Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge

Rachel Young

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, directed by Aditya Chopra, has been touted as one of the pivotal films of the Bollywood genre. After its release in 1995, the Indian film industry changed forever. A new recipe for Bollywood films had been introduced and the public craved more. The new style involved a central love story, the struggles of the main couple to fulfill that love, and a happy ending. There were greater changes than these, however. Due to increased technological access to the diaspora (Indian nationalists living abroad), film makers began to realize the opportunities at stake with the old Bollywood formula. In older films, such as Amar Akbar Anthony, evilness was often portrayed as being foreign, Westernized, and ‘modern’. However, with globalization, it became outdated to fear ‘Otherness’, and even threatened to upset Indians living abroad by attacking their lifestyle. Better still, wealthy Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) had funds to invest in Bollywood ventures, but needed to see more movies which appealed to them. Hence, new films like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge featured NRIs as the main characters, a tactic which reached out to other Indians living abroad.
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge revolves around Raj and Simran, two young Indians raised in Great Britain. Raj is wealthy, very modernized, and was raised by his father. Simran is very traditional, having been raised by an overbearing and protective Indian father. Simran is engaged to marry the son of one of her father’s friends, but she has never met him and regrets that she’ll never have the chance to meet her true love. Before heading to India to get married, Simran is given permission to take a long vacation to Europe with her friends. She bumps into Raj on the train, who is also going to Europe with his friends. Simran hates Raj from the beginning, but due to a mistake that leaves the two stranded together for several days, they both realize that they are in love. Neither one confesses, however, and after her return home, Simran is immediately shipped off to India when her father discovers that she is in love. In India, the fiancé, Kuljeet, is a self-centered, hyper-masculine jerk who has no plans to remain faithful once he is married. Meanwhile, Raj follows Simran to India and hatches a plan to infiltrate Kuljeet’s family by posing as a good friend of the groom. Everyone loves Raj, as he is helpful, sweet, and pretty much the epitome of a good Indian man. Soon, however, it is discovered that Raj is the man Simran is in love with, and he receives a cruel beating from Kuljeet and his gang. In the end, Simran’s father realizes that no man could love his daughter as much as Raj, so he allows her to join Raj on the train and live happily ever after.
As mentioned before, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge focuses on Indians living abroad, and in doing so, created characters which upheld Indian traditional morals and values even while not within their mother country. For the first part of the film, Raj is very modernized: he wears Western clothing, treats his father as a friend, and pulls tricks in order to get beer. Simran, on the other hand, is more traditional: she honors and obeys her father, agrees to an arranged marriage, and avoids male temptation. Halfway through the film, when each realizes that they love the other, Raj’s character becomes more demur, honoring Simran’s chastity and stealing the hearts of everyone in India with his helpfulness and friendliness. In fact, for the later part of the film, Raj becomes much more like a proper Indian man than Kuljeet and his friends. This turn of events gives a strange feel to the movie; it has broken with the tradition of the villain being Western by bringing in a hero from England, and yet the native Indian bad guy is much more Western than the hero. Perhaps a complete escape from evil Western-ness was as of yet impossible. In fact, the final scene of the film, when Simran jumps on a train with Raj, off to start their new lives, the audience is unaware of just where they are going. Will they stay in India or return to England? This ambiguous ending can appeal to Indians living both inside and outside of the country.
The songs in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge are also wonderful. One to note is “Ho Gaya Hai Tujhko To Pyar Sajna”, during which Raj drives around Europe and Simran walks home from the train station. During the song, they both keep imagining that they are running into the other person. Raj and Simran wonder where they’re hearts have gone, while the apparitions tell them over and over that they are in love. Towards the end of the song, each character begins to realize that they are indeed in love, and that they had been imagining the other person because they miss them. The song ends with Simran bringing in her luggage when she reaches her house and, there on the doorstep is Raj. The two wave to each other and he leaves, just another apparition, while Simran looks on sadly, finally understanding how she feels. Hence, through the form of a song, the movie helps the audience to see into the minds and thought processes of the two characters as they attempt to understand what they are feeling. It’s a touching medium which closes the emotional gap between moviegoers and characters by drawing up personal memories in each audience member.
This is a fantastic film, full of wonderful songs, beautiful passion, true love, and a happy ending. It’s no wonder that the film has been such a success, with its diasporic main characters with their Indian hearts of gold. If the messages of the Indian motherland’s healing power and the importance of a happily blessed marriage don’t reach you, it’s worth it just to see the film for the sweet love story and to watch Shahrukh Khan run around with long hair.

