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BFI Film Classics
Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge opened to huge popular acclaim in India in 1995. This work points out that it is a paradoxical film which affirms old-fashioned values of pre-marital chastity and family authority, affirming the idea that Westernization need not affect an essential Indian identity.
- GenresNonfictionIndiaFilm
104 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 21, 2017
1.5/5 This book is very short (<100 pages) and on top of it the second half is a retelling of the story. While the first half was quite good, this one was way below the author's book on Sholay which I liked. Avoid !
January 3, 2017
I bought this book on a nostalgic whim and I don't regret it one teeny bit. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) was the film that I grew up with and though the current me may not agree with certain aspects of the film, I still have a very special place in my heart for it.
Anupama Chopra gives us peeks into the making of the film, Aditya Chopra (the director) as a person and his vision for DDLJ, snippets about the actors and many many small tales about how the movie came into being.
Chatty, informative and a quick read for misty-eyed DDLJ fans.
Anupama Chopra gives us peeks into the making of the film, Aditya Chopra (the director) as a person and his vision for DDLJ, snippets about the actors and many many small tales about how the movie came into being.
Chatty, informative and a quick read for misty-eyed DDLJ fans.
April 21, 2022
A short little book that explores the very famous Hindi movie "Diwale Dulhania Le Jayenge". I decided to pick this book up in order to help with my analysis of the movie for an assignment. Anupama Chopra shows us how the film came to be, behind the scenes of making the film and all the various messages and themes that the movie portrays. Only around 100 pages or so, it is a book you can definitely read in one sitting. I would recommend it to any DDLJ fan or anyone curious about the classic movie.
Fun fact: DDLJ is one of the longest running films in the history of Indian cinema! One theatre has played it for nearly 24 years running.
Fun fact: DDLJ is one of the longest running films in the history of Indian cinema! One theatre has played it for nearly 24 years running.
July 19, 2020
The Making of DDLJ - A Modern Classic:
Arguably the most watched Bollywood movie of all time, this movie is pure nostalgia for most of us. Who can forget the reunion in the yellow mustard field and SRK’s head oscillating to the signature DDLJ tune.
That being said - as a movie, DDLJ is not devoid of plot loopholes with Raj finding Simran’s address in Punjab in a pre-google era and having its share of inclination to patriarchal ideologies.
Anupama aptly calls this ‘a modern classic’, a ‘believable fantasy’ - where the western outlook meets eastern values. A good critical analysis of the movie and the story line is etched out in this book that trails the making of this classic and provides the reader an insight into the making of this movie and about Aditya Chopra - the story/ screenwriter and director of the movie, who was a good 23 years old while making it.
Tidbits about SRK almost not being keen to star this movie (imagine that!) and stories behind compositions of the tracks make it a good read.
A striking revelation to me was the persona - Aditya Chopra. I was glad to read how much he loved cinema and assisted industry stalwarts in directions before starting off on his own. His love for cinema was so much that he would watch roughly 100 films a year, hand out his own awards, compare this to the industry awards and was apparently 90% correct!!
Arguably the most watched Bollywood movie of all time, this movie is pure nostalgia for most of us. Who can forget the reunion in the yellow mustard field and SRK’s head oscillating to the signature DDLJ tune.
That being said - as a movie, DDLJ is not devoid of plot loopholes with Raj finding Simran’s address in Punjab in a pre-google era and having its share of inclination to patriarchal ideologies.
Anupama aptly calls this ‘a modern classic’, a ‘believable fantasy’ - where the western outlook meets eastern values. A good critical analysis of the movie and the story line is etched out in this book that trails the making of this classic and provides the reader an insight into the making of this movie and about Aditya Chopra - the story/ screenwriter and director of the movie, who was a good 23 years old while making it.
Tidbits about SRK almost not being keen to star this movie (imagine that!) and stories behind compositions of the tracks make it a good read.
A striking revelation to me was the persona - Aditya Chopra. I was glad to read how much he loved cinema and assisted industry stalwarts in directions before starting off on his own. His love for cinema was so much that he would watch roughly 100 films a year, hand out his own awards, compare this to the industry awards and was apparently 90% correct!!
March 26, 2024
Of what little BTS there was, it was enjoyable.
September 16, 2026
I really wanted to love this book more than I did. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is such an interesting film to analyse, especially considering its cultural impact and the way it has remained relevant for decades. Unfortunately, I found the book itself rather underwhelming.
Part of that might simply be because the book is now over 20 years old. Some of the points and interpretations made by Anupama Chopra feel dated today, and I couldn't help thinking about how much more interesting some of these discussions could be with a more contemporary perspective.
The biggest issue for me was the analysis. There are so many themes in DDLJ that could have been explored in greater depth: tradition versus modernity, family expectations, diaspora identity, gender roles, romance, masculinity, the idea of the "ideal" Indian woman, and the film's enormous cultural legacy. Instead, the analysis often felt quite surface-level, which was particularly noticeable given how short the book is.
Chapter 5 was probably the clearest example of this. It was essentially a summary of the film, with a few observations from the author scattered throughout. I kept thinking: but there's so much more we could be talking about!
That said, some of the behind the scenes material was genuinely fascinating. The stories surrounding the making and release of the film were, for me, much more interesting than some of the actual analysis, especially the dispute between Saroj Khan and Aditya Chopra.
