Plot
A young man and woman - both of Indian descent but born and raised in Britain - fall in love during a trip to Switzerland. However, the girl's traditional father takes her back to India to fulfill a betrothal promise.
Release Year: 1995
Rating: 7.8/10 (9,473 voted)
Director:
Aditya Chopra
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amrish Puri
Storyline Raj is a rich, carefree, happy-go-lucky second generation NRI. Simran is the daughter of Chaudhary Baldev Singh, who in spite of being an NRI is very strict about adherence to Indian values. The two meet on a month long Eurotrip, and what began as pranks and fun and games, ends in love. But by the time they realize it, it is already too late, as Simran has left for India to be married to her childhood fiancé. Raj leaves for India with a mission at his hands, to claim his lady love under the noses of her whole family. Thus begins a saga.
Filming Locations: Angel Underground Station, Islington, London, England, UK
Box Office Details
Budget: INR 40,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: £107,330
(UK)
(26 March 2000)
(21 Screens)
Gross: £107,330
(UK)
(26 March 2000)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
Japan:
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USA:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Shah Rukh Khan's friends in the film, Karan Johar and Arjun Sablok, both later went on to become successful directors.
Goofs:
Errors in geography:
During the climax, the railway station where Raj and Kuljit have a fight is shown to be 'Apta' (as seen on the signboard). Apta is a small station near Mumbai and is more than 1700 km away from Punjab where the plot is based.
Quotes: Raj Malhotra:
You son of a gun.
User Review
Like every movie of its kind, and yet like nothing I've ever seen
Rating: 10/10
Dilwale made me glad to be a Westerner, just so I could experience the
sheer rush in the glorious way this film simply throws its Indian
sensibility in your face. It is one of the most completely, openly
joyful films I have ever seen. In many ways a totally Western film, it
is yet completely un-Western, and absolutely invigorating.
I found the (rather oddly looped in places) mix of Hindi and English
dialog to be a lot of fun to follow (as incomplete as the subtitles
sometimes seemed). The Indian/Western pop structure of the songs was
entertaining and infectious. The choreography is simply amazing, and
some of the most sheerly athletic I've seen. The Indian roots of the
dance routines were at first almost unnerving--at once familiar yet
bizarre, almost surreal (to my Western eyes). It was sheer fun making
the cultural adjustment.
The plot is predictable, almost pedestrian--certainly not what you'd
call "never done before," and yet I found myself completely absorbed in
the story, and rooting for the main characters. This is in large part
due to Shahrukh Khan's and Kajol's performances as Raj and Simran. He
is totally endearing, and she is totally hot!, and their on screen
chemistry is as cute & perky and smoldering & steamy as Fred and Ginger
at their peak. It was, simply put, fun to watch them having so much
fun.
Director Aditya Chopra was, I understand, only 24 when he made Dilwale,
and the film was so successful its Indian first run lasted a
world-record 11 years (and may still be going on, as far as I know). A
heckuva testimony to Bollywood indeed. This movie has instantly become
one of my favorite musicals, and I look forward to finding more films
from Chopra, Khan, and Kajol. What a treat!
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