DDLJ Movie Review

Kimberly Crater

Movie Review: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), directed by Aditya Chopra, became one of the most successful films in Hindi cinema. Released in 1995, the film has run for more than 750 weeks and is in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, a book compiled by worldwide critics.

Notorious prankster Raj Malhotra meets and falls in love with Simran Singh, the devoted daughter of Chaudhary Baldev Singh who holds to traditional Indian values while living in London. After learning that Simran’s father has arranged her marriage to the son of his friend in India, Raj follows her to India to earn the consent of her father and marry Simran.

The issues of internationalism and the Diaspora play a major role in DDLJ. Baldev moved his family to London from India; however, he was worked to keep the spirit of India alive in his family. Even thought Simran and her family have been living abroad for years, Baldev treats London as more of a temporary home, one that can be left easily in the return to his “true” and more permanent home in India. Raj’s father, Dharamvir Malhotra, on the other hand, came to London from India and established himself there as a millionaire businessman. Dharamvir spoils Raj and refuses to deny him anything. Raj is able to slip seamlessly between different groups of people. He fits in with his friends in London, but he can also blend in a more traditional setting, like when he convinces Baldev to let him into his store to buy “aspirin.” During the first half of the film, Raj’s personality stands in stark contrast to that of Simran’s. His carefree and nonchalant attitude opposes Simran’s conservative and uptight demeanor. Raj tells Simran that he will only be serious after he falls in love. After Raj follows Simran to India, he proves that he has become at least more serious as he insists on earning the consent of Simran’s father instead of eloping.

Throughout DDLJ, there is a balance between opposing poles. The contrasting personalities of Raj and Simran, especially in the first half of the film, balance each other, with the help of the chemistry between the two lead actors. While Raj is teasing and joking, Simran is well behaved and obedient. Before meeting Raj, Simran is willing to marry a man she has never met because her father believes it is in her best interest. She is more than ready to, as she says; sacrifice her happiness to please her father.

There is also a balance between the foreign and the familiar. Simran’s father has never seen London as a permanent home for his family and despite living there for twenty years, he still feels like he is in a foreign land where he must defend his traditions. In contrast, upon returning to India both Raj and Simran’s fathers declare their joy at being back in their homeland. The birds in India are even more familiar, Simran’s father claims.

Concepts of modernity and tradition are also balanced in DDLJ. Simran’s father has worked hard since he moved his family to London to keep his traditions alive. As Simran reads Ajit’s letter from India, her father expresses his joy that he has kept the heart of India alive with his daughters, even in London. However, Simran’s love for Raj threatens her father’s pride in his daughter. This is balanced by Raj’s insistence on not eloping, but winning the acceptance of Simran’s father. The distinction between modernity and tradition is also evident in the fathers of Raj and Simran, especially in their clothing. Simran’s father is always dressed in traditional clothes while Raj’s father wears more modern and western attire. At one point, when Raj’s father is asked about his clothes, he replies that the clothes should not fool anyone because at heart he is Hindustani.

The skillful balance and combination of various opposing poles makes DDLJ an enjoyable film and makes the success of the film, in both India and abroad, apparent.

Works Cited

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Dir. Aditya Chopra. Prod. Yash Chopra. Perf. Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Amrish Puri. 1995. DVD.

"Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Amazon.com. Web.

Dudrah, Rajinder Kumar., and Jigna Desai. The Bollywood Reader. Maidenhead: Open UP, 2008. Print.

DDLJ

DDLJ

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge directed by Aditya Chopra was released in late October of 1995; the film stars the dynamic duo of Shahrukh Khan who plays Raj and Kajol as Simran. This is the biggest Bollywood film to date and one can still find it playing in theaters; after fifteen years! It is recognized as one of the 1001 films you must see before you die! This film is special because it not only relates to Indian citizens but to the large Diaspora Indian communities around the world. It is broken up into two sections, the first takes place in Europe and it ends in India. Throughout the film there is an identity conflict for the both the male and female protagonists; Raj and Simran. Raj does not seem to be tied to his Indian roots in the beginning yet towards the end it’s as if his “Indian-ness” is instinctual. Then there is Simran who is torn between her commitment to her family and its traditions and her own desires.

