Raj spoiled me. And raised my expectation to a level which no one has been able to fulfill till date and I know I speak for an entire generation who grew up in the 1990s. Aditya Chopra's iconic love story 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' released in 1995 and changed the concept of wooing a girl and falling in love for that generation.
Before DDLJ, the concept of love in cinema was rather different. It was either sacrificial or rebellion. But DDLJ brought with it a new perspective on love for cine goers, which seemed more practical.
Love stories in cinema and as well as in reality have often faced oppositions from parents. From the era of 'Mughal-e-Azam' to 'Chupke Chupke' to 'Qyamat Se Qyamat Tak'- love has never been easy. But DDLJ showed us how to work things around in your favour without defying anyone. The charming, bratty Raj may have dated several girls in his life, may have appeared to be a brash, but he knew how to impress and work his way around Simran's family and convince them that he was the best for their girl. In Raj's world, rebelling for love was 'not cool'.
Girls swooned over Shah Rukh Khan, worshipped him and were in awe as he patiently explained Kajol how he would convince her father a week before her wedding that he was the best his daughter could ever have. It also raised hopes among us naïve viewers. That maybe that's how every boy will go that extra step to make the girl he loves, his own.
Not just girls, even for boys of my generation, Raj was the ideal man. He knew how to flirt, charm, impress the girl. The idea of romance was taught to many by DDLJ. He was the perfect man. He would observe fast for her on Karwa Chauth, he would travel across the globe to find her and profess his love not knowing for sure if she would love him back, he would spoil her and wait patiently for parental nod for their union.
The spirit of adventure, the level of self- confidence and the ability to impress one and all made the character so popular that to this day, filmmakers and fans swear by the film and the role essayed by Khan.
The story catered to all age groups for different reasons. While youngsters loved it for its romance, for Shah Rukh Khan's carefree character, the older generation appreciated the fact that despite all odds, the lovers did not elope but instead tried to convince their parents. Also the concept of an NRI (played by Amrish Puri) being so rooted to his country and its culture struck a chord with everyone across the world.
While the film and Raj Malhotra became a reference point for many love stories in the coming years, it also set an unusually high standard for those who were trying to woo a girl or the girl's family which was perhaps unfair.
19 years on, the film remains a reference point for all people in love and also for filmmakers. 19 years since its release, the film's content doesn't feel jaded. India has changed in these many years, but we fall in love the way Raj taught us to.
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