Another Feather in Bollywood's Cap: Stars of DDLJ to Get Statue in London's Leicester Square

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge - or as Bollywood aficionados fondly call it, "DDLJ" - is one of Bollywood's best-loved, timeless classics. It was released in 1995 but still charms global audiences today. The story is as the name suggests – boy gets his girl - and its appeal is enhanced by the exotic European locations in which it was shot.

As a tribute to the unparalleled success of the film, and the stellar on-screen duo of those Bollywood luminaries – Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, a bronze statue depicting one of the moments from the film will be unveiled in Leicester Square in the heart of London's Theatreland.

London served as an important location in the film - it is where Khan first meets his love Kajol. From London, they make an incident-filled trip across Europe together before time conspires to turn their bickering relationship into a happy ending.

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Marking DDLJ's 25th anniversary, the bronzed still will be the first Bollywood-inspired statue in the UK and will be unveiled in spring 2021. 

The news was released by Bollywood producer Yash Raj Films, which has been responsible for a plethora of blockbusters since it was founded in 1970, including DDLJ. Within moments, Yash Raj's announcement had gone viral on social media, thrilling millions of the film's fans. #DDLJ25 is trending on Twitter in India. 

.@iamsrk and @itsKajolD's #DDLJ Statue to be unveiled in Leicester Square Statue to mark the film’s 25th Anniversary. #DDLJ25
Read more - https://t.co/7aLxUOVAmr pic.twitter.com/eUF0cfWN9P

— Yash Raj Films (@yrf) October 19, 2020

We couldn't help but 🥰 #DDLJ25 pic.twitter.com/0bcI1ruGDb

— Yash Raj Films (@yrf) October 19, 2020

How exciting is thisssss! A bronze statue of @iamsrk & @itsKajolD to be unveiled in #LeicesterSquare Spring 2021 to mark #DDLJ 's 25th anniversary. CANNOT WAIT! #DDLJ25 #AdityaChopra #London 🥳🎉 pic.twitter.com/duBZly96nO

— Anushka Arora (@Anushka_Arora) October 19, 2020

When you say Romance, I hear Shah Rukh khan and when I hear Shah Rukh khan, I hear dilwale dulhania le jayenge.

The most running film in the world completes 25 years.

Congratulations to all the #DDLJ lovers around the world.
#DDLJ25 pic.twitter.com/pMUlQfSw9y

— Jatin (@JatinSRKian) October 19, 2020

​London, however, is not the first European city to have honoured DDLJ, Shah Rukh and Kajol. Marking the places the film was shot, Switzerland offers special tours to the DDLJ locations for fans to re-live moments from the film in real life.

The film which also starred such greats as Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal and Anupam Kher is Bollywood’s longest-running film in cinemas.

In 2018, the film passed its 1,200th uninterrupted week at Mumbai’s single screen Maratha Mandir theatre, and has hit several other records, including winning 10 Filmfare Awards in India - the most for a single film at the time.