Aditya Chopra had actually envisioned the film as a cross-cultural love story between an American boy and an Indian girl.
Stories surrounding 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' –a milestone of Indian cinema - seem straight out of a blockbuster film. It all started with a young filmmaker coming up with an ambitious project, breaking away from Bollywood's conventions and offering a fresh take on love. Instead of those usual larger-than-life superficial romances, it presented a love story grounded in reality, with all its flaws and complexities. An actor previously limited to negative, villainous roles transformed into a romantic hero upon its release and eventually became the "King of Romance" for generations to come. And the benchmark was set so high that no other film, not even by the same director, actor, and production house, in nearly three decades has been able to come even close.
Well, 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', or simply ‘DDLJ,’ happened exactly 29 years ago today - October 10, 1995. The rest - no matter how cliched it sounds - is indeed history! Among all the things that worked so well in the film, it is undoubtedly Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol's chemistry that comes atop and hits the bull's eye effortlessly. Whether it's the charming Raj spreading his arms wide amidst mustard flowers, the dreamy Simran dancing to "Mere Khabon Mein Koi Aayen", the "Palat-Palat-Palat" thing as a confirmation of love, or Raj-Simran fighting together against all odds for their relationship - aah, it's pure magic! As Anupama Chopra wrote in her review, "... the magic of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol created a template for modern love, which was hip and cool but resolutely Indian."
DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE released 25 yrs ago on 20 Oct 1995
— Film History Pics (@FilmHistoryPic) October 19, 2020
Longest running film in the history of Indian Cinema#DDLJ @iamsrk @itsKajolD @AnupamPKher pic.twitter.com/bHTpQDKoDi
Credit: Film History Pics
'DDLJ' without SRK, and vice versa, is impossible to even imagine. However, not many know that Aditya Chopra had actually envisioned it with a popular Hollywood actor in his mind. To mark the film's 29th anniversary, let's learn about that in this article.
It sounds weird now, I agree, but Aditya Chopra's first choice for the role of Raj was Tom Cruise - the Hollywood superstar.
According to the book, 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: The Making of a Blockbuster', written by Anupama Chopra, Aditya Chopra had initially written it as a cross-cultural love story between an American boy and an Indian girl. Hence, he wanted Tom Cruise for the lead role.
Later, Kajol, who played Simran in DDLJ, confirmed the same in an interview, saying, "He did want Tom Cruise in the film initially. It was on his wish list. Every director has a wish list where you put up actors whom you want and then after that, you come back to earth, 'Achatheekhai normal apnedeshke hero ko lete hain. (Let's cast an actor of our country)'."
Notably, some reports suggest that Chopra reached out to Cruise with the offer. However, the fees that the ‘Mission Impossible’ actor demanded weren't feasible for YRF at that time.
It was Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra's father and legendary filmmaker, who asked him to rework the story and make the characters non-resident Indians. The debutant filmmaker followed his father's advice, and the result turned out to be a blockbuster.
Interestingly, Shah Rukh Khan wasn't even the second or third choice for the role. Saif Ali Khan, who was rising as a romantic hero back then, was offered the role of Raj. The actor loved the script and was keen on doing the film, however, had to turn it down due to his unavailability.
Actors like Aamir Khan and Salman Khan were also approached for the same. However, they too rejected the offer for different reasons.
And finally, as destiny had it, the role went to Shah Rukh Khan.
Yes, you read it absolutely right! Prior to DDLJ, Shah Rukh Khan was the quintessential actor for negative roles (anti-heroes, precisely) in mainstream Hindi films. And SRK actually aspired to become an action star, much like Amitabh Bachchan during the 70s. Also, he never really believed that he would be accepted as a romantic hero like his contemporaries Salman Khan and Aamir Khan.
Shah Rukh Khan with Juhi Chawla in a still from Yash Chopra's ‘Darr’
Hence, the superstar initially rejected Aditya Chopra's offer - not once, but four times. In the Netflix documentary 'The Romantics', SRK said, "I never wanted to do a romantic role. Because by the time I joined films, I was 26. Normally, romantic films meant that you started off from college and then you work your way up into romance and then run away with a girl or committed suicide with a girl. I thought I was too old to be a romantic hero.”
But Aditya Chopra knew SRK's "eyes have something that cannot be wasted on action". And Yash Chopra convinced the actor that he must take up the role in order to become a superstar. As the late filmmaker told him, "You must take up romantic roles on the big screens if you want to survive in the industry.”
Finally, SRK agreed to play Raj Malhotra. And that one decision changed his career completely, catapulting him to global stardom like no other!
