What is it about DDLJ?

[annous]

one of the best things I liked about this forum is the open minded discussion that always goes in here, the admins are among the best, you can's ask for better people to run this forum.

I wanted to open this discussion about DDLJ, because it loved and revered by so many people, and is always mentioned among SRK's best, the reason for this thread is to make me understand the adoration this film gets because frankly , I don't get it, I don't think DDLJ is a bad movie, but I don't think it's a cinematic masterpiece either, in fact I think it is a flawed film that showed Adi's faults as a director, and those faults were only magnified in Mohabbattien.

my main delimma with DDLJ is that I don't think it's SRK/Kajol best jodi film, i also think the film suffers from illogical sequences of story telling, the music is good but not really that special.

when I ranked my top 10 SRK films, I was surprised to have DDLJ at no.10, and that made me realize, that I don't adore the film as much, and that led to this thread, I am looking forward to a great discussion about it.

[superstar]

Can we have the sequence in which you watched Srk's movies? Did you watch DDLJ before KKHH, K3G, KHNH, so on?

[Mon1ka]

but you also have to look at the fact that this movie was made 12 years ago, and that is really good for back than, because when you watch other movies that came out during that time a lot of them just seem so cheesy and fake, and this movie is different, because it doesn't matter what generation it is, they can all enjoy the movie as if it came out in their generation.

[nicha]

DDLJ is my first SRK movie. i liked it when i first saw it. i started loving it after my second and third viewing, which happened after knowing a lot about SRK. i think that’s why i started loving it, because i see SRK in Raj. i feel like in his younger years, SRK was a lot like Raj. in DDLJ and KHKN, i see a glimpse of SRK himself. and i thought SRK and Kajol had a tremendous chemistry. you know that song (i can’t remember the name) where she is wearing the green dress, it’s her engagement i think, the way they spoke to each other with their eyes. :thud: i watched this song before watching the movie and that eye contact, that eye conversation is what made me watch the movie.

[annous]

Can we have the sequence in which you watched Srk's movies? Did you watch DDLJ before KKHH, K3G, KHNH, so on?
I saw K3G, DDLJ, Mohabbattien, KKHH in that order

[superstar]

I saw K3G, DDLJ, Mohabbattien, KKHH in that order

...and what are the flaws in DDLJ and Aditya's direction?

[SRKExtremist]

I can write a 10 page report about DDLJ. DDLJ is a classic.

[SRK_Super_Fanatic]

but you also have to look at the fact that this movie was made 12 years ago, and that is really good for back than, because when you watch other movies that came out during that time a lot of them just seem so cheesy and fake, and this movie is different, because it doesn't matter what generation it is, they can all enjoy the movie as if it came out in their generation.Exactly!
I remember when it first came out, it was just the "coolest" movie ever! All the youth loved it, and even older and younger people loved it. It was just the "in" thing, which has amazingly remained as the "in" thing even today. I mean, even today, people have the same excitement and the same reactions while watching it, just like they did when they first saw it 11 years back.
Everything about it - the music, the dialogues, the situations, the acting, the characters..everything is just PERFECT! It's like one of those classics that everyone just has to have seen at least once!

[annous]

...and what are the flaws in DDLJ and Aditya's direction?

tons, Adi loses grip on his story telling, his film needed better editing, his characterization of Simran needed more polishing, his villain was 1 dimensional.

I repeat my statement that the film isn't bad, but I need somebody to explain why exactly is it this revered, while SRK has done so much better films than DDLJ.

[jeegs253]

sorry its a classic and flaws well please point out scenes where it loses its grip coz for the first time i have heard some one sy ddlj is not a classic or ddlj had flaws

[annous]

sorry its a classic and flaws well please point out scenes where it loses its grip coz for the first time i have heard some one sy ddlj is not a classic or ddlj had flaws

if you cared to read my post carefully, you would see that I never claimed DDLJ was not a classic, Casablanca is a classic and it has so many flaws, I asked a clear question, why is it revered? and i have still to see an answer. Don't say it's a classic without explaining, maybe the people who watched it in 1995 can shed some light on why it became such a phenomena ., because personally I just don't get it.

