History will be created in a week’s time. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), the longest running film in cinemas in the world, will complete 30 golden years on October 20. The Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer continues to draw audiences at Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir, where it’s playing daily at 11:30 am. What’s enticing is that the ticket prices are still kept firmly in check. Manoj Desai, the Executive Director of Maratha Mandir and G7 Multiplex aka Gaiety-Galaxy, spoke about this aspect in an interview with Digital Commentary, and the craze created by this iconic film.
30 years of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: Maratha Mandir’s Manoj Desai reveals Shah Rukh Khan told him, ‘Humein thank you bolo’: “I replied, ‘Shah Rukh ji, tum aur Kajol thank you mujhe bolo ki itne kam rate mein main chalata hoon”
Manoj Desai revealed, “There are 1107 seats in Maratha Mandir. Even now, the shows of DDLJ are sold out on Sunday. There are people who have seen the film 200 times; even 500 times! Our biggest advantage is that the Mumbai Central railway station is located right opposite our theatre. The ST depot, meanwhile, is situated next door. People from other cities like Delhi, Surat, Ahmedabad, etc. come down to Mumbai, watch DDLJ here, have the famous Gurukripa samosa in the theatre canteen and then return through long-distance train or bus. Thus, we have been able to capitalize on the strategic location.”
Manoj Desai spoke highly of the late Yash Chopra and the team at Yash Raj Films (YRF), “Yash ji himself gave me a gold-plated trophy at Maratha Mandir. He even came to my house and gave a trophy to my wife. He used to respect me a lot. Unki poori office hamare pe marti hai. Malhotra sahab (Rohan Malhotra), the general manager at YRF, calls me every week and asks me, ‘Manoj bhai, kheench lete hai wapas na?’. And I tell him, ‘Haan, theek hai’.”
He then recalled the time when Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol came down to Maratha Mandir in December 2014, when the film completed 1000 weeks. He said, “Kajol had suffered a leg injury while filming. She used a crutch and came to our cinema. She also got up on the stage along with Shah Rukh Khan. You can check on YouTube. Aapko poora video milega aur uss video mein aapko main bhi milunga!”
Manoj continued, “Shah Rukh said, ‘Hamari film itni zabardast chali hai. Manoj bhai, humein thank you bolo’. I told him, ‘Shah Rukh ji, tum aur Kajol thank you mujhe bolo ki itne kam rate mein main chalata hoon. That’s the reason it is running successfully’. He may have felt bad, but I simply said the truth. How can you say that aap ki wajah se picture chal rahi hai?”
Manoj Desai explains what goes in favour of the film, “It is the biggest blockbuster because it has very good songs and very good dialogues. Look at Amrish Puri ji. You feel like slapping him! Look at Farida Jalal. Aisa Yash Chopra ji ne jamaya tha ki kya bole?”
He also said, “Shah Rukh’s fan club members come here every year on his birthday. 200-500 people arrive from all over India. November 2 is the time when I can’t have a personal life. I compulsorily have to be here!”
More Pages: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge Box Office Collection
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