Mumbai: To mark the 30th anniversary of the iconic film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol unveiled a bronze statue of their characters, Raj and Simran, at London’s Leicester Square.
DDLJ is the first-ever Indian film to be honoured with a statue at Leicester Square, joining other cult characters from historic films, such as Harry Potter, Mary Poppins, Paddington, and Singin’ in the Rain, as well as Batman and Wonder Woman.
Reacting to this latest feather in the cap, King Khan revealed that he had no idea that DDLJ would become this phenomenon.
“I’m very fortunate to have been part of cinema like this and very grateful. I think none of us, to be honest, had any idea DDLJ would become this in people’s hearts. I am sure Adi (Aditya Chopra) and all felt it would be a good film and everybody would like it, but I don’t think anyone would have ever imagined what it became and what it stands for,” SRK shared.
Shedding light on the significance of DDLJ’s statue in London, Shah Rukh Khan added, “It’s very personal for both of us (Kajol and Him) and for the Indian Film industry! UK, London is quite responsible for our stardom in a way because we were doing well in our country, like other actors, but I think we started doing a lot better overseas, and what was known as overseas principally at that time, the biggest market was the UK.”
He recalled, “It started off as a set of youngsters making DDLJ, Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar was an AD then. It was a fun trip of 30-40 days, and we made it very fast, specially in Switzerland and England … quite a free-wheeling shooting, handheld, especially here in Leicester Square we didn’t even tell anyone we did a quick scene and got away with it”, he recalled.
“I think it’s a moment of pride for Indian Cinema and rightly so for this to happen in UK, which started off the trend of Indian film being recognised the world over,” SRK concluded.
IANS