Twenty-two years later, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol’s iconic train sequence in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge continues to inspire filmmakers. We try and decode why It’s still on track
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 7, 2017)

It is almost 22 years old, but Aditya Chopra’s train sequence in the Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol-starrer Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), still serves as an inspiration for filmmakers. It is considered the best way to unite lovers at the station. Counted as among the best scenes in Bollywood history, it had Raj (Shah Rukh) hanging out of a train as it chugs out of the station and extend his hand to Simran (Kajol) as she rushes to board the train, just in time before it gathers speed.

Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon have replicated the scene in Dinesh Vijan’s upcoming film, Raabta. There were no plans initially to re-create the scene. The unit happened to be shooting at a railway station in Budapest, Hungary. On the spur-of-the moment, Kriti suggested that she and Sushant should re-enact the famous DDLJ train scene. She convinced director Dinesh Vijan and producer Homi Adajania and they shot a DDLJ option just for their private viewing. Kriti was shot running in slow-motion as Sushant boards a train leaving the station. What was made just for jest has now made it to the final cut of the film and the makers now feel they could not have done sans the scene.



Says Kriti, “Raabta is a love story. This is our tribute to the most adored love story of Bollywood just seemed so apt. We enacted the DDLJ scene for our own enjoyment. I can’t believe it has made its way into the film!” Adds Dinesh, “It was an impromptu act. The scene needed to underline Kriti’s character who is dying to get one last glimpse of her lover who is leaving her. Looking back, I’m glad we shot an option of the train pulling out and Kriti running alongside DDLJ style. I guess it is our humble bow to one of our most epic love stories.”

Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor have also relived the DDLJ moment in in their upcoming film, Mohit Suri’s Half Girlfriend. In a role reversal, the film has Arjun trying to reach out to Shraddha before hopping aboard. While shooting for the scene in September last year, Arjun had shared the pictures on social media and wrote, “Our very own DDLJ moment.”