It's a saga

She ran through the short, green, knee-high mustard until she took a tumble suddenly, as the Mandolin stopped playing. Breathing heavily, and clad in a clean white Salwar Kameez, she looked up, eyes searching for someone, as her golden button earrings sparkled in the early morning sunlight. Eyes filled with curiosity, befuddlement, but more than anything─ hope; she gazed at the cowbell─ a memorable one─ clanging down the neck of a cow, as something, or someone, took over her attention. She stood up and started walking towards the bell, a supple breeze running through the budding mustard, making it brush against the fabric of her dress, as a voice hallowed her world. In a field, not so far away, he stood wearing his Harley Davidson jacket and a hat with a feather on its top, as he looked back and took off the latter─ the longstanding, yellow mustard all-encompassing him. The wind continued its journey, ruffling her hair as he looked right into her eyes and smiled. He opened up his arms for her, replacing the puzzled expression on her face with a beautiful smile, as she ran towards him and melted in his arms.

Each and every one of us will agree on the fact that this is, if not the most iconic scene in the history of Bollywood, surely one of those handful scenes that define Indian cinema. And that’s the beauty of DDLJ─ every single scene has a place up there; every single scene is unforgettable. DDLJ has enriched the Indian cinema in ways one cannot even think of. It broke the shackles of the orthodox, repetitive storylines and brought in something new for the audiences. It gave people hope. It made them dream. It made them feel good about love: love that is innocent, pure, and just happens. More than anything, it made people believe in love, and that’s an achievement in itself. DDLJ brought novelty to the Indian cinematic panorama. Sure there were songs shot in Europe even before DDLJ, but no other film tried and succeeded in telling a tale that is young and new-fangled and unorthodox, along with keeping its ‘Indian’ness intact. It made people grow. A protagonist who is young, and impish, and lies for a bottle of beer, was still so appealing. In fact, a protagonist who drinks, not for the sake of some dramatic element and creates a ruckus and confesses something significant, but just drinks because it’s his way of life. It was kept so simple. And that’s the gift DDLJ gave to the upcoming movies, and movie-makers: it altered the average Indian mind-set for the good. It made them aware that people cannot be ideal all the time and that’s okay.

Raj is like a dream. (Is, not was, coz he still is!) He is mischievous, and a flawless prankster, and an irresistible flirt─ a really cool chap, to sum up─ and yet, he is someone a mother would find for her daughter: for the very fact that he loves his Simran whole-heartedly. He plays Rugby and basketball, loves Go Karting, races a plane just for the fun of it, and is desirable in a way that is too wonderful for words. He is playful and full of life. With his Harley Davidson jacket and his trendy shades, youngsters could really look up to him. And in spite of all his foolhardiness, he values his traditions. He is insistent that although he is in love with Simran, he won’t elope. He’ll marry her, if and only if her father permits, and he’s confident that her father will. He isn’t muscular, beefy or well-built, but can fight for his love. And that’s all a girl needs. Simran on the other hand, is so unlike Raj. Although she was brought up in an orthodox and traditional atmosphere, she fosters a new age thinking. She lives in the world of her dreams. She writes, she dreams, and she waits for them to
become real. And even though she seems a bit annoyed initially with Raj, and life too, she is still a little girl at heart,
waiting to be taken away by the boy of her dreams. She loves Raj, to an extent that even running away with him is a possibility for her. She is full of innocence. Simran had her shades, her pros and cons, and DDLJ, after a very long time, gave the audiences such a strong female character.

The music is an integral part of the ‘DDLJ magic.’ It is simple, soothing, and touches the soul. If Aditya Chopra has enchanted the audiences with his story, Jatin and Lalit have done nothing less than that with their music. The signature DDLJ tune is still in use: in movies, in daily soaps, even in plays and commercials. The underlying reason for the DDLJ success is that it never remained restricted to being just a movie. Somehow, it became much more than that. Even after two decades, the Deputy Chief Minister of a state and a common man, both, can use “Bade Bade Deshon Mein Aisi Choti Choti Baatein Hoti Rehti Hain;” a random friend prefers “Ja Simran Ja, Jee Le Apni Zindagi” over a plain goodbye; and a cute couple is referred to as Raj and Simran,
rather than Romeo and Juliet.

The story in London and other parts of Europe is much more significant than it seems. When India was resurrecting from
its financial crisis, DDLJ gave hope to the people. It made them dream big; of Europe tours, and even falling in love. It
also brought closer the lives of Indians living in India and abroad. Somehow, it went on to bridge the gap between
these Indians who lived miles away from each other. It also made the people living abroad, aware of Indian cinema. A
long time after Raj Kapoor’s films, finally there was an Indian film which could pull the foreign audiences into the
cinemas and single-handedly open the foreign markets for the Indian film industry, substantially. DDLJ ruled thanks to its simplicity. Simple storytelling,
simpler dialogues, and the simplest of situations, went on to prove that the technicalities are secondary; a film is created by heart-warming feelings. It extracted the best from the most basic relationships. A father asking his son to live his life as he wishes to, and to fight for his love; a mother asking her daughter to give up her dreams and later, to
elope with her love; a boyfriend who doesn’t believe in running away: DDLJ portrays bonds perfectly. It goes on to
state that although you can’t live without love, you can’t live without family either. It taught the younger generations the importance of family and elders, and the way of loving someone without giving up on your values.

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge is a film that transcends generations. A 60 year old grandpa and a 16 year old girl still sit together, reliving its magic. People still keep count of the number of times they’ve seen DDLJ, and there always is someone who has a greater count than you. Even today, when DDLJ is telecasted on Television, the entire family sits together to watch it, making it score humongous TV Ratings. There are films like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya which are made as tributes to DDLJ. Maratha Mandir, the
cinema where DDLJ is still running for over 1000 weeks now, is a holy shrine for its fans. Everyone has tears in their
eyes and smiles on their faces as Deepika says “Maratha Mandir mein DDLJ” in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. That’s the effect DDLJ has had on the people. That’s how it has influenced people over the years. That’s why it’s much more than a movie. In Punit Malhotra’s I Hate Luv Storys,
the film Imran works on, had a subtitle that describes DDLJ perfectly:

“It’s not a love story; It’s a saga…”