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First, the Recap:
What makes something legendary? What causes one particular thing to resonate through history, never losing momentum, defying time itself, and still making a lasting, impactful impression on generations of the people who choose to witness it, echoing in hearts and minds? Few events on this planet can truly classify themselves as such, but during the latter part of 1995 in India, one such happening was birthed, though no one could have remotely predicted it. It’s lasted over one thousand plus weeks, amassing what must seem like an incalculable amount of money, bringing to the public who adores it an ongoing experience of absolute elation through music, dance, and actors, plus the director and crew it put on the map forever.
Revolutionary in many of its overall concepts portrayed, it ushered in an entirely new phase for India’s entertainment industry’s already storied history, offering a glimpse at an imperfect hero, a free-thinking heroine, and a rather pronounced defiance of other classically held ideas and traditions. While we would believe this kind of overt cultural statement might initiate a season of subtle but present unrest amongst the masses, it instead became an indelible piece of everyone’s lives, with many taking stock of its narrative on more than just one–or–two–or a couple hundred times. Let’s take a ride with two men named Chopra, an actor named Khan, the actress known as Kajol, and twenty years of the phenomenon known fondly as simply “DDLJ”.
Next, my Mind:
The only documentary short making its Texas premier at the 2019 Dallas Fort Worth South Asian Film Festival sponsored by Toyota USA, we as viewers and overall fans of Indian/South Asian cinema had the opportunity to relish this 35-minute glimpse into film history still in the making, thanks to writer/director/producer Natashja Rathore’s entertainingly engaging effort that highlights the marvel known as “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge“, affectionately labeled simply “DDLJ”. Selling out the single theater in Mumbai that shows it daily for die hard cinephiles who’ve seen it, some literally, hundreds of times to those who perhaps have never taken a shot and finally choose to give in and see what all the hype is about, there’s just no denying the appeal garnered by the 1995 film that starred now preeminent Bollywood icons SRK (that’s Shah Rukh Khan for the uninitiated), Kajol, and Amrish Puri, even as the latter passed away back in 2005.
The romantic drama, telling the story of upstart Raj and the highly independent-minded Simran trying to be together against the wishes of her father Baldev Singh, who has arranged a marriage for her per Indian tradition, it’s a narrative that continues to resonate with young and old alike for the film’s forward-thinking and atypical cultural rebellions portrayed, esepcially for the time it was released. What amazes this critic is that for all the experience with American cinema I’ve had over the years and all the classic Hollywood films that have made an impact on the world screens, to learn about the long-running nature of this film and the sheer obesessiveness of its fans new and established–I’ve never seen or heard about anything like it, and it makes me quite elated to have had the opportunity through this documentary to know about such an unprecedented cultural oddity that not only keep dominating a big screen, but even influencing society in India as well. But, isn’t that the overall beauty of the creative arts, right?
The documentary itself is wonderfully pieced together with the expected but well-chosen mix of interviews and archival footage that showcases some excellent behind-the-scenes outtakes and random moments from the original shoot, which spanned from London to Switzerland to India. Getting to hear from the two of the film’s original stars, SRK and Kajol, alone was worth the watch, much less when other well known individuals like Dharma Productions’ Karan Johar, Yash Chopra’s wife Pamela Chopra, and famed musician and “DDLJ” composer Lalit Pandit weigh in, along with some archival interviews with the men behind it all–visionary director Aditya Chopra and his father, the illustrious producer himself Yash Chopra, who went on to create arguably the most noted and prolific production house in Bollywood history, Yash Raj Films. Regardless of who’s on top, though, what remains uncontested is the fact that the film they devised has not only stood the test of time, but seems like it will continue to do so for an as yet to be determined amount of time.
Other individuals who share their own insights into the mega-success include Professor of Cultural Studies at England’s Birmingham School of Media Rajinder Dudrah, Switzerland-based, Bollywood-centric tour guide Erwin Fassler, TV producer, director, and author Nasreen Munni Kabir, Maratha Mandir projectionist Jagjeevan Maru, and several others, all who have their own takes on the enigma that is “DDLJ”. In total, “Still Rolling: The DDLJ Story” is another must-see for film fanatics, fresh and veteran alike, with its fascinatingly detailed yet succinct execution, nostalgic footage, peek into Bollywood antiquity, and perhaps to become your encouragement to check out the film itself, just like this critic admittedly has to do now himself. Just need to find that spare 181 hours to spare somewhere. Here’s to another one thousand weeks more!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