In the beginning we are introduced to the both Raj and Simran. Raj is a kind of “bad boy” he fails school, he drinks beer, he carelessly breaks religious icons etc. Simran is a loyal daughter, she prays, follows her parents advise, but one thing we learn early on is that she is a dreamer. She dreams of finding her true love, she is a romantic so in that sense a “modern” girl. Both characters were brought up and are living in London. It is important to note that Raj’s mother died when he was just a boy so his family unit consists of his father and himself. This is important because he acts one way in London when he does not have any sort of older female influence, and his character shifts when women come into play when he travels to India; but I am getting ahead of myself. Raj first meets Simrans' father Baldev, and first impressions being everything, he blows it. He lies to Baldev to have him open his store and then proceeds to force Baldev to sell him beer and breaks his idol of the goddess. This creates serious conflict later on as one might guess. At this point we learn that Simran is arranged to marry a man in India. Both Raj and Simran go on an end of the year trip around Europe. Simran can go because she begs her father to allow her to have one month in which she lives for herself. This is where Raj and Simran meet and get to know each other in what is supposed to be a coincidental, cute, and humorous way. This whole part, for me at least, was rather annoying. Raj was childish, annoying, and painful to watch. He was like that kid in the school yard pulling some girls braids because he has a crush. Simran, being the proper girl that she is doesn’t stand for his actions, one can tell, however, that she has some sort of crush on him otherwise she would have completely blown up on him. She allowed him to tease her like he did. The trip ends after a series of trying events and both Raj and Simran are left with feelings of love for one another.

Once home Baldev hears Simran gushing to her mother about the man she fell in love with on her trip so he decides to rush the wedding and moves the family back to India. Once she gets to India the audience momentarily watches her grow defeated with the tradition of arranged marriage and keeping the words of men. Do not fear, however, because guess who is coming to dinner???? RAJ! He comes to India to win his bride and as the song says “carry her away”; with her father’s blessing of course. It is in this half of the film that Raj becomes well loveable. This is the guy that I want to see Shahrukh Khan play! While he gets invited to join the festivities thanks to Simrans’ groom to be (thanks to Rajs cunning ways), he makes his way to the bride’s side and there he stays. He is respectable, honorable, and well the very example of how a son, and a young Indian man should act. What has changed? Well he is in love, but there are also so many women around and not just any women, Indian women, and even more importantly Indian mothers! This was the missing link and why he could not behave properly in London, there was no mother to make proud. Ok so this is not some magical experience, he is trying to win them over so he can have Simran. That said Raj goes beyond convincing, he actually transforms, he grows up. With this shift in Raj we see Simran change as well. Realizing the reality of the situation in having to marry this stranger (who is of low character) she becomes defiant. She and later mother grow desperate and beg Raj to just take her away, run and never look back. Perhaps the old Raj would have gone for this, but not the new and improved Raj. Committed to make it work, and to do it properly he convinces Simran to trust him and wait it out. There were some great dance scenes in this section as well as some pretty comical scenes. While we all know how the movie is going to end it is fun to watch it unfold, and Chopra leaves you hanging till practically the last second. Raj despite having tricked both families he won pretty much all of the women over, all that’s left is Baldev (who throughout the second half goes to great pains to prove to him that he is of good character). Realizing that Raj is actually a good guy he is still stubborn and reluctant because he gave his word to another family. Luckily he comes to his senses and realizes just how much Raj really loves his daughter and how much Simran loves raj; so he lets her go and board a train to. . .well we don’t know let’s just say they lived happily ever after! The second half of this movie saves it and makes the film, I actually would watch it again!