[sandidi]

tons, Adi loses grip on his story telling, his film needed better editing, his characterization of Simran needed more polishing, his villain was 1 dimensional.

I repeat my statement that the film isn't bad, but I need somebody to explain why exactly is it this revered, while SRK has done so much better films than DDLJ.

I also wondered this when I first watched it, but it grows on you! Maybe cos I didn't like Kajol all that much before (relax guys, I like her now!) So many people say this is the movie that made them fall in love with SRK...not for me! I thought, and still think, that he was an annoying lil bugger who deserved a big slap...lol

now, when you're done with DDLJ, can anyone tell me what is it about KKHH? I only watched it twice...the second time because of subtitles! but it was actually the movie that got me hooked on SRK, tho I didn't like the actual movie itself and I really disliked Kajol in it.

sorry for going O/T...

[pokeye]

DDLJ is my all-time favorite movie. Not just my fave SRK movie... it is the best movie I have seen in my life. I have seen many movies that I have loved the first time around, but they have faded away with time... but DDLJ has lived on. I can bring out the DVD or watch it on TV at any given time on any given day without getting bored for a micromillisecond. There are movies that define the careers of actors and directors, DDLJ defines the careers for each professional involved in the making... I don't think even SRK has come close to his portrayal of Raj Malhotra in any of his wonderful future releases.

Ok... I am a typical fanboy who can gush on about DDLJ forever but that won't help the discussion here. I have several strong thoughts on the movie and think it is a path-breaking venture in many senses. But I'll write them down later... when I am a little free.

But if you guys want to understand the basic thoughts behind DDLJ and its success... there are 2 interviews you must read and watch. I think this might have been posted before, but it is important for any discussion about DDLJ... it is a rare Aditya Chopra interview from Filmfare 1996...
http://www.yashrajfilms.com/AboutUs/YRFTeam.aspx?SectionCode=PRO003ai11

A very relevant quote from Adi in that interview is : "On a broader level, I was also trying to get something out of my system. I'd be quite troubled while watching those love stories in which the boy and the girl elope. I'd wonder how can they just cut themselves off from their parents who've done so much for them? How can they be so callous? They have no right to break the hearts of their parents. I wanted to say that if your love is strong enough, then you will come together... your parents will be convinced about your love ultimately."

This is something every lover and every parent in India at that time could identify with and revered. There were rally of hugely successful movies that released before DDLJ like QSQT, Love Story, MPK etc which all had the lovers eloping and their parent(s) showed as the main villains (I am yet to figure out if movies inspire life or life inspires movies, but this trend was also seen among many Indian youngsters in love back in the 1990s)... but DDLJ challenged that thought. And for the naive moviegoers, SRK challenged that thought. It was kind of superheroic for the youngsters and very relieving for the parents.

But this is only one point that I have made.. will write more later on.

The other interview is Uday Chopra interviewing SRK on DDLJ... that can be found in The Legend: Shah Rukh Khan DVD. SRK had some very interesting thoughts too. (If anyone needs the video I can upload somewhere)

[senorita]

:shocked: am shocked that actually people find flaws in ddlj.yeah maybe there are 1 or 2 flaws but they are very unnoticeable to me unless you start analyzing every scene n every frame. :shrug:

anywayz i just can't point out one thing that stands out for me in ddlj.i think its the whle package of the individual charecteristics of the protagonists n the love story with its back ground.back in 1995, like srk said in one of his interviews,the films portrayed the girl n boy escaping from their families n getting married n stuff like that.love n family values were not given that much of imporatnce anymore.n i guess ddlj brought all of those back.respecting family,fighting for love n keeping the respect for elders intact n all.

okay more laterz :wave:

[annous]

Suhana ,
thank you for a great answer, a lot of what you are saying makes sense, putting the film in the context you have put it in explains it's status.

on a very small thought , all my friends who saw K3G before DDLJ, liked DDLJ less, for a simple reason .. I'm in love with it and I exaggerated and talked about it millions of times , that they wanted to see it .. but when they did , the reaction was we've seen better srk movies .. I think the reason is ..they expected so much (something luxurier or greater than k3g , something deserves to be so crazy about) but they found just a simple old love story ..

this is exactly what happened with me, I saw k3g first, and was searching for anything SRK when I read about DDLJ status and it's quality, so I looked for it for long,and when I watched ..I was very underwhelmed, it was good, but nothing phenomenal as I expected.

