'Dilwale' still rocks!

I have seen Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge at least 100 times (not an exaggeration!) in the last 14 years. And each time I watched it I was not bored even for a moment.

There is no doubt that it is a cult film of the 90s and one of the most loved films in the history of Indian cinema. But every time stories about it completing 600 weeks or 700 weeks came out, one wondered if it was just an arrangement of convenience between the makers Yash Raj Films and the theatre Maratha Mandir to make DDLJ the longest running Hindi film ever. The question was: do people still walk into the theatre to watch this 14-year-old film?

However, all my suspicions were laid to rest when I went to the Maratha Mandir to catch the 11.30 am show last week. The film had just begun when I stepped into the hall. I was shocked to see that the balcony was packed with people except for the first row which had just a couple of people seated. I peeped down into the stalls to find out that it was half full. I was pleasantly surprised.

The audience was a mix of friends and families, young and old. It was difficult to distinguish exactly what kind of people still head to the theatre to catch this romantic caper. In fact, last Friday’s morning show was houseful.

People cheered when SRK made his entry, they smiled when Simran held Raj’s hand to get on to the train (one of the most memorable scenes ever), they laughed when SRK dropped Kajol on the floor after Ruk Ja O Dil Deewane, and said dialogues like bade bade desho me choti choti bataein hoti rehti hain aloud. People walked into the 705th show of DDLJ and enjoyed it.

Our verdict:  DDLJ deserves to be the longest running Hindi film ever!