And the love story never ends

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge entered the 650th week of uninterrupted run at Maratha Mandir on Friday. But the fans don’t stop coming in. Aniruddha Guha was part of the action 

The queue for tickets at the matinee show at Maratha Mandir is surprising, if not intimidating. The dimly-lit interiors of one of Mumbai’s last remaining single-screen theatres sets the mood as the audience troops in, clutching their tickets. The curtains go up and the film begins. Fifteen minutes into the film and people are clapping and whistling and laughing as if they are watching a film that has just hit the turnstiles. But the film being screened today has been playing for the last 13 years. And most of the audience has seen it a number of times. The magic of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, that released on October 20, 1995 and has been playing, uninterrupted, at Maratha Mandir since, doesn’t seem to fade away. It entered the 650th week of its run this Friday.

“The crowds just don’t stop coming in,” says Pravin Rane, manager, Maratha Mandir. “We do have a lull during exams and cricket matches which happens with all movies. But this film never seems to run out of steam.”

Most people who throng the theatre are watching it the third or fourth time. But there are also people like Calvin Thapa, a twenty-year-old who came to Mumbai from Darjeeling a week back, looking for some work. This was the first time he was watching Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, popularly known as DDLJ. “I was very young when the film released in my hometown.” Thapa had seen a host of other Shah Rukh Khan films of which Don was his favourite. “But when I saw this film, I was blown away. The film is definitely SRK’s best.”

Ashraf Khan, who has a shop near Maratha Mandir, walks in to watch DDLJ, whenever he’s bored at work. “The film is the ultimate time-pass. I must have seen it at least 40 times.” One reason for the film pulling in crowds could be the low ticket prices — Rs20 for balcony, and Rs16 for stall. “So many films have come and gone, but the magic of DDLJ is something else,” says Krishna Solanki, who has enjoyed an even longer run of 40 years as sweeper at Maratha Mandir.  ‘Daddy’, as he is fondly called by the other employees, is obviously an old softie at heart, since even after multiple viewings he hasn’t got bored of watching Raj romance Simran. “Who can tire of such a beautiful love story?” he says. “It gladdens the heart every time you see it.”

The memories the film evokes are clearly what make it stand apart now, when a new generation of viewers has entered the theatres. Filmmaker Karan Johar started his career assisting director Aditya Chopra in the film and also made a brief appearance in it as Shah Rukh’s bespectacled buddy. “I have more memories of DDLJ than any of my own movies. It was my training ground.”

At Yash Raj Films, the mood is upbeat. “It is a great honour that DDLJ is creating new records every passing week,” says Yash Chopra. “I feel elated that Adi’s first film is still creating waves, 13 years after its release.” Perhaps it has something to do with the timeless effervescence of the lead pair, perhaps it’s the sarson ke khet. Whatever the reason, the audience still goes crazy each time Raj strums his mandolin and Simran goes running into his arms. And when finally, finally, the tough heart of Amrish Puri melts and he lets his daughter go to the man she loves, they break into ecstatic applause. As if on cue, someone from the audience shouts out Raj’s exit line, “Senorita, bade bade deshon main, aisi chhoti chhoti baatein, hoti rehti hain.” And everyone leaves, content. 
  
g_aniruddha@dnaindia.net