‘DDLJ’@30: Kajol says magic can’t be recreated

Remaking “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”? You will have to adapt it to current times and thought processes, so no, the magic cannot be recreated, says Kajol, 30 years after the release of the film that introduced her to moviegoers as Simran, the Londoner who loves but needs parental approval before her ‘happily ever after’.

“Create your own magic,” Kajol told PTI ahead of the 30^th anniversary of the film that released on October 20, 1995, and went on to become one of India’s biggest hits ever. It can still be seen on the big screen in Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir.

She was then just 21, in her role as Simran, the rebellious yet traditional NRI who falls in love with the charming Raj, played by Shah Rukh Khan, but reconciles herself to get married to a man chosen by her parents, one she has never met.

“I don’t think magic can be recreated. I think that if today you had to make a film, you would have to make it like ‘DDLJ’, but it will never be ‘DDLJ’. It will have to be different. And once you change people, the atmosphere, you will have to adapt the story to the current times, society and thought processes.”

“And that changes the entire language of the film. So you will have to create your own magic,” she said.

How well the film will sit with today’s generation is debatable. At the time, it redefined Bollywood romance with its story of two NRI young adults, and has legions of fans still.

Its songs “Tujhe dekha to ye jaana sanam”, “Mehndi laga ke rakhna”, “Ruk jaa...”, “Mere khwabo mein...”, “Ho gaya hai tujhko to pyaar sajna” and dialogues like “Bade bade deshon mein...”, “Palat” and “Jaa Simran ja” are now part of public consciousness and everyday conversations.

Does she believe “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” is a perfect film given its longevity and the cultural capital it has earned over the years?

“I don’t think there is anything called a perfect film and I don’t think we knew the what makes for a perfect film... But yes, this is one film that is still doing well. And, you know, we’re going on to 30 years now for ‘DDLJ’. It’s wonderful, it’s something that I think people have adapted and made their own,” she said.

After actors finish their work on a movie, it’s the audience that keeps it alive. And that’s what happened with the Aditya Chopra-directed romantic drama.

“It is not in our control... We had finished our work 30 years ago. I think it depends on the fans, and it fully depends on all the people who have loved it, made it a part of their lives, and a part of their tradition,” she said.

The 51-year-old actor, whose pairing with Shah Rukh Khan is regarded as one of the most loved by their fans, worked with SRK on “Baazigar” and “Karan Arjun” before “DDLJ”. They collaborated again on hits “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”, “My Name is Khan” and “Dilwale”.

Most of them are successful but nothing compares to the popularity of “DDLJ” or the way it came to define young romance of the 90s and 2000s.

Kajol credited Aditya Chopra, who made his directorial debut with the film that moves from snow-capped Switzerland to the mustard fields of Punjab, for crafting a story that still resonates.

“I think the conviction of the person who makes the film has a lot to do with what the film lands up looking at as... It’s been made with conviction and passion and those two things, I think, always translate on camera beautifully.”

“Whether you talk about ‘Karan Arjun’, ‘DDLJ’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, ‘Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha’... They were all made with a lot of passion. We have tried our best to make them. And I think that honesty comes out somewhere,” she said.

“DDLJ”, which unfolds in a joint family in a Punjab village, also featured an excellent ensemble cast in late legend Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Himani Shivpuri, Satish Shah, Parmeet Sethi, Mandira Bedi and Karan Johar.