Come October, fans of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol will once again be trending 23 years of DDLJ (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge). Reminiscing the glory of old Bollywood hits and to use it as a memorable landmark has become a new fashion on social media.
Last year, SRK and Kajol fans had observed 22 years of DDLJ with pomp and show. DDLJ was truly an iconic film for several reasons. This helped SRK cement his position as the king of romance. The film also marked the arrival of a new romantic pair in Shah Rukh and Kajol.
One of the most memorable scenes of the film was the climax, when Shah Rukh, having given up on his love interest Kajol, chooses to return back to England. As the train begins to move slowly, Shah Rukh’s blood-soaked face and intense eyes adequately demonstrate his pain. This doesn’t go unnoticed by Amrish Puri, Kajol’s father in the film, who’s been firmly holding his daughter’s hand with an intention to never let her marry Shah Rukh.
However seeing the intensity of love for his daughter in Shah Rukh’s eyes, Amrish Puri loosens his grip while murmuring, “Ja Simran Ja, Ji Le Apni Zindagi.” This leads to what would become one of the most iconic scenes of of any Bollywood films. With hair flung in the air, Kajol runs desperately to get onto the train, which is fast gaining speed.
Nearly 23 years later, Kajol has opened up on the iconic scene stating that it was not easy shooting the scene. Speaking to Huffington Post, Kajol said, “Honestly, we were worried about the heat and getting cranky, my hair was frizzling out, the train wasn’t moving at the right speed that it should have. We couldn’t do retakes because the train had to go ahead and come back which would take some 20 minutes. It was a mess. Actually, Raj should have just pulled the chain instead of making me run like a crazy person. In hindsight, of course, it’s become an iconic scene but I can’t take any credit for it. It’s all Adi (director Aditya Chopra).”
Kajol was last seen opposite Shah Rukh in Dilwale, which courted controversy from India’s right-wing brigade because of the latter’s comments on growing religious intolerance in India. She will be next seen in Helicopter Eela, which is set to release on 7 September.