Blog Entry 2-Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) may be one of my favorite foreign films that I’ve ever watched and I’m incredibly glad that I chose it for my blog entry. The film follows the story of Simran and Raj, two non-resident Indians living in London. The two meet when they and their friends take overlapping trips to Europe and their bickering back and forth quickly grows into true love. However, their trip only lasts a month and when they return home, Simran must go to India for her arranged marriage to her father, Baldev,’s life long friend’s son, Kuljeet. The first half of the film shows the two falling in love in Europe and the second half takes place in India with Simran’s family. In Indian, several people discover that Raj is the boy Simran fell in love with in Europe, but despite their pleas for the two to elope, Raj refuses, claiming that he cannot take Simran without her father’s blessing. Upon finding out about Raj and Simran’s love, Baldev confronts Raj and tells him to leave. It is not until after Kuljeet’s angry attack on Raj and his father that Baldev gives Simran his blessing and she is able to run and catch Raj just as the train is leaving the station so that the two can live happily ever after.
One of my favorite aspects of this film was the music and dance numbers. The technique is a classic of Bollywood cinema and drove the plot of the film. The purpose of music and song is to express when mere words do not suffice and they elevate already strong emotions. Simran’s opening number about finding her love plays out like a music video, showing her youth and excitement. It is quickly contrasted with her disappointment at an arranged marriage and displays what true love is meant to look and feel like. The song is later alluded to when Raj talks about his dream girl and uses the same language that Simran once sung, the soundtrack playing lightly below as he does so. Music is one of my favorite ways to make connections throughout a piece and I think this film utilizes it beautifully. Not only are the songs catchy and fun, they also show the progression of Raj’s and Simran’s love and drive the film forward effortlessly.
A common motif in DDLJ is the use of trains and train stations. They are naturally present in a film that centers around a European trip, but their significance to Raj’s and Simran’s story cannot be overstated. Their first meeting when Raj helps her onto the train as they are both late to meeting their groups is a direct parallel to the final scene when Simran runs to catch up to Raj on the train and elope with him. Cinematically, this parallel is shown through an identical camera angle and shot sequence of a wide angle of Simran running, a medium shot of Raj reaching out his hand, and a close up as their hands clasp before he pulls her up to him. Almost ironically, missing a train is also very significant to their story as Raj causes them both to miss the train with their friends to Zurich. As a result, the two spend a day and a half alone together and it is here that they transition from bickering annoyance to falling in love with one another as they get to know each other on a deeper level. The final sequence is incredibly emotional because the repetition of the train motif makes it even more significant. The weight of Simran missing that final train is palpable knowing that she would not be able to catch up to him once it left the station, but after their long journey, they are finally able to be together.
Another important theme that I thought was unique to Indian cinema was the importance of tradition and familial roles in the film. One of the major plot points, Simran’s arranged marriage is in and of itself rather unique to Indian culture, as well as the familial dynamics of Simran’s father making the arrangement and expecting her obedience. From the beginning, Baldev expresses a great desire to hold onto his Indian culture and not have himself or his family “stained by Britishness”. The final scene at the train station is so suspenseful Simran is waiting for her father to let her go and chase Raj on the train and I think it is Raj’s acknowledgement of the importance of her father’s blessing that ultimately makes Baldev see his worth. In addition to witnessing Raj fight Kuljeet for Simran and defend his father, Raj does two important things when seeking her hand: 1) He does not elope and steal her away because he does not have her father’s blessing and 2) Even when Simran offers to run away with him in front of her father, he acknowledges that their elders have given them so much that they “ have no right to make them sad for [their] happiness” and ultimately know what is best for them, which turns out to be true. Raj leaves Simran in the hands of her father and defers to his judgement. The final confrontation is not between Raj and Kuljeet, but between Raj and Baldev as the camera cuts several times between the two men in a shot-reverse-shot sequence. It is in this moment that Baldev contemplates and concedes to Simran that “No one can love you more than he does” before giving his blessing and telling her to go, a situation that Raj previously claimed was absolutely necessary for him to leave with Simran.
This movie was masterfully done and I thoroughly enjoyed watching all three hours of it. The runtime may have been longer due to musical numbers, but I feel I could write an entire essay analyzing the narrative and cinematic themes of the film. It was fun and gripping and I was constantly pulled to root for Raj and Simran to be happy. Following many common themes and motifs, the film was a classic Bollywood style movie and after watching this I can say with confidence that I will quickly be looking for another Aditya Chopra film to watch and enjoy.