[mano]

i think i like it because i'm a sucker for a good bubbly love story that dosen't annoy you because its over the top, there are many memorable scenes that even if you watched the film 5-10 years after you first saw it, you will still remember those scenes, they are simple and they stick with you
i think at the end of the day, many people are simple minded and like to watch, simple believable stories with no random villans with big grenades to kill the hero, and the hero doing dogey spiderman style swinging across rooms. I really like the simplicity of DDLJ is, and i think its the simplicity that has made the film go on for over 12 years

[SRKFanatic]

I honestly think that if you watched this movie when it came out, you'd have a different impression of it. Things were so different back then than they are now. Right now, a girl going off and falling in love and then secretly meeting a guy behind her father's back is nothing. Back then, it was almost unheard of. The guts that Raj had to go after Simran and the father letting her be with the man she loved was well received back in 95, because it's love winning out, which didn't happen all the time. Right now, everything in the movie probably seems old-fashioned because of the way things are now.

[PrettY_WoMaN]

A very relevant quote from Adi in that interview is : "On a broader level,I was also trying to get something out of my system. I'd be quite troubled while watching those love stories in which the boy and the girl elope. I'd wonder how can they just cut themselves off from their parents who've done so much for them? How can they be so callous? They have no right to break the hearts of their parents.

Exactly my point :yes: and thats what I love about the movie.Also there is something magnetic about the movie.:bow: :bow: and it just keeps getting better and better.Also Shahrukh was soooooooooooooooooooo DAMN CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE :kiss:


he was an annoying lil bugger who deserved a big slap...lol

You are talking about Shahrukh in DDLJ Sandi Aunty :jawdrop: lol...

[sareeka]

Suhana ,
thank you for a great answer, a lot of what you are saying makes sense, putting the film in the context you have put it in explains it's status.



this is exactly what happened with me, I saw k3g first, and was searching for anything SRK when I read about DDLJ status and it's quality, so I looked for it for long,and when I watched ..I was very underwhelmed, it was good, but nothing phenomenal as I expected.

Suhana,

I agree with you completely and I have mentioned Indian Roots and values. I had also mentioned the love story of Shah Rukh and Gauri which is said to be the basis of DDLJ.Even today DDLJ remains just as popular because of the message and the reason for it running on just one screen is that most people have already seen it and it is still house full at the week ends.

Technology has made advances and technically movies look much better and music preference has slighly changed. I will now delte my post since we agree so much and yours has already been replied.

[Charla]

in short: DDLJ is everything and more

[Fob]

DDLJ is my all time favorite film too. I agree if you watched this film when it first released when Bollywood was under a serious dry spell as far as quality movies go, you may have liked it more. I admit there are many flaws in the story, but SRK's character Raj was just sooo darn charming!! The dialog and screenplay when SRK was pata-ing Simran's parents in the second half is all the majic of DDLJ.

"Bas aap hi ke parchaye hone chaheye." :haha: :aww:
"Ek chota sa tofa, ek choti si dulhan ke liye." "Namaste Simran ji" :kiss:
"Woh dekho Simran...chand nikhla." *points to a mirror* :thud:

Raj *sighhhhh* my dream man. You really can't get more charming than Raj.

[CMReeves]

I find that DDLJ, while not my number 1 favorite, is one I come back to over and over again. It has repeat value.

For me, K3G was over-hyped. I felt like my emotions were being manipulated the whole way through K3G, and it felt very calculating. With DDLJ, I felt the build up of emotions was more natural, and free flowing.

I can't explain why it's a classic, but this is part of why I have enjoyed watching DDLJ.

