DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE

The love story of Raj and Simran is virtually synonymous with romance in Bollywood; Aditya Chopra’s directorial debut, released in 1995, has been running almost continuously ever since. Simran (Kajol) and Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) are children of ex-pat Indian families who meet while travelling around Europe. Lost somewhere outside Zurich, they fall in love. Family loyalties stand in their way, however; Simran’s sternly traditional father Baldev (Amrish Puri) has already promised her to the son of his old friend in India and is furious when he hears she has fallen for someone else. He whisks the family away to India – but Raj follows, determined to inveigle his way into Baldev’s good graces and marry Simran with his blessing. Can love be permitted to triumph? DDLJ, as it is popularly known, is ultimately an affirmation of Indian family values, but it is also full of fun and great songs.