Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol speak about DDLJ’s impact on its 30th anniversary

Yash Raj Film’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, is unanimously hailed as one of Indian cinema's most loved romantic films. The historic blockbuster has cemented its place as the film with the most significant pop culture impact for Indians, and South Asians around the globe.

For 30 years, DDLJ’s iconic on-screen pair Raj and Simran have been synonymous with love in the country. Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol celebrated the film's 30th anniversary, saying they can never forget how people fell in love with DDLJ.

“It doesn’t feel like it’s been 30 years since Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge released. It feels like it happened yesterday because ‘bade bade deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hai,’ but it still feels unimaginable," says Shah Rukh Khan.

"I’m truly grateful for all the love that I have received from people from across the world for playing Raj - nobody could have foreseen the kind of place the film made in the hearts of people around the world…see the film and fall in love,” adds SRK.

SRK further said, “The impact this film has had on the hearts of people worldwide is unprecedented and so many couples meet me and say we got married or fell in love after watching this film. I also feel that it has had such a happy effect on the pop culture of India and South Asians.”

“I think all the success is to be credited to the pure heart with which the film was made by us all, the clarity that Adi had about DDLJ and especially, because of the blessings of Yash ji! Here’s to the many years of falling in love,” concludes superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

Kajol who played Simran says, “Thirty years of DDLJ sounds surreal. The film has aged into a legacy and a nostalgic experience for a generation. That classic was made with the recklessness of youth and the honesty of first love, never imagining that Raj and Simran would make the entire nation hold its breath at a train station. The songs, the dialogues, the mustard fields - everything from that world seeped into pop culture and stayed there.”

She adds, “There’s a piece of DDLJ in almost every romantic film that came after it, because somewhere, history was made and it never quite left us. For me, Simran is a chapter that refuses to end. She represents millions of girls across this country - girls who want to do what their parents say, who carry tradition in one hand but still reach out for freedom with the other. That’s why she still resonates. Every time someone says, ‘Ja Simran, ja', it signifies the belief that courage and love can coexist.”

Talking about DDLJ’s timeless impact, Kajol says, “The viewers who adored this film at sixteen are now watching it with their children, owning it more fiercely with every passing year. Maybe that’s what turning thirty does to a person, you begin to know yourself better. But when a film reigns for thirty years, it defines a generation’s idea of who they are and what love means to them. It has become the template of how Indian cinema dreams of love. So grateful to the viewers who still see me as that girl in the white suit, running toward someone she loves…just with more sass.”

About how DDLJ made SRK and Kajol one of the most iconic on-screen pairs, Kajol says, “I’ll always be grateful for the love that DDLJ received. Over the years, it became a cultural landmark that made audiences believe in love even when life tested them. When a film becomes a phenomena, it does so for countless reasons — a combination of script, performances, music, emotion and timing, but mostly because it taps into something universal.”

She adds, “For me, the brilliance lies in Adi’s vision to make this idea of romance the nation's biggest obsession. Navigating the expectations of family, balancing tradition and modernity, and learning the courage to follow your heart are themes that don’t age. They resonate with every generation, whether you’re experiencing first love or looking back at it with nostalgia.”

DDLJ also showed SRK and Kajol’s effortless chemistry that moved people on an emotional level like never before. Kajol reveals, “I’ve never been one to tiptoe around the truth and Shah Rukh is no different. With him, it was effortless from the first take. There’s a kind of understanding, a rhythm, and a trust that just clicks. You know exactly how the other person thinks, how they’ll react, how a look, a pause, or even silence will land. That’s why the magic feels so natural on screen; it’s not acting in the traditional sense, it’s responding, playing, and bouncing off each other in a way that feels real.”

“There is a lot of mutual respect and comfort in our equation. We never had to overthink, over-plan, or try too hard. Even in the most emotional or intense scenes, there’s this unspoken confidence that the other person will meet you halfway. And I think audiences feel that; they sense authenticity, even if they don’t know the work behind it,” concludes Kajol.

Directed by Aditya Chopra, the film released on October 20, 1995 and revolved around a love story between the charismatic Raj played by Shah Rukh Khan and shy Simran played by Kajol, two youngsters who won’t get married until they get parental consent.