DDLJ Screening in Paris: Are Parisians eager for a sequel?

DDLJ Screening in Paris: Are Parisians eager for a sequel?

DDLJ on the big screen at Le Trianon.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, the longest running film in the history of Indian cinema, has carried a legacy across three decades, and gathered a fanbase far beyond its country of release.

Inspired by my love for the film, I’ve spent six years developing a potential continuation that is now a complete screenplay. While the future of any sequel remains entirely in the hands of the creators, I’ve been trying to explore audience interest and understand what today’s viewers would want from a sequel. As a non-Indian Bollywood enthusiast myself, I believe it’s crucial to consider global appeal.

A few months back, I spotted a DDLJ poster at Le Trianon, one of the oldest cinemas in Romainville, a suburb of Paris. It felt like my first real chance to study a foreign audience response to the classic. What do Parisians think of DDLJ? What motivates a first-time viewer to come see a movie that was released thirty years ago? I carried my notebook with me and headed out, ready to run my own little survey.

DDLJ poster among other films

I was taking a picture of the poster when Daphné, a French documentarian for “Radio France”, approached me. She was working on a documentary about the impact of Bollywood films in France, driven by her love for Shah Rukh Khan. She was first introduced to Indian Cinema in the US, when her sister took her to the screening of Main Hoon Na. Since then, she became a true SRK fan – this screening marked her fifth time seeing DDLJ. As we talked, we quickly realized we were there for the same purpose. Teaming up was inevitable.

Daphné showing me her current read.

The movie theater staff were incredibly supportive. We first met Chloé, the technical manager and a huge Bollywood fan herself. She said she’d be “100 % in” for a sequel, plot aside, as long as Raj and Simran returned to the screen again. Julien, the head of Le Trianon, kindly handed us the mic after his welcome speech so we could introduce ourselves and ask the audience for their participation.

During intermission, people started approaching me to share their very own DDLJ stories. Sylvie, early fifties, would narrate to me her last trip to India twenty years ago, where one spontaneous decision to enter the movie theatre changed her life forever. Despite the language barrier, Sylvie stayed the entire duration of the film.

Moments before the screening. 240 came to see the classic.

But my favorite encounter was with Genevieve, late eighties, who sat to my left during the second half. Her little gasps at the dramatic moments, her funny remarks, her vibing to Mehendi Lagake Rakhna you’d think she had grown up with the film. To my surprise, it was her first-ever Bollywood movie. When I asked her what brought her there, she simply said she loved films with heart and music.

Thankfully, Daphné wasn’t the only one rooting for a sequel. Most people I interviewed were extremely excited by the mere thought of seeing Raj and Simran navigate through their relationship in this day and age. Others were rather hesitant – scared a sequel would disappoint but still willing to give it a chance at the screening.

For me, this evening felt like a reassuring pat on the back. A quiet reminder of why stories like DDLJ travel through time and continents, crossing cultures, languages, and generations. Great stories find their way to people. Here’s hoping mine is next in line to board the train.