Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

A young man and woman - both of Indian descent but born and raised in Britain - fall in love during a trip to Switzerland. However, the girl's traditional father takes her back to India to fulfill a betrothal promise.

Director:

Aditya Chopra

Writers:

Aditya Chopra (screenplay), Javed Siddiqui (dialogue)

Stars:

Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amrish Puri

11 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shah Rukh Khan	...	Raj Malhotra
Kajol	...	Simran Singh
Amrish Puri	...	Chaudhry Baldev Singh
Farida Jalal	...	Lajwanti 'Lajjo' Singh
Anupam Kher	...	Dharamvir Malhotra
Satish Shah	...	Ajit Singh
Achala Sachdev	...	Simran's Grandmother
Himani Shivpuri	...	Simran's Aunt
Pooja Ruparel	...	Rajeshwari / Chutki
Damyanti Puri
Lalit Tiwari	...	Simran's Uncle
Hemlata Deepak	...	Simran's friend
Mohit Kumar
Mansoor Merchant
Govind Khatri

Storyline

Raj is a rich, carefree, happy-go-lucky second generation NRI. Simran is the daughter of Chaudhary Baldev Singh, who in spite of being an NRI is very strict about adherence to Indian values. The two meet on a month long Eurotrip, and what began as pranks and fun and games, ends in love. But by the time they realize it, it is already too late, as Simran has left for India to be married to her childhood fiancé. Raj leaves for India with a mission at his hands, to claim his lady love under the noses of her whole family. Thus begins a saga.

---

Plot Keywords:

love | india | wedding | nri | trip | 

---

Taglines:

Come... Fall In Love... All Over Again

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Yash Raj Films

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi Urdu English Panjabi

Release Date:

20 October 1995 (India)

Also Known As:

The Big-Hearted Will Win the Bride

Filming Locations:

Angel Underground Station, Islington, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

INR 40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£107,330 (UK) (24 March 2000)

Gross:

£107,330 (UK) (24 March 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Yash Raj Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

189 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first theatrical film role of the TV serial star of Shanti, Mandira Bedi, now also a noted cricket announcer.

---

Goofs

During the climax, the railway station where Raj and Kuljit have a fight is shown to be 'Apta' (as seen on the signboard). Apta is a small station near Mumbai and is more than 1700 km away from Punjab where the plot is based.

---

Quotes

Raj Malhotra: You son of a gun.

---

Crazy Credits

The movie had a special credit for suggesting the movie's name and the credit was for Kirron Kher.

---

Connections

Referenced in Mausam (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main"
Written by Anand Bakshi
Composed by Jatin Pandit and Lalit Pandit
Performed by Asha Bhosle and Abhijeet
Courtesy of Saregama HMV

User Reviews

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: A Commentary

This was the top Bollywood film of the 90s and after seeing it I really can't think of one that was better. There are some that are just as good but I can't recall seeing one that's better. The story's pretty routine: boy meets girl in Europe, they fall in love, girl is engaged to some other idiot, and the rest writes itself... Sound familiar? Well it wasn't back in '95 (or even if it was it wasn't done as well) and Aditya Chopra's treatment of the story was a big reason for it's success. In every other movie the couple first wants to kill each other before falling in love. But in this movie it's slightly different and more plausible. Shahrukh doesn't want to kill Kahol - I mean Kajol - and she doesn't really hate him either, she just (like the rest of us) is annoyed by the guy. Their situations aren't that far-fetched and their Europe storyline is played out quite realistically (of course the piano scene is an exception). This was the beginning of the "Shahrukh plays Shahrukh era" and, for what it's worth, he hasn't made a better movie or given a better performance since. Sure there are places where he overacts but there are just as many places where he's able to hit all his cues. His comic timing was never better and there was still some sincerity in his eyes, a reminder of the fact that he was still an actor, which has since been replaced by the cockiness of a megastar. This is the movie that shot him to superstardom and put him alongside Aamir and Salman. Kajol is just as good (if not better), and I think after their next movie they'll win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. The supporting cast is fine although no one really stands out. There are many moments in the film, most notably in the script, where you might feel a sense of deja vu. But keep in mind that this was the original, it's everything else that's a rehash. Bollywood headed straight for the sewer after this movie with almost all films, many of them starring Shahrukh, copying the same formula. Even at its 3 hour length the movie never drags till after the two-hour mark. I also want to comment on the film's Art Direction because it warrants a mention. Whether it's in Europe, England, or India, the movie has a very natural look to it. Unlike today's big films like Dil To Pagal Hai, or K3G, this movie looks good without trying to look good and I think that's a quality that's been lost on today's films. Too much attention is spent on the look at the expense of the story (if there is one!). The soundtrack of course is a classic, truly one of the all-time bests, with almost every song being a hit. The film won an unprecedented number of awards while breaking many records. There was a feeling that Aditya would follow in his father Yash's footsteps but regrettably the pressure got to him. He followed this up with the dreadful Mohabbatein which was slammed by audiences and critics alike. But so what. His first film was good, and with the current state of Bollywood movies - Devdas anyone? - you really can't get better than this.