Sydney Blach
Movie Review; DDLJ
Bollywood; TR 3:30-4:45
April 5, 2010

DDLJ

Diwale Dulhaniya Le Jay directed by Aditya Chopra is just one of many films that features the silver screen sensations Kajol and Shahruhk Kahn as hopeless young lovers. Released in October of 1995, the film was a proven success nation wide, and to the day holds its title as one of the biggest Bollywood hits of all time. Presumably, the reason for its success is because it not only speaks to and Indian audience living in India itself but to an Indian audience living overseas as well. At the beginning, the film is based in London where the audience is presented with two different Indian families who maintain their “Hindustani” identifications regardless of their living abroad. This concept was well received seeing as there were many Indian Diaspora families across the world at the time who could relate to families struggles within the film. The film not only gave the Diaspora families a sense of security that they are not alone, but gave the families back in India who have family-members abroad or children who wanted to study abroad the security that though no longer living in India, their Indian-ness has not been lost.
Though the background revolves around the Diaspora family, the primary focus of the film is of course a love story, in this case the love between Simran and Kajol. The love story between Simran, played by Kajol, and Raj, played by Shahruhk starts as foreshadow with Simran telling her mother, Lajjo, that she had a dream about falling in love with an unfamiliar man. While Simran sings her song about this man whom she has yet to meet the audience is introduced to Raj who is busy joking around with his friends and failing to receive his college degree. From the moment the two characters are introduced it is clear that Raj is the man in Simran’s dreams. This assumption becomes even clearer when both characters decide to take a three month long tour around Europe with their friends and it is Raj’s helping hand that pulls Simran onto the train she nearly missed.
At first Raj seems childish and rather annoying constantly joking around and pulling pranks at Simran’s expense, while Simran is seen as very mature and respectable. The differences between the two characters seem rooted in the fact that Raj was raised by his father who is extremely wealthy and lets Raj have and do whatever he may please, while Simran’s father is very much rooted in tradition and works hard to provide a comfortable life for his family. For instance, while Raj’s father had no problems letting his son run around Europe for a while, Simran’s father only agreed after he sees her praying and is assured that she is a good Hindu girl. In addition, he agreed to the trip only under the condition that when she returns she would be married to his long time friend’s son, Kuljit, and the family would move back to India.
As the trip proceeds the two begin to fall deeper and deeper in love with one another and Raj’s trickster ways seem to be left by the way side. Finally, the three months comes to an end and the couple is forced to go their separate ways despite their passion for one another. Simran and her family pack their life in London up and move to India to proceed with the marriage arrangement, and Raj returns to his father who immediately notices the change within his son, and asks who the girl he fell in love with is. After a heart to heart with his father, Raj is determined to win the hand of the girl that he loves- hence the name of the movie- The Lover Will Take the Bride. Raj arrives at Simran’s house in London too late and is told that the family has already left for India for the wedding, but this does not stop Raj. Instead, he travels to India himself, befriends Kuljit, and lives incognito within the house of Simran’s husband-to-be, winning the hearts of both families by helping with the wedding to-dos. Though Simran poses the idea of eloping together on several occasions, Raj refuses stating that he does not want to steal her from her father, he wants to win her.
Eventually his identity is revealed as the man that Simran fell in love with in Europe and he is forced to leave the household. When Kuljit hears of this deception he chases Raj down at the train station and the two break out into a violent battle. Raj is left bloody, bruised, and bride-less until finally, something within Simran’s father changes and he gives his graces to his daughter to go with the man she loves. The movie ends with Simran once again running after the train and Raj pulling her on board this time in order to live happily ever after. Together.

DDLJ Review

Laine Bulakites

HNDI 2441

April 5^th, 2010

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge Review

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ/The Lover Will Win The Bride) is another movie starring a classic movie couple, Shahrukh Khan (playing Raj) and Kajol (playing Simran). The duo is perfect for the romantic comedy/family film. DDLJ is the longest running film ever in history, playing somewhere in the world. It has been running over 750 weeks now and continues to play. Judging by that fact, it would not be hard to say that DDLJ is one of India’s most loved films.

The story starts with Simran and her family. Her and her family are NRIs living in London. Simran sings about her perfect man that she hasn’t met yet, but her dreams are interrupted when her father tells her that she will be going to India soon to marry his friend’s son. In a last attempt to find some happiness, Simran convinces her father to let her go on a trip through Europe for a month.

On her trip, Simran meets Raj, who has just failed school, but is also and NRI. At first she hates Raj and they are constantly fighting, but after their train leaves without them one day, they are forced to become closer. Simran and Raj fall in love over the next few weeks, but don’t pursue each other because of Simran’s arranged marriage.

