Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: A Modern Classic

Description

The longest-running film ever. The coming-of-age of one of Indian cinema s biggest superstars, Shah Rukh Khan. The template for what we now know as Bollywood cinema. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, playing continuously for twenty years (and counting) in a Mumbai theatre, heralded a new era in Hindi films. Even Barack Obama referenced it in one of his speeches. One of the earliest contemporary Hindi films to focus on Indian residents abroad, DDLJ addressed a newly liberalized nation with its heady cocktail of European locations, flashy cars and gorgeous mansions. It was also – perhaps not quite surprisingly – a conformist film, upholding traditions of premarital chastity and family authority, affirming an essential Indian identity in the face of the forces of westernization and liberalization. Critic, author and analyst Anupama Chopra s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: A Modern Classic is a deep dive into the movie, examining the making of it as well as the impact it had on popular culture and Hindi cinema. A loving tribute to an iconic film, this book is the definitive account of a Bollywood – indeed, Indian – phenomenon.

Author Biography

Anupama Chopra is a film critic, author and director of the Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the film critic for Hindustan Times and founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written about the Hindi film industry since 1993 and has explored cinema in several mediums print, television and digital. From 2012 to 2014, she anchored The Front Row on Star World. Her work has been published extensively in India Today and she has also written about Bollywood for various international publications such as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Variety and Sight & Sound. She is currently a contributing editor to Vogue (India). She has written several books on cinema, including The Front Row: Conversations on Cinema, 100 Films to See Before You Die, Freeze Frame, First Day First Show: Writings from the Bollywood Trenches. Anupama has also written a biography of Shah Rukh Khan titled King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema. Her first book, Sholay: The Making of a Classic, won the prestigious National Award (given by the President of India) for the Best Book on Cinema.