Aditya Chopra’s directorial debut Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge (DDLJ) changed the face of Hindi cinema when it released back in 1995. The Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol starrer set the template for the romantic genre and also went on to win a National Award and several other accolades. On October 20, DDLJ celebrates its 30th anniversary, and it continues to make many hearts skip a beat. Even three decades later, DDLJ remains an iconic film that every movie lover should watch. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the magic Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge cast on the big screens, SCREEN spoke to actress Himani Shivpuri, who played the role of Kammo Bua in the Aditya Chopra directorial.
During the conversation, Himani Shivpuri shared some beautiful stories from the set. She recalled how they all were one big happy family and also laughed at the ‘mayhem’ a young Kajol would cause on the sets of the film. Talking about her time on the sets of DDLJ, Himani Shivpuri recalled, “The entire atmosphere on set was so good, earlier films were made at a leisurely pace, everybody was so courteous and friendly. So it was very positive, we were like a family. Yash Chopraji and Pamelaji were such good hosts, feeding you, pampering you, so it was beautiful. Every day on the set was wonderful. I was sharing a room with Faridaji and Achalaji. I was in awe of them. This was my second big film after Hum Aapke Hai Koun, and I was still carrying that rawness of a young actress who was on the set of such a big film.”
Also Read: How Shah Rukh Khan helped Himani Shivpuri in DDLJ’s saree scene: ‘He stood there, which is why…’
Recalling how she was cast in DDLJ, Himani shared, “I had just come to Mumbai after finishing my serial Humraahi, my character in it had become very popular. By then, I had also done Hum Aapke Hai Koun, so maybe Adi must have seen the trials of the film. That time, Zee TV had just come in, and I was shooting for Hasratein. That’s when I got a call from Aditya Chopra. He said, ‘I am Yash Chopra’s son and I am making a film, there is a role and I would like to cast you in it.’ I was a small-town girl fresh from NSD (National School of Drama), so I didn’t know the protocols with the great Yashraj and all. I was shooting in Bandra, and I asked him to come and narrate the script to me. Now, when I think, I am shocked that I just asked him to come there.”
“Shoots are chaotic, but it was his greatness to come to my set and narrate the script. I heard the story of DDLJ in between my shots; he had reached the interval, and I told him I loved it, and that’s how I got to do the role of Kammo,” Himani added.
On her iconic scenes with Shah Rukh Khan and Anupam Kher…
In Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge, Himani Shivpuri’s scene where she is trying on sarees and SRK is rejecting and approving them, went on to become iconic. Her scene with Anupam Kher was also quite loved. Talking about the same, Himani Shivpuri said, “I am proud to be a part of an iconic film like DDLJ. People to date remember that saree scene, my shot was taken separately, and Shah Rukh’s shot was taken separately, but SRK gave all the cues when my part was being shot, and that’s why that scene became so beautiful. There were not too many takes that happened for that scene because there was so much clarity. The scene between me and Anupam Kher, where we bump into each other and then he slowly picks up the roses and gives them to me. In that scene, Pamela Chopra had sung ‘Baharo Phool Barsao’. I have been to many shows where people ask me to re-enact the scenes. I am not Shah Rukh Khan or Kajol, but people still remember my scenes, so I am grateful. Till today, people call me buaji at the airport, and they recite SRK or Anupam Kher’s lines. The film has been alive in people’s minds for 30 years; it’s an amazing feeling.”
On Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan…
When DDLJ was being made, both Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol were comparatively new in the industry. Himani recalls how SRK hadn’t become a star by then, but was quite charming. Kajol, on the other hand, was quite the firebrand. Recalling their memories from the set, Himani says, “Our interactions were great, SRK had not become such a big star by then, and Kajol was totally mad…”
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Himani went on to share, “I did Kuch Kuch Hota Hai with her, and Karan was pareshaan, because she was such a tomboy. During DDLJ, we used to have lunch and breakfast laid out in one huge room, and we would eat together. Kajol would come wearing shorts that were a little torn, and she would jump on the table and pour curd on Aditya. Other veterans would be so shocked. Once Achalaji told me that actresses in their time would be so shy, Meena Kumari and others would sit in one corner of the room, wouldn’t talk too much. But here it was totally a mayhem.”
“Kajol was more into reading books, and I am also a bookworm, so we both used to read. Sometimes, Yashji would feel very uncomfortable that the heroine was not thinking about the scene, but was busy reading. But the minute the camera switched on, Kajol was magical. She would light up, her eyes would become so expressive. Before shots, she would either do masti, or would read, or would keep chattering away,” Himani added.
She also went on to share that Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol’s equation on the set was wonderful; the two got along quite well. Talking about Shah Rukh Khan, she shared, “When Shah Rukh Khan had first met me, he told me that he was in the crowd in a film where I was playing the lead. In Delhi, I was doing a film called ‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’, where I was playing the Haryanvi girlfriend of the protagonist. When I went back to see the film, I saw SRK in a small role. From then on, we hit it off. He is such a wonderful human being, so gracious and humble. He was a charming and handsome guy; those were the times when he was becoming a star, so he got along very well with everyone.”
On Aditya Chopra and the film’s success…
Talking about Aditya Chopra as a debutant director, Himani was quite impressed. She said, “I didn’t have the good fortune to work with Yash Chopraji, but he would always be present on the set, and he never interfered. Aditya did everything, from talking to the artist to explaining scenes. What was astonishing was that he was so clear with his vision; there was no doubt or question anywhere. When we were doing the scene where Amrishji and family come back to Punjab, and he is meeting everyone, Amrishji asked Adi what the time would be in the scene? Some people were looking at each other and sniggering, but given his theater background, Amrishji was a professional. Everybody was laughing behind his back, saying what would he do knowing the time. Aditya was so clear that he gave the exact time after which Amrish Puri performed that scene.”
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While DDLJ saw great success, the cheering and hooting in cinema halls for her scenes is a visual still very fresh in her mind. She says, “Back then, we used to see the film in trials, nobody would go and watch it in theaters. And one day SRK told me to watch the film in a cinema hall and see the kind of response my scenes got. DDLJ’s premiere had happened at the Taj, and it was all very wonderful.”
“I feel lucky to have done films like Hum Aapke Hai Koun, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai; they have repeat value. Every time people watch it, it seems fresh. Hum Aapke Hai Koun changed the entire social system; weddings became a 6-7 day affair after that, and it’s continuing to date. There was no skepticism even about DDLJ being Adi’s first film. I always had this thing of working with new directors; it was adventurous for me, a girl from the hills who came to Delhi, trained at NSD, did theater, and then came here. The only fear was that I would get respect, and work would never stop because I couldn’t go back to Delhi. Theater people used to look down upon it; they had this attitude that if you are going to Mumbai, you will return soon. DDLJ was a beautiful script, the cast was great, and I was very lucky to get that film,” Himani Shivpuri said on a parting note.