Once they arrive back home, Simran’s father is enraged to learn that she has fallen in love and sends their family straight to India for the wedding. Raj’s father convinces him to win the girl he loves, so Raj travels to India and tries to win the approval of Simran’s family and friends (without revealing who he really is.) Upon finding out Raj’s true identity, Simran’s father is enraged and forces him to leave. In the end though, he lets Simran follow Raj because he knows that no one will love her any more than Raj already does.

This movie challenges some old traditional concepts, like arranged marriage. The audience does not see Raj or Simran as “bad” by continuing an affair when Simran is engaged to be married, but just the opposite. The audience knows that Simran is not in love with her husband-to-be, and love marriages are now more widely accepted. The audience also does not see Simran’s father as a character who knows everything or even knows what is best. In fact, I would be more inclined to think that Simran’s father is almost a villain of the film.

The film also touches on the subject of NRI’s. While Simran’s parents were ecstatic about India, she herself did not feel their passion. She had nothing really against India, but it was very unfamiliar to her. She is scared about traveling to India to marry and actually kind of upset. Raj’s father looks more Western, but assures everyone that he is very much Indian at heart. Also, even though Raj is arguably the most Western out of anyone in the movie, in a twist of irony, in India he shows everyone how to be an upholding, good person.

DDLJ also allows for a more feminist reading, similar to the movie K3G. At first, Simran’s mother tells her that women have to make sacrifices for the happiness and wellbeing of others. Her mother tells her that though men will never make sacrifices, women will always have to, and Simran needs to make the sacrifice of forgetting Raj to please her father and her new husband. Later on, Simran’s mother realizes that it shouldn’t solely be the woman’s duty to sacrifice, and that sometimes they need to pursue their own happiness.

While I enjoyed DDLJ, I honestly didn’t know what made it such a beloved film in India. Though I have limited knowledge of Hindi cinema, from what I saw, it was very similar to a lot of films that we have already seen and I didn’t quite understand what made it seem so spectacular to such a huge audience. However, the film entertained me and I did enjoy it to the point where I would watch it again.

K3G Film Review

Laine Bulakites

HNDI 2440

March 29^th, 2010

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… Review

Karan Johar’s family film Kabhi Khishi Kabhie Gham… (K3G) was by far the most entertaining Bollywood film I have seen to date. It was cheesy, fun, had great music, yet it was also very serious at times. The cast was a great one – Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, and Kareena Kapoor. The film was a very touching family film (even the tagline is “It’s all about loving your parents”) but it also connected very strongly with non-resident Indians.

K3G is primarily about the Raichand family, consisting of Yash, Nandani, Rahul, and Rohan. When Rohan comes back from school as an adult, he is shocked to learn that his family is separated and that Rahul was adopted. The story reverses 10 years to a time when the family was together and happy.

Rahul fell in love with poor Muslim girl Anjali, but Yash wants Rahul to marry his friend’s daughter. Rahul marries Anjali against his father’s wishes. When his father learns of the news, he disowns his adopted son, exclaiming that his own blood would have never done such a thing. Rahul and Anjali reluctantly leave and Nadani sends the nanny with them.

The movie now turns back to the present, and Rohan is very upset at this news. He vows to find his brother and his sister-in-law and bring them back home to be part of the family again. Rohan travels to London, where Rahul and Anjali now reside, along with their 9-year-old son and Anjali’s sister Pooja. Rohan reunites with Pooja and tells her his plan. She agrees to help him, and brings him into their home as a stranger.

Rohan makes Rahul and Anjali very homesick for India and their old family. He reminds them of what life was like back then. When Yash’s mother dies, the three men reunite at her funeral. Yash and Rahul both have to think long and hard about if they want to reunite or not – eventually, Yash accepts Rahul back into the family. The film has a very happy ending; the family is reunited and Rohan and Pooja wed.

This song connected very strongly with NRI’s (non-resident Indians) because the film depicted Rahul and Anjali moving to London, yet still feeling a connection to their motherland, India. Their new family is part of the diaspora, a group of people living in a land that is not their homeland. They are 1^st and 2^nd generation Indians (like their son) and still feel a strong sensibility and connection to their homeland.

Anjali shows this more than anyone else in the family. She wears traditional Indian clothes, sings Hindu songs every morning, and is constantly speaking about how much she loves India (“India is the greatest country”) and wishes she could go back. Rohan also helps the family connect to India: he transforms Pooja from a scandalous Westerner into a beautiful traditional Indian, he shares an age-old tradition with Anjali, and he reminds his brother of the traditional Indian values. Rohan even goes so far as to surprise Anjali by having her son to sing a nationalistic song during a school performance.

