DDLJ - Come let's sing the songs - again! 
By Joginder Tuteja, May 14, 2005 - 07:02 IST
A SRK biggie and Diwali celebrations normally go hand in hand. But 2005 is an exception! And celebrations have already started! A decade after a simple 'boy-meets-girl-they fall-in-love' story took the entire nation by storm; the heart still misses a beat when King Khan (who was just about a prince in 1995 after successes in the form of ' Baazigar ', ' Darr ', and ‘ Karan Arjun '), with his outstretched hands, waits for Amrish saab to say three golden words - ' Jaa Simran Jaa '. Simran (Kajol) did run into Raj's arms but as the saying goes - "The show must go on"! 'Maratha Mandir' theatre in Mumbai and the resident Mumbaikars took this literally and the result is for everyone to be seen. The matinee show is still running to good audience while the movie completes its 500 weeks!! In the times when a movie running houseful for an opening weekend is a cause of celebrations for the movie makers while 500 continuous shows in a single city is unprecedented, DDLJ has achieved 500 weeks and is still going strong!
As like any mega blockbuster of all times, music played a MAJOR role in DDLJ's success. While late Anand Bakshi who wrote the lyrics was a veteran, composers Jatin Lalit were a surprise package as they had just got a foothold in the industry. With Aditya Chopra making his debut as a director and Yash Chopra handling the production reins, DDLJ was designed as a unique musical love story that was equally shot in Europe and India and was billed as the first ever NRI romance crossing over continents.
The music did get popular when it was released but went on to reach further heights when the songs were seen along with the movie. Each of them fit so very well in the narrative that it is almost an impossible task to imagine the movie with even a single track edited out. Opening number ' Ghar Aaja Pardesi ' as an opening sequence along with the credit rolls set the tune for the movie to progress. With Amrish saab getting nostalgic about ' apna vatan ' with ' sarson ke khet ' and ' laal dupattas ' and ' daana for kabootars ', the rendition by Pamela Chopra and Manpreet only enhanced the impact that did create a sense of ' mitti ki khushbu '! Indians in India and 'phoren' countries alike were fascinated about the impact of a simple number inspired by the folk music of Punjab .
Second track in the film was a teen track around the fantasies of a young girl looking for a man of her dreams who would charm her by his affection. And the most beautiful part of ' Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye ' was Lataji lending her vocals for the bubbly character played by Kajol. The song was also conceived as an introduction sequence for Raj Malhotra who played a fun loving character with a passion for sports. So while Simran danced in a towel to Jatin Lalit's vibrant melody and jumped over beds in her bedroom, shared her thoughts with her sweety mom (Farida Jalal) in the kitchen and the living room and danced in rain in a micro mini, Raj was enjoying playing rugby, stepping up on go-karting, ran along on a runway with a glider in tow, swam in the pool, scored points in bowling, played basketball and drove bikes on highways while giving "lifts" to girls with a stylized move of goggles. A case of contrasting characters being established for a pair that would soon be in love. And the viewers waited for it in bated breath!
' Ruk Ja O Dil Deewane ' was perhaps the only clichéd sequence in the entire movie that turned out to be quite predictable. After SRK boasts in front of Kajol's friends (with his own friends – the bespectacled Karan Johar and the 'Kool' dude Arjun Sablok) in tow, Kajol (who is out on revenge after a nightmarish first encounter in Euro rail) is more than pleased to announce before everyone that he is a great piano player who would want to present an item. After an initial act of shock, he first does a take on Jim Carrey's antics by jumping and thumping on the piano and comes across as a miserable failure. But then as all Bollywood heroes, he turns out to be wonderful in doing everything that is required from a mainstream 'masala' hero – playing piano, singing songs and dancing vibrantly, depicting attitude and the works! Yes, the jazzy track sung wonderfully well by Udit Narayan was infused with life and was indeed filmi - very filmi. It was entertaining although being one of those clichéd sequences that fortunately have been working for Bollywood for number of decades. And the highlight of the song was the shot where he drops Kajol from his arms in the end when there is applause around him. The expressions on the faces said it all and it turned out to be a beautiful piece of clever writing and execution.
