On its release in 1995, Bollywood blockbuster Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ to its fans) spawned a new genre of Hindi film. A star-crossed romance about London-dwelling young adults Raj and Simran, the three-hour epic explored the lives of a new generation of diaspora Indians born abroad and navigating changing family values.
Thirty years on and DDLJ has become one of the highest grossing Bollywood movies of all time, still screening at the Maratha Mandir cinema in Mumbai. For the many fans used to singing along to its songs on wedding dancefloors, director Aditya Chopra’s stage adaptation will come as a surprise.