This movie is also a very family-friendly film, which was a fairly new genre of Hindi film at the time. It was meant so that any member of the family could watch this together – from the grandmother to the grandchild -- and have it be appropriate. All ages can also relate to this movie. It exemplifies strong family values. The audience is constantly shown images of tradition and love. The smaller new family (Rahul, Anjali, Pooja…) also feels incomplete without the rest of their family living with them. This Indian concept is very different from the American concept of family and marriage. Each member of the family feels especially connected to the others – Nandani can even sense when her sons arrive (and when they are reunited.)

K3G however, also challenges some traditional Indian concepts. For example, Yash is very traditional and feels that it is his decision as to whom Rahul marries. He feels that what he says always goes since he is the head of the house. He is constantly silencing Nadani throughout the film, and it isn’t until the end of the film when Nandani finally speaks up, stands her ground, and shares her strong feelings of resentment with Yash. The idea of a woman holding equal ground in a family is definitely a more traditional concept, one that is not belittled or disregarded in the movie.

As I stated before, this film was definitely the most entertaining I have seen so far. It was funny, sad, and heartwarming. The movie had its share of cheesy lines, and the romance between Yash and Pooja provided much comic relief after the family was torn apart. The soundtrack was amazing, and as was the imagery that went along with it. (The best example: "Suraj Hua Madham") It is no surprise that the movie was a huge success in India and in countries with large NRI populations.

Rachel Newsham

HIND 2441

4/5/2010

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge Film Review

Yash Chopra’s film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, which I will refer to as DDLJ, is an entertaining film about how the “lover will take the bride.” As the title implies, the film is a drama filled narrative that results in a happy ending, ingredients that are both common and expected in Bollywood films. The first part of the film is based in Europe and begins by introducing the two main characters, Raj (played by Shahrukh Khan) and Simran (played by Kajol Devgan). Due to his wealthy, party-filled lifestyle, Raj fails to graduate from college. Instead of being upset, his father, Dharamvir Malhotra (Anupam Kher), congratulates him for keeping a strong family tradition: failing in education. Simran on the other hand is portrayed as an ideal Indian daughter who writes her diary in Hindi, prays before a Hindu shrine in the mornings, and finds full consolation from her mother rather than turning to her friends. After finding out from a letter that she is to be married to a man she has never met, Simran persuades her father into letting her go on a sight-seeing trip through Europe with her friends. Ironically, Raj and his friends decide to go on a similar trip. The paths of the two groups cross at the train station and, after running into each other several more times, they decide to travel together. Although Simran and Raj start out their relationship loathing each other, by the end of their trip, both begin to realize how much they have grown to love the other.

The second part of the film is based in the Punjab. Baldev Singh (Amrish Puri), Simran’s father, has taken his family back to India to marry Simran off to the son of a childhood friend. While the two families make preparations for the marriage, the illusionary tune of Raj’s mandolin continues to invade Simran’s mind, distracting her while upsetting her father. One morning, Simran wakes up to find that the music does not go away. She rushes out into the fields to find Raj in his cowboy hat and leather jacket playing his playful, catchy tune on his mandolin. Within the tall fields of yellow mustard seeds, Raj and Simran are able to express their undying love for each other. Although they don’t have a plan as to how Raj will gain Simran’s hand in marriage, he determines that he will do so only with the consent of their parents. Raj comes up with a scheme in which he pretends that he has never met Simran, establishes a good reputation, and wins the hearts of Simran’s family. Through many twists and turns, Raj is left at the train station awaiting the vehicle that will take him away from his true love forever. Although he is hopeful that Simran’s father will realize that Raj is the best man for his daughter, Raj knows that he has done all that he can, and the rest must be left up to fate. By winning over the hearts of Simran’s family and proving himself as an ideal, traditional Hindu, Raj’s heart of love for Simran proves triumphant in the end, enabling him to “win the bride.”

