Analysis Of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

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Bollywood takes a new significance in everyone’s life. It reflects various themes through the public elements for Indian diaspora. The Bollywood diaspora often represents a substantial market for films whose characters are a definition of Indian identity galvanized by globalization. In this paper, the movie ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ is analyzed to show how diaspora has been represented through its lens. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) (1995) a Yash Raj production, is an iconic and a very popular Bollywood movie of the 90’s. DDLJ mark a sea-change in Hindi Cinema. The story is about Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) and Simran (Kajol) who meet in Europe and fall for each other. Raj then follows her to India, so as to win her and her strict father’s …show more content…
This can be very well seen through the character of Simran’s father, Baldev Singh (Amrish Puri). He keeps “Indian culture” even in his home in a foreign land. Despite living in London for more than 20 years, his Indian values and his love for the Indian culture is not sublimed. He misses his homeland and culture in an alien land proves that he does not want to let go what represents him and is his, his Indian culture. He keeps an idol of goddess in his shop, in London and get furious when Raj breaks it in the act of stealing beer. “DDLJ proposes that Indian identity can survive translocation, albeit requiring renewal and replenishment through a periodic return to the homeland” (Uberoi 310). He gets happy when he sees his daughter feeling shy, when she reads that her marriage has been fixed, because he thinks he has succeeded in aligning his family to the Indian values and its culture. When Baldev returns to India, we see how his Indian values are reaffirmed. In the end he gets angry when he comes to know that his daughter fell in love with the Raj and wants to marry him, which was against Indian culture according to him. The anxiety of Indianess is one of the most important theme in the movie that is depicted through the different characters in the movie. When Raj, who is an NRI in the movie, leaves for India to claim his lady love, his mission is backed by the efforts of proving his Indianess, so as …show more content…
Raj in the movie refuses to elope with Simran, when Simran’s mother encourages him to do so. Raj waits to win Baldev’s heart and not Simran’s mother, Lajwanti (Farida Jalal) which shows the authority and the power of the male figure in the family. Similarly, Simran tries hard to convince her father over to allow her to go on a trip to Europe, not her mother. Raj and Simran awaits parental blessings, suggests marriage as interfamily alliance. Also, both Raj and Simran abstain themselves from sexual relationships before the marriage. “Main ek Hindustani hun aur main janta hun ki ek Hindustani larki ki izzat kya hoti hai” a dialogue by Raj in the movie reflects how valuable the honour of a girl is in the Indian culture. Raj is seen carrying this idea of Indianess, being an NRI, forward with him. All these scenes in the movie show the diasporic Indianess, which further suggest that diaspora is not a threat to Indian values and its culture. Indian values are shown to be deeply rooted in the diaspora which cannot be destroyed by western

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