Today, Aditya Chopra celebrates his 41st birthday. He has a lot of films in his name to be proud of, whether as a director or a producer, but the one film that will perhaps always stand out is his debut – Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Today, in order to celebrate his birthday, we’re sharing with you 5 things this film taught us.
1. No guy’s ever gonna be a Raj.
This is one of the more depressing lessons, but it’s true. Raj is the kind of character that makes you believe in love. He can be an exasperating person at times, but he’s also funny, witty, and an actual good guy – the perfect mix! That’s why it’s depressing when you realize that he’s only a character and the chances of finding a real life Raj are slim.
2. “Bade bade deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hai.”
This is a line that Raj mouths off casually, but it’s still undeniably true. When you’re going through something particularly aggravating, it’s always useful to remember this line and realize that little, annoying things keep happening, but eventually they won’t matter anymore.
3. It doesn’t take a lot to say you’re in love.
When Raj tries to figure out if Simran loves him or not, a simple “Palat” is enough to do the trick. When Simran asks Raj if he’ll come to his wedding, he simply tells her, “No, I won’t” – and flashes her a sad smile; his eyes say everything that needs to be, and that’s the moment Simran realizes he loves her. When Raj shows up at Simran’s house and finds it locked, a cow bell hung at the door tells him all he needs to know: yes, she’s in love with him, and yes, he should follow her.
4. Trust is key.
DDLJ tells us that trust is key in any relationship – whether it’s the father-daughter relationship, where strict Baldev allows Simran to go on a Euro trip with a “Jaa Simran, jee le apni zindagi” (after she convinces him that she’s worthy of his trust, of course). Or whether it’s in a romantic relationship, where Raj and Simran have the conversation:
Raj: Pyar karti ho mujhe?
Simran: Sabse zyaada.
Raj: Barosa karti ho mujh pe?
Simran: Khud se be zyaada.
5. Happy endings are possible.
Even as you realize this is a film, there is something about DDLJ that convinces you true love is possible. I don’t know whether it’s the “come fall in love” tagline or the characters overcoming every hurdle possible to be with each other, but I believe the film will put a smile on even the biggest cynic’s face.
Psst, if you want more you can check out our two minute movie on DDLJ!