Remembering 'DDLJ' in a small town

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It's been 16 years of one of the immortal love stories on Indian celluloid screen. Raj Malhotra and Simran Singh had fallen in love for the first and last time on October 20, 1995 amidst yellow flowers.

The cable TV phenomenon had not gripped the metropolitans; leave aside the small town in the northern most part of India. The Doordarshan was the only connection to the outside world and watching weekly countdown show 'Ek Se Badhkar Ek' was considered not lesser than visiting Bangladesh, a nearby country where privileged people used to go in connection of their trades.

The newspapers used to arrive around 5 in the evening due to irregular transportation but whenever they came educated people used to grab the main page and the not so important page with filmy gossips were left for lesser learned.

Those gossip pages informed us that Raj-Simran story has created history at the box office. The era belonged to VCPs and VCRs and 'Saraswati Puja' was one big much awaited festival when children were not monitored as usual.

It was a tradition to play VCP on puja and the year 1996 was no exception. For the first time, people of that ultra small town saw 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' which had become 'DDLJ' till then. 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun' was the trend setter for small names but the tradition became habit only after 'DDLJ'.

The show started around 11 in the night after the successful showcase of 'Disco Dancer'. Most of the elderly people and family guys left the premises and youngsters took the guard and then began 'DDLJ'.

Over hype is a double edged sword. Some people who were jeering and cheering in the climax of 'Disco Dancer' were now annoyed with Raj Malhotra, Shah Rukh Khan, who was doing all sorts of mischievous acts to irritate Simran, Kajol.

None of the crowd members had seen any country other than Nepal or at maximum Bangladesh, so they were more interested in European locales than the budding love of Raj-Simran.

They say that good wines seize slowly. After some minutes, when two of the songs were over, the amphitheatre was witnessing pin drop silence.

Two different types of facial expressions were visible whenever Amrish Puri appeared on the screen. Youngsters looked on the verge of rebellion while the little group of elderly people seemed intensely calm.

The film proceeded and Kuljeet Singh, played by Parmeet Sethi, started to woo Simran will all his ultra manhood. Raj watched everything with patience and somehow kept his hopes alive. Chaudhary Baldev Singh's domination had stopped Lajo from opening her mouth and Raj's father Dharamvir Malhotra, played by Anupam Kher, was not expected to be of any use in the jeopardised situation.

The quick witted Simran saved the day for Raj by showing a bandaged finger at the engagement. The mass at the small town heaved a sigh of relief because they believed that it's a sin to break the promises made at the engagement.

The respect for Simran grew when she strategically fainted and drank first drop of water from Raj only instead of Kuljeet. None of the gathered ones were familiar with Punjabi traditions but they understood that Simran can't live with anyone other than Raj.

The climax began soon after. The 50 something crowd had not anticipated that Raj will refuse to run away with Simran and will fight for Indian values. The gathering did not lose serenity and continued to watch in absolute peace even when Raj broke bones of Kuljeet and his sidekicks.

Now, Raj is returning and Baldev Singh's daughter is helpless. The calm of the small towners has vanished somewhere. Unique abuses have hurled in the air and then suddenly Baldev Singh releases Simran's wrist.

People are again shocked and the loud background score is trying real hard to compel them into crying. Some do not mind that. Others don't bother to stop them. The expression on every face is the same. All are satisfied that the true love has won finally.