at the rear end of the hall on the first day, first show to see what the reaction would be. When the movie got over, there was pindrop silence in the hall. No one moved. It must have been only for a minute but for Yashji it was like a decade. He whispered ‘yeh kya hogayaIJ' Just then everyone in the hall stood up and started applauding. The moment was magical. He had tears in his eyes,” Anupam Kher, who played daddy cool to SRK, recalls. Kher, currently in Macau for motivational lectures, says, that moment in the theatre was like that moment when India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against archrivals Pakistan.
Ask him about his fondest memory ofDDlJ and Kher tells you that every minute in the film was a fond one. “I had seen Adi working on his dream project for months. He would keep talking about the blueprint of DDlJ, he would hum Tujhe Dekha To Yeh... six months before the film went on the floor. When he approached me for the role, I got emotional and agreed immediately. He is a meticulous planner and had everything in place,” Kher recalls.
As far as the screenplay goes, Sidiqui says DDlJ was perfect from every angle. “Adi was a mature director and writer and his work style was impeccable. As a director, he was present for every shot and rehearsal. He would get the camera angles right and look into positioning but never ever interfered in anyone’s work,” he says.
The scene between Sethi and SRK where the latter feigns sickness was an improvisation by the actors and Adi had no problems. “While practicing our dialogues, SRK and I decided to spice things up by faking a sickness. We did the scene in just one take and Adi bought it,” Sethi tells you.
There are many other instances where the actors improvised and Adi gave them the license to do so. “Most of mine and Farida aunty’s scenes were spur of the moment. As mother and daughter, we got along like a house on fire. We would discuss our scenes on the phone too. Although, Adi had every little detail worked out, he did give us some space to flex our imagination. Perhaps, that’s what worked with the film,” Kajol says.
Such was the charm of DDlJ that most popular directors in the industry feel it was history in making. Farah Khan being one of the greatest fans of this film tells you how it left a very deep impact on her style of working.
“DDlJ was a trendsetter because it started new things in every sector. The knotted blouse and halter neck dresses of Kajol became a fashion statement. The dialogues became an undying fad and the songs were like tadka to the daal. For me, DDlJ started a lot of new things in Indian cinema that has been borrowed by many directors, the sarsoon ke khet being just one,” she says laughingly.
There are other trends that the film introduced for the first time. “As far as I can remember taking the title of a popular song as the name of the movie started with this film and now that trend has picked up like a wild fire. There was a credit given to the creator of the title too. There are little little things that we have all learnt from the film,” Khan says.
Cool dialogues and a father-son relationship bordering on friendship were the other things that made DDlJ a different ball game. “Shah Rukh once asked me why I have mentioned the word ‘senorita’ so many times in the script. I told him there were two reasons — my first girlfriend was Spanish and, Kajol with her top hair bun resembled a Mexican-Spanish beauty,” Sidiqui recalls. His fondest memory of the film was when Yash Chopra came up to him, patted him on his back and told him 'Mujhe lagta hai Yeh picture chalegi'. Frankly that is the lasting memory of DDlJ for me,” the writer says. He is now scripting the serial Udaan on Colors but Sidiqui says the standard of films coming out of the industry today lack sophistication and ideas. Originality, he says, has long been buried.
So, should and can there be aDDlJ remake to mark the films huge successIJ Everyone from the crew or the fans say no. Not even by the great Aditya Chopra. “I don’t think leonardo Da Vinci could have painted another Mona lisa. The same is the case with DDlJ. I have no problems with remakes but classics should be left alone,” Sidiqui says.
For Anupam Kher the movie is what it is because every person had a distinct role to play and no one can replace a single character. “Amrishji’s role could be done only by him. He is no more and that void cannot be filled.DDlJ will not be the same again,” the veteran says.
Most top directors feel it was the second half of the film which was the real USP. “Everything changed on its head for DDlJ with that single dialogue of SRK when he assured Simran’s mother that he will not run away with her daughter. During those times it was unthinkable that the ‘naughty’ hero could turn such a proposal and instead choose to be a sanskari boy. But that was the novelty of the movie. It was meant to appeal to the youth but it was deep rooted in tradition and culture too,” Kher says, adding that most of the people in the audience were in awe of the concept when the film released in 1995.
The entire cast will get together on December 12, 2014 to celebrate 1,000 weeks ofDDlJ at the Maratha Mandir. “It’s going to be unbelieveable. A spectacle for us,” Pandey concludes.