Despite all my criticism, I still gave this 3 stars. It wasn't a bad book, and I did enjoy learning more about the making and early reception of a film that has become such an important part of popular culture.
But I do think it's time for Anupama Chopra to revisit this book. A new edition, with updated research and a more contemporary analysis, could be so much more interesting. With a new pair of eyes in 2026, DDLJ could be explored not only as a "modern classic", but also as a cultural phenomenon whose ideas, legacy and contradictions have evolved over the last 30 years.
Part of that might simply be because the book is now over 20 years old. Some of the points and interpretations made by Anupama Chopra feel dated today, and I couldn't help thinking about how much more interesting some of these discussions could be with a more contemporary perspective.
The biggest issue for me was the analysis. There are so many themes in DDLJ that could have been explored in greater depth: tradition versus modernity, family expectations, diaspora identity, gender roles, romance, masculinity, the idea of the "ideal" Indian woman, and the film's enormous cultural legacy. Instead, the analysis often felt quite surface-level, which was particularly noticeable given how short the book is.
Chapter 5 was probably the clearest example of this. It was essentially a summary of the film, with a few observations from the author scattered throughout. I kept thinking: but there's so much more we could be talking about!
That said, some of the behind the scenes material was genuinely fascinating. The stories surrounding the making and release of the film were, for me, much more interesting than some of the actual analysis, especially the dispute between Saroj Khan and Aditya Chopra.
Despite all my criticism, I still gave this 3 stars. It wasn't a bad book, and I did enjoy learning more about the making and early reception of a film that has become such an important part of popular culture.
But I do think it's time for Anupama Chopra to revisit this book. A new edition, with updated research and a more contemporary analysis, could be so much more interesting. With a new pair of eyes in 2026, DDLJ could be explored not only as a "modern classic", but also as a cultural phenomenon whose ideas, legacy and contradictions have evolved over the last 30 years.
November 8, 2021
A fun book about a movie that I have tremendously enjoyed in my youthful past, but now can’t relate to. Chopra has critiqued it pretty well, and I was especially glad about the analysis on gender dynamics in the film, but it still feels a bit superficial. There was scope for so much more - the careers of the cast that is spawned, more behind the scenes incidents and whether it has aged well.
Overall - 3.5 stars
Overall - 3.5 stars
January 17, 2015
As someone who had seen DDLJ multiple times, I loved reading about how it came to life. The book was excellently written and did a great job of taking its readers from the seed to the flower. After finishing the book, it wasn't hard to fall in love again with Simran and Raj.
October 18, 2020
This is a book about the making of the film DDLJ. Its quite concise and, unlike Anupama Chopra's earlier book on Sholay, doesn't have too much of additional information that any fervent fan doesn't already know.
August 26, 2012
Full of wonderful information about the creation & impact of DDLJ. Well written, edited and organized. A great critique of a seminal Hindi film.
February 21, 2017
Wonderful read for die hard DDLJ fans.
February 29, 2024
what a movie, what a book!
November 27, 2025
“DDLJ offered a definition, a purposefully naive, sugar-coated one but a definition all the same. DDLJ told Indians that an Indian is a hybrid who easily enjoys the material comforts of the West and the spiritual comforts of the East. You didn’t have to choose between
the two - the twain could meet, without friction or confusion. So Raj, in his Harley-Davidson leather jacket, is a conformist, and Simran, despite the occasional miniskirt, is a virgin.
The insecurities thrown up by a fast-changing culture were assuaged by a retreat into traditional values. So DDLJ, like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, conceived of the family as sacrosanct. In these narratives, the family - extended, not nuclear - is the centre, the basis, of all that is properly Indian. Personal desire and parental authority must be reconciled. Raj and Simran achieve their goal by finally restoring the status quo.“
I stumbled upon this book pretty randomly while googling something about the movie while watching the Netflix documentary on Yash Raj Films. I decided to pick it up since it is from one my favourite film journalists- Anupama Chopra. And it was pretty good. Very short but covers some history of yash raj films and how this movie came about. It also covers various themes in the movie, what was the thought process of the makers, and why it was so successful in those times. Very interesting observations and analyses! Quick read if you are a fan of this movie and want to revisit those 90s!
the two - the twain could meet, without friction or confusion. So Raj, in his Harley-Davidson leather jacket, is a conformist, and Simran, despite the occasional miniskirt, is a virgin.
The insecurities thrown up by a fast-changing culture were assuaged by a retreat into traditional values. So DDLJ, like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, conceived of the family as sacrosanct. In these narratives, the family - extended, not nuclear - is the centre, the basis, of all that is properly Indian. Personal desire and parental authority must be reconciled. Raj and Simran achieve their goal by finally restoring the status quo.“
I stumbled upon this book pretty randomly while googling something about the movie while watching the Netflix documentary on Yash Raj Films. I decided to pick it up since it is from one my favourite film journalists- Anupama Chopra. And it was pretty good. Very short but covers some history of yash raj films and how this movie came about. It also covers various themes in the movie, what was the thought process of the makers, and why it was so successful in those times. Very interesting observations and analyses! Quick read if you are a fan of this movie and want to revisit those 90s!
August 24, 2024
I want Anupama Chopra to write a book on every Shah Rukh movie out there (yes, Ram Jaane too).
July 4, 2026
Chopra is very knowledgable about the film! Lots of info I would’ve never learned about the production if not for her writing!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews