20th October 1995 - History was written on this day when Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge hit the screens. Apart from Sholay, no other Indian film has been as well documented as this romantic musical entertainer from the house of Yash Raj Films, for which it is also the biggest all time blockbuster ever. All facts, factoids, anecdotes from the film are out there in the public in various forms, be it 'behind the scenes' features, books, events, interviews, video clips, blogs, the works.
So how does one celebrate the special day? After all, today marks the silver jubilee celebrations of the film. In the times when a film doesn't even run houseful for 25 days, leave aside 25 weeks which used to be a norm at least till the time the multiplexes took over, DDLJ - as the film is fondly called - has survived a run for 25 years. Had it not been for the pandemic that aborted the stupendous run of the Aditya Chopra directed film in Maratha Mandir, Mumbai, there would indeed have been massive celebrations planned at the theater.
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It would have been well deserved too. After all, the Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol starrer is not just a cult outing, it's a film that has found a special place in the hearts of two generations.
I still remember being in college when the film released. The songs (courtesy Jatin-Lalit and Anand Bakshi) were chartbusters well before the release. That was the time when audio cassettes ruled the roost, but audio CDs had started making their presence felt too. HMV packaged it all quite stylishly and the content did rest of the trick. The music turned out to be the biggest ever for 1995.
As for the trailer, it made a huge impression as well. 'Picture hit hai', is what everyone exclaimed, be it the trade, industry-wallahs, exhibitors, and of course the audiences.
Well, they couldn't have been more wrong!
The film was not just a hit, superhit or a blockbuster. It turned out to be an all time blockbuster. If one accounts for inflation, its business in the current times would have been around the 500 crores mark, something that Baahubali: The Conclusion earned very recently.
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Coming back to the film, there was huge curiosity to check out what did the feel good film have to offer. Theaters were booked well in advance and Yash Raj Films, which was a hugely respectable name even back in 1995, ensured that their tremendous network amongst distributors ensured a mega release. Meanwhile, Aditya Chopra decided to release BTS (behind the scenes) video of the film and once that was revealed to the audiences, there was all the more craze to check out what it had to offer.
No wonder, when the big day arrived, there were massive crowds all over. Those were the days when films first arrived in the A centers, then they penetrated into the B centers and finally it took some time before the C centers were explored. However, the word of mouth had started catching up really fast. 'Bade Bade deshon mein choti choti baatein hoti rehti hain', 'Palat' and 'Jaa Simran jaa, jee le apni zindagi' found such massive following that audiences started giving the film a repeat watch. The fact that there was much more in this 3 hour film only helped.
For Shah Rukh Khan, it was an avid test to get into a romantic avtar, after winning audiences with his violent roles in Baazigar, Darr and Anjaam. To think of it, his Ram Jaane arrived just after a month (24th November) and theaters all over were screening both his films which were as distinct as they get. As for Kajol, who had delivered two masala entertainers with Shah Rukh Khan in the form of Baazigar and Karan Arjun before this, it was time to form a romantic 'jodi' that has stayed alive even 25 years down the line.
Of course, DDLJ wouldn't have been DDLJ if not for the three veteran actors who pretty much held fort right through, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal and Anupam Kher. Yes, there are many other actors too whose names would go down in the history of Indian films for their contribution to DDLJ. However, it's the trio of these veteran actors that made sure that DDLJ touched hearts, and how.
No wonder, when the poster of DDLJ said 'Come... Fall In Love', every word counted, and that continues to reverberate strong even till date. Now that's a reason well enough to celebrate.
Joginder Tuteja is a trade expert and film critic, and loves to talk and write about anything that is related to films. Views are personal.