The first and most important theme brought up in the film is that of the “Diaspora.” The term “Diaspora” is used to define a group of people who have left their original homeland. With an ever-growing community of Indians leaving their homeland for the West, usually with the goal of making money, the film industry realized that they could make a profit by addressing many of the joys, hardships, and longings that these “None Resident Indians,” another term for Diasporic Indians, have to face while reminding them of traditional customs and values. Yash Chopra’s DDLJ was the first movie to incorporate these ideas into film, opening wide the doors for thousands of other films to address similar topics. While the west is often painted as a picture of wealth, entertainment, and education, India remains the upholder of traditional values and is represented in DDLJ as a mother who continues to call her children back to herself.

DDLJ successfully points out the contentious views of first and second generation Diasporas in terms of India as “homeland.” While both of the fathers view India, more specifically the Punjab, as their homeland, their children are unable to share in this devotion due to their unfamiliarity with it. In the beginning of the film, we see Simran’s father walking to his shop through the streets of London feeding pigeons. As he continues on his way, he comments on how he is a stranger in a strange land and longs to return to “my India, my Punjab.” Baldev Singh is portrayed as trying desperately to hang onto the traditions and culture of his Hindustan in a country that is completely foreign to him. While her father’s devotion lies in the heart of Punjab, Simran is much more hesitant to claim such a devotion. Although she has doubtlessly heard many stories and descriptions of her parent’s homeland, she has never had a chance to make it her own. India is both unfamiliar and slightly terrifying to Simran, especially when accompanied by the idea of having to marry a stranger. By the end of the film, Simran seems to have assimilated into the culture that was previously foreign to her, and yet, she still seems to lack devotion to India as her own “motherland.” By leaving her family to marry Raj, one can assume that she returned to London in order to support her husband in his family business while, presumably, maintaining the Hindu traditions past down to her from her parents.

Chopra’s song and dance sequences are an integral part of the film. Many of them are still popular today and are recognized by Bollywood audiences all around the world. Chopra uses these dance sequences to instill nationalism within the hearts of the audience, depict Indian traditions, and provide room for transgressive and erotic behavior. The first song “Ghar Aaja Pardesi” has a strong nationalistic message directed at the Diaspora. From the lines “follow those dreams of yours, but know that we are yours also… Come home wanderer, your country has called you,” we can infer that India has taken on the role of a mother who is calling her child back to her. Even though they, meaning the Diaspora, have begun a new life away from their homeland, they are never to forget where they came from. The song “Mehndi laga ke rakhna” is a song used to depict and describe several traditions of a Hindu wedding. This song sequence is important in terms of business and culture because the film industry was able to remove it from the context of film, repackage it, and transform it into a consumer good to be used at weddings in both the homeland and the Diasporic communities (Mishra, p. 262). The song “Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main,” is used by Chopra as an expression of transgression. From the preceding scene, one can imply that both Simran and Raj are drunk, a result of trying to warm themselves up from the frigid night air in a barn. Within the context of song, the characters are allowed to get away with the transgression of being drunk and making sexual allusions otherwise not permitted in Hindi films.

The film DDLJ incorporates a strong feminist view of the patriarchal hierarchy in terms of marriage and the role of women within society. While doing her best to console her daughter and persuading her to consent to the arranged marriage, Lajo describes several of the hardships she has had to face in her own life. When she was younger, her father would tell her that she was just as important as her brothers, and yet, when the time came for them to go to school, her brothers were favored with an education while Lajo had to stay at home. After she was grown, she was married off to a man that she had never known. Lajo claimed that when Simran was born, she had promised to provide Simran with all of the joys she was unable to enjoy herself. Although Lajo had no desire for her daughter to become another sacrificial victim to the patriarchal order of Hindu society, she realized that even this decision was not in her power to make. She considers submission to those in authority, predominantly male figures, as a form of tradition that must not be broken. In her conclusion, Lajo asks her daughter to give up her dreams of marrying for love and adhere to the cultural norm by accepting her father’s decision of whom she would marry. Although the film does not offer a direct solution to issues produced in a patriarchal embedded society, Baldev’s approval of Simran’s marriage to Raj implies that love is more powerful than boundaries set by tradition.

The first time I watched DDLJ I thought it was too long and very frustrating. The character of Raj in the first half of the film was too arrogant for my taste while the character of Simran in the second half was too demanding. I have watched the film three times since then and, although the characters are still annoying to me at times, I have developed a deep appreciation and love for this film. As its 750 weeks of continuous screening can attest, DDLJ is a landmark film within Hindi cinema.