BB Desk
It’s been 30 years since Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge starring Shah Rukh Khan & Kajol released and those looking to relive the nostalgia can still catch the film at Maratha Mandir, where the film continues its record breaking glorious run every day around 11.30 am since last three decades. Such has been the impact of this film, unanimously hailed as India’s most loved romantic film ever. The historic blockbuster has etched its rightful place as the film with the biggest pop culture impact for India, Indians and South Asians across the world. On the 30th release anniversary of the film, DDLJ’s iconic pair SRK & Kajol celebrate the magic of DDLJ expressing anecdotes about it’s journey and influence.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s been thirty years since Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge released. It feels like it happened yesterday because ‘bade bade deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hain’ but it still feels unbelievable. I’m truly grateful for all the love, I have received from people across the world for playing Raj – nobody could have foreseen the kind of place the film made in the hearts of people and I will never forget the moment when everyone started to come, see the film, and fall in love.” shares Shah Rukh Khan, film’s leading man.
Getting little emotional, SRK adds, “The impact this film has had on the hearts of people worldwide is unprecedented and so many couples meet me and say we got married or fell in love after watching this film. I also feel that it has had such a happy effect on the pop culture of India and South Asians.”
Commenting on the success of the film, SRK says, “I think all the success is to be credited to the pure heart with which the film was made by us all, the clarity that Adi had about DDLJ and especially because of the blessings of Yash ji! Here’s to the many years of falling in love.”
Film’s leading lady Kajol aka Simran reminisces, “Thirty years of DDLJ sounds surreal. The film has aged into a legacy and a nostalgic experience for a generation. That classic was made with the recklessness of youth and the honesty of first love, never imagining that Raj and Simran would make the entire nation hold its breath at a train station. The songs, the dialogues, the mustard fields – everything from that world seeped into pop culture and stayed there.”
Kajol further remarks, “There’s a piece of DDLJ in almost every romantic film that came after it, because somewhere, history was made and it never quite left us. For me, Simran is a chapter that refuses to end. She represents millions of girls across this country – girls who want to do what their parents say, who carry tradition in one hand but still reach out for freedom with the other. That’s why she still resonates. Every time someone says, ‘Ja Simran, ja’, it signifies the belief that courage and love can co-exist.”
On the film’s timeless impact – Kajol observes, “The viewers who adored this film at sixteen are now watching it with their children, owning it more fiercely with every passing year. Maybe that’s what turning thirty does to a person — you begin to know yourself better. But when a film reigns for thirty years, it defines a generation’s idea of who they are and what love means to them. It’s become the template of how Indian cinema dreams of love. So grateful to the viewers who still see me as that girl in the white suit, running toward someone she loves… just with more sass.”
If it wasn’t for DDLJ, SRK & Kajol would not have emerged as the most iconic on-screen pair and rule over people’s hearts for 30 years. The film showed SRK & Kajol’s effortless chemistry that moved people on an emotional level like never before. Crediting mutual respect for Raj and Simran’s amazing chemistry, Kajol reveals, “There is a lot of comfort in our equation. We never had to overthink, over-plan, or try too hard. Even in the most emotional or intense scenes, there’s this unspoken confidence that the other person will meet you halfway. And I think audiences feel that; they sense authenticity, even if they don’t know the work behind it.”
“I’ve never been one to tiptoe around the truth and Shah Rukh is no different. With him, it was effortless from the first take. There’s a kind of understanding, a rhythm, and a trust that just clicks. You know exactly how the other person thinks, how they’ll react, how a look, a pause, or even silence will land. That’s why the magic feels so natural on screen; it’s not acting in the traditional sense, it’s responding, playing, and bouncing off each other in a way that feels real.” adds Kajol.
Reflecting on the Film’s 30 years journey and its unparalleled status as a cult classic, Kajol shares, “For me, the brilliance lies in Adi’s vision to make this idea of romance the nation’s biggest obsession. Navigating the expectations of family, balancing tradition and modernity, and learning the courage to follow your heart are themes that don’t age. They resonate with every generation, whether you’re experiencing first love or looking back at it with nostalgia.”
“I’ll always be grateful for the love that DDLJ received. Over the years, it became a cultural landmark that made audiences believe in love even when life tested them. When a film becomes a phenomena, it does so for countless reasons — a combination of script, performances, music, emotion and timing, but mostly because it taps into something universal.” concludes Kajol.