[Sema]

I think it's the simplicity of the story.
K3G is a great movie, it will always have a special place in my heart, but to really understand it you need to know a lot about Indian culture (at least as presented in bw movies), about Indian values.
With DDLJ, this is different. What all the characters think and feel is very straightforward, even for European standards. Every parent can relate to the strictness of Simrans father, who insists on very old-fashioned values, but is clearly portrayed as loving his daughters a lot, so he is no patriarch that only wants to dominate the family, he is a loving father that wishes the best for his children. Raj himself is the kind of naughty boy all of us have seen somewhere, as someone in our class in school or wherever. But his values are also intact, and understandable: There is nothing mystic about wanting his girl for himself, but without alienating her family in the process.
The ceremonies shown add an exotic flavour to the movie, but still, as I said, the storyline is very easy to follow, but yet not boring.

Gruß,
Sema

[sema608]

Annous, I understand what you mean. I am not in awe with DDLJ as well. I am not in love with the SRK/Kajol jodi, but I do think their chemistry was present there. I was really into them when they did Baazigar. I loved them in that movie.

DDLJ has fantastic music which I still listen to even today. However, I watched KKHH before watching DDLJ in its entirety and KKHH is my first love for a SRK film. I think DDLJ has flaws, but it's a nice movie. I don't watch the movie these days, but if it was played, yes, I'd stop to watch. It has everything that today's films are missing. So, why am I not lovestruck by DDLJ? I don't know. It could be my nonlove for the SRK/Kajol pairing. Maybe it's because I didn't watch DDLJ when it released for the first time. Maybe the fact I saw KKHH before DDLJ affected my opinion for DDLJ? Hmmm.

I remember a few years ago back in high school, I let my friend borrow KKHH. She's white/hispanic and wanted to see what the hubbub was about when all she heard was SRK/Kajol/KKHH/gazebo this and that. She never watched a BW movie in her life. So, when the movie came out, I let her borrow it. She fell in love with it. Then, I gave her DDLJ and she didn't like it. That's the same thing that happened with me. I felt like you annous, UNDERWHELMED. I think my friend did, too, as she was disappointed. She said she didn't enjoy it as much as she thought she would. :shrug:

[sq_172]

tons, Adi loses grip on his story telling, his film needed better editing, his characterization of Simran needed more polishing, his villain was 1 dimensional.


I dont think there was any villain in DDLJ.
Her fiance was not a bad guy.The scene of karwachot..when kajol fell,he(fiance) was worried and then Anupam kher says why are you worried?

And I dont think Amrish Puri was a villain either.he was conservative,strict but a caring father...and he let her go with Raj in the end.

But I agree about SRK-Kajol pairing......they look nice together but i dont see anything legendary.i prefer SRK-Madhuri...may be because she is my favourite actress.

[sema608]

I thought the villain was the bad fiance? Am I wrong?

[jabarbi]

It seems like lately I've been hearing a lot about DDLJ, so today I watched it again, and I love it just as much, or even more.
I had my finger on the rewind button constantly.

The first time I saw DDLJ was in 1997, two years after it was made.
I watched it on VHS without subtitles, and I loved it. (strange as it may seem) When I finally got it on dvd with subs, I watched it over and over again and loved it even more. It has repeat value like others have said.

I can safely say that DDLJ is my all time favorite SRK movie and the movie where I fell in love with Shah Rukh Khan.

Whenever I want to Khan-vert my friends, I show them this movie and it usually have the same effect on them.
I remember sometime ago I showed it to a Spanish friend of mine, (someone who knows nothing about Bollywood), and her first reaction was "he's so handsome". I was smiling from ear to ear when she said that.
When the movie was over, she said she loved it and not only was it a love story but it was also about family values. After that she wanted to see more SRK movies.

So what is so special about DDLJ......I don't really know, but I fell for it hook line and sinker.

[sq_172]

I thought the villain was the bad fiance? Am I wrong?
YES.But he was not that bad.I mean any Indian villager will react extremely if his bride wants to run away.

[annous]

YES.But he was not that bad.I mean any Indian villager will react extremely if his bride wants to run away.


that was not what was bad about him, he really didn't care about Simran, he wanted to marry her , leave her in India and chase women in London.