Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (transl. The Big-Hearted Will Take Away the Bride), also known by the initialism DDLJ, is an Indian romance film, directed by Aditya Chopra (in his directorial debut), produced by his father Yash Chopra, and written by Javed Siddiqui with Aditya Chopra. Released on 20 October 1995, the film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The plot revolves around Raj and Simran, two young non-resident Indians, who fall in love during a vacation through Europe with their friends. Raj tries to win over Simran's family so the couple can marry, but Simran's father has long since promised her hand to his friend's son. The film was shot in India, London and Switzerland, from September 1994 to August 1995.

Earning ₹1.06 billion (valued at about US$32,766,000 in 1995) in India and ₹160 million (valued at about US$4,946,000 in 1995) overseas, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge became the highest grossing Bollywood film of the year, and one of the most successful Indian films in history. It won 10 Filmfare Awards—the most for a single film at that time—and the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Its soundtrack album became one of the most popular of the 1990s.

Many critics praised the film, which connected with different segments of society by simultaneously promoting strong family values and the following of one's own heart. Its success led other film makers to target the non-resident Indian audience, which was deemed more lucrative for them. It spawned many imitations of its story and style, and homages to specific scenes. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was one of only three Hindi films in the reference book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and was placed twelfth on the British Film Institute's list of top Indian films of all time. It is the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema. As of 2019, over 20 years after its first release, it is still being shown at the Maratha Mandir theatre in Mumbai.

Plot
Raj Malhotra (Shah Rukh Khan) and Simran Singh (Kajol) are non-resident Indians (NRI) living in London. Simran was raised by her strict and conservative father, Baldev Singh (Amrish Puri), while Raj's father Dharamvir Malhotra (Anupam Kher) is very liberal. Simran always dreams of meeting her ideal man; her mother Lajjo (Farida Jalal) warns her against this, saying dreams are good, but one should not blindly believe they come true. One day, Baldev receives a letter from his friend Ajit (Satish Shah), who lives in Punjab, India. Ajit wants to keep a promise he and Baldev made to each other 20 years ago—to have Simran marry his son Kuljeet (Parmeet Sethi). Simran is disappointed, as she does not want to marry someone whom she has never met.

One evening, Raj enters Baldev's shop after closing time to buy beer. Baldev refuses, but Raj grabs a case of beer, throws money on the counter, and runs away. An infuriated Baldev calls Raj a disgrace to India. Meanwhile, Raj's father agrees to his request to go on a train trip across Europe with his friends, and Simran's friends have invited her to go on the same trip. Simran asks her father to let her see the world before her marriage, and he reluctantly agrees.

On the trip, Raj and Simran meet. Raj constantly flirts with Simran, much to her irritation. The two miss their train to Zurich and are separated from their friends, but start to travel together and become friends. Raj falls in love with Simran on the journey, and when they part ways in London, Simran realises she is in love with him as well. At home, Simran tells her mother about the boy she met on her trip; Baldev overhears the conversation and becomes enraged with his daughter. He says the family will move to India the next day. Meanwhile, Raj tells his father about Simran and that she will soon get married. When Raj says he believes Simran loves him too, his father encourages him to go after her.

In India, Baldev is reunited with his relatives and his friend Ajit. A miserable Simran and her younger sister Chutki (Pooja Ruparel) take an instant dislike to Simran's fiancé Kuljeet because of his arrogance. Simran pines for Raj, but her mother tells her to forget him because she knows Baldev will never accept their relationship. The next morning, Raj arrives outside of the house where Simran is staying and the two reunite. She begs him to elope with her, but Raj refuses and says he will only marry her with her father's consent. Raj befriends Kuljeet and is quickly accepted by both families. Later, his father arrives in India and also becomes friends with Simran's and Kuljeet's families. Eventually, Lajjo and Chutki discover that Raj is the boy Simran fell in love with in Europe. Lajjo also tells Raj and Simran to run away, but he still refuses. Baldev recognises Raj from the beer incident but eventually accepts him. However, after he discovers a photograph of Raj and Simran together in Europe, he slaps and humiliates Raj and tells him to leave.

As Raj and his father wait at the railway station, Kuljeet, who is angry to learn of Raj's love for Simran, arrives with his friends and attack them. Eventually, Baldev and Ajit arrive and stop the fight, and Raj boards the departing train with his father. Simran then arrives with her mother and sister; she tries to join Raj on the train, but Baldev stops her. Simran begs him to let her go, saying she cannot live without Raj. Baldev, realising nobody loves his daughter more than Raj does, lets her go, and she runs and catches the train as it departs.

Cast
Credits adapted from British Film Institute.
 * Shah Rukh Khan as Raj Malhotra
 * Kajol as Simran Singh
 * Amrish Puri as Chaudhary Baldev Singh, Simran's father
 * Farida Jalal as Lajwanti "Lajjo" Singh, Simran's mother
 * Satish Shah as Ajit Singh, Baldev's friend in India
 * Achala Sachdev as Simran's grandmother
 * Himani Shivpuri as Kammo Kaur, Simran's aunt
 * Pooja Ruparel as Rajeshwari "Chutki" Singh, Simran's sister
 * Anupam Kher as Dharamvir Malhotra, Raj's father
 * Parmeet Sethi as Kuljeet Singh, Ajit's son
 * Mandira Bedi as Preeti Singh, Ajit's daughter
 * Anaita Shroff Adajania as Sheena, Simran's friend
 * Karan Johar and Arjun Sablok as Raj's friends Rocky and Robbie