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""After Raj met Simran...Love was never the same.""

Written By: H. Bala

This is a love story between two young, second-generational British Indians who dwell in London. Raj Malhotra (Shahrukh Khan) is the spoiled, carefree son of a doting millionaire. After failing to graduate from college (and shrugging it off), Raj decides to "console" himself with a European trans-rail jaunt. Simran Singh (Kajol) is an obedient yet spunky girl who constantly daydreams of her future love. When Simran's strict, traditional father follows thru on an arranged marriage which had been planned for her years ago, she convinces him to let her travel thru Europe for a month, this as a last chance to see something of the world before settling down. Raj and Simran meet on the Euro-Rail, they bicker, and inevitably they fall in love. But, regretfully, all holidays must end, and, so, Simran finds herself having to return to her family and to her fast approaching wedding.

But not if Raj can help it.

This is one of those rare instances where everything that could possibly go right for a movie, did so. DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE (The Brave Heart Will Take the Bride) is one of the alltime biggest blockbusters in Indian cinema and boasts the longest, non-stop run in Indian theater, from 1995 to (last I heard) early 2007. Far as I know, it's probably still playing right now. DDLJ is considered a classic by most, and I can see why. Sure, the premise to DDLJ has been mined countless of times before and will be again. What makes DDLJ stand out from the others are the memorable performances of Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, who share a wonderful give-and-take chemistry; Shahrukh mentions in an interview that he and Kajol hardly ever rehearsed their scenes. Whatever they did, it worked. In this movie, they elevate romance to a whole new delirious level. Prim and proper and indignant collides with brash and reckless and goofy. Throw in an insoluble obstacle and tons of heartbreak and hopeless pining and secret glances exchanged. And the result is a dazzling love story. In India, should it be a surprise that Raj and Simran have gained the status of legendary lovers? No, it shouldn't.

There's a certain grace to this film. The plot unfolds with ease, the dialogue (or, as it applies to me, the sub-titles) is well-written, and the comedy bits aren't so over-the-top and obvious (although you can't totally get rid of some silliness). When the melodrama drops, it is overwrought. But the leads are so engaging that you feel for their plight, and the histrionics seem to match the occasion. The out-of-India locales might also have helped to pique interest. If I've got my Bollywood history right, DDLJ is one of the first films to showcase the central characters as residing abroad. As such, the first half of the movie is rife with many picturesque shots of the European countryside. Then the post-intermission half comes around and the scenery then moves to Punjab.

All hail Shahrukh Khan, who may not be the best of actors or even the best of dancers, but dude sure knows how to entertain. In the films I've seen him, I've never caught him trying less than his best. Although he's good here, I don't think this was his best performance; I like his stuff in Main Hoon Na a lot more. But Shahrukh, in turns goofy and wrenchingly passionate, was ultimately ingratiating enough as Raj that it made him, in this his first lead romantic role, an overnight superstar.

Just curious: In this one, whenever Shahrukh Khan performs in an energetic musical number, is anyone else reminded of Robert Morse from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying? Or is it just me?

Meanwhile, I could go on and on about Kajol's performance, but instead I'll summarize: she is flawless, flawless, flawless.

With how often this film has been viewed, I wouldn't be at all surprised if every moment has been memorized. Me, I've got my favorites: as when Simran first realizes that she loves Raj, and when Simran meets Raj in that meadow in India. Or the scenes of Raj and Simran's father feeding the doves. Or when Raj and Simran are feeding each other. And then there are the musical segments, to which a hefty portion of the over three hours running time is devoted. As expected, they are full-blown productions, and I dug 'em. "Ruk Jaa, O Dil Dewane" (Stop, O My Mad Lover) sets the tone for Simran and Raj's early adversarial relationship, while the romantic "Tujhe Dekha To Yeh Jaana Sanam" (When I saw you, I realized...) weaves in and out of the film and is the tune most often strummed by Raj on his guitar. But my favorite has to be the lively "Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna" (Make Sure You're Painted With Henna?).

To commemorate the (then) 500 weeks of straight theater run of DDLJ, this two disc dvd set was released. The first disc contains the feature film. The second disc has the heavy-hitting bonus stuff. It kicks off with the 23-minute-long "Making Of" featurette, the highlights of which are whenever the vibrant Kajol was on-camera. There's the "Success Story" segment, which traces the path of DDLJ and also includes an NDTV interview with Kajol and Shahrukh; the Filmfare Awards '95 Highlights (where DDLJ won all the major awards, including Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Picture); 7 deleted scenes with optional director's commentary (in English); Uday Chopra converses with Shahrukh Khan (in English), Kajol (in English) & Producer Yash Chopra; the theatrical trailer; and television promos.

Oh, and yet another thing which probably contributed to the film's massive success: even though Raj and Simran are second generation British Indians, it doesn't follow that they necessarily espouse western sensibilities over conventional Hindu values. At the heart of this movie is a balancing between a modern-day outlook and a respect for Indian culture and tradition. A twist which surprised me surfaces when Kajol pleads with Raj to elope. But Raj refuses on the grounds that he is Hindustani and must do the honorable thing, which is win her father's approval. That's about as traditional as it gets.

If you ended up liking this one (and how can you not?), I suggest you also check out Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Shahrukh Khan), a film Shahrukh and Kajol made in 1998, which co-starred another great Bollywood actress, Rani Mukerji. That one also garnered a boatload of major Filmfare awards. More importantly, it's also a very good movie.