Next to follow was a dream sequence ' Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main ', an entertaining number by Ashaji who brought a sense of naughtiness around the whole sequence while being ably supported by Abhijeet who was at his energetic best. A racy track picturised imaginatively, it was also a device to project the sexy side of Kajol who sizzled in a red mini skirt on Swiss Alps and also wore a black swimming costume in a pool. The entire track had a comic touch to it with a sober SRK trying to protect a drunk Kajol. And that was the stage set for one of the most involving scenes in the movie to follow where Raj fools Simran around the happenings of the 'last night' aided by the 'pyaar ke nishaan' on his chest!
From hereon came the best three tracks of DDLJ starting with ' Ho Gaya Hai Tujhko To Pyaar Sajna ' that was a far cry from the routine 'dard-e-judaai' tracks that one has been witnessing since time memorial. It is due to sheer innovation of Anand Bakshi saab and Aditya Chopra that the song was composed not as a weepy separation track around 'do bichde dil' but as a peppy track by Lataji and Udit Narayan that gave hope! That established the bond between the lead protagonists! That made Raj and Simran realize their feelings for each other! And that too in a manner that was unique with both Raj and Simran coming in each other's thoughts and provoking to them to speak out what they had in mind for each other. The rhythm of the opening line ' Naa Jaane Mere Dil Ko Kya Ho Gaya ' still haunts loud in the ears while the beginning of melody with the lyrics ' Ho Gaya Hai... ' still makes you go all mooneyed. The strings of ' Tujha Dekha To Ye Jaana Sanam ' in the middle of the song still makes one skip a beat while a simple good bye wave of Raj's hand on Simran's door even today makes girls feel weak-kneed. The most imaginative romantic number of the 90s, it was succeeded by many copies/inspiration, notably being ' Oye Raju Pyaar Naa Kariyo ' from Govinda-Rani Mukherjee starrer ' Hadh Kar Di Aapne '.
Though majority of songs were sung by Udit Narayan (with all of them turning out to be chartbusters), Kumar Sanu got a single, but the biggest piece of the cake in the form of the main song of DDLJ – ' Tujhe Dekha To Ye Jaana Sanam '. The track that can be easily billed as the most romantic and melodious track of the last two decades, this duet by Lataji (again) and Kumar Sanu is the biggest reason for the audio sales of DDLJ even today. A trademark Yash Chopra song that started on a ' sarson ka khet ' with Simran running into Raj's arms, it worked due to numerous Indian instruments that were blended together amazingly well by Jatin Lalit, which resulted in one of the most easy coming and hummable soundtracks of all times.
The grand finale in the form of ' Mehendi Laga Ke Rakhna ' was again a trendsetter that has been a source of at least 100 odd versions in last decade. One of the best shaadi-byaah songs to have come out from Bollywood, it was yet another contribution by Yashraj Films to the celebration genre that they have perfected so very well since the days of Balraj Sahni starrer 'Waqt' (Remember ' Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen ' that even found a place in DDLJ when Amrish Puri sings a couple of lines for Farida Jalal). Even today, a Punjabi wedding is incomplete without the song being played in the ‘ladies sangeet' and the ‘baraat'. The song picturized atop a terrace gave Mandira Bedi her 5 minutes of fame while King Khan's entry in the song was a direct inspiration for Salman Khan's introduction in ' Kuch Kuch Hota Hai '. Colorful picturization coupled with playful atmosphere and shake-a-leg choreography made for a vibrant celebration song that was aided well by authentic costumes and ‘ dhol-dholakis '.
Each of the tracks in DDLJ has a story to tell and they take the movie forward. You can listen to the songs, hum the songs, see the songs, but the boredom never sets in. Repeat telecast on the TV channels only help keeping the interest alive while the re-release of the movie should take the movie to a newer generation. Movies have come and gone but the magic of DDLJ still stays with you.
The music can easily play on for 500 more weeks. Come! Let's celebrate once again! And keep the feeling of love alive!
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