Is DDLJ’s US musical a tale of love and diversity, or ‘whitewashing’ of Indian culture?
- One of Bollywood’s most beloved romance films, DDLJ has breathed a second life as a musical starring UK actor Austin Colby and Indian-American actress Shoba Narayan
- Fans of the 1995 hit film that starred Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol Devgan have pushed back against the character changes, but others support the modern retelling of the iconic love story
As Indian-Americans anticipate the day a much-loved Bollywood musical romance will reach Broadway, the US staging of DDLJ continues to be mired in controversy over its producers’ decision to cast a white actor in the lead male role.
DDLJ was first released in 1995 in India and is so iconic, it continues to be screened today at a cinema in Mumbai, where tickets are sold for around 40 rupees (US$0.50). One projectionist is said to have watched the film more than 9,000 times.
DDLJ tells the story of two young Indians living in Britain – Raj (Shah Rukh Khan), and Simran (Kajol Devgan) – who meet after missing a train to Switzerland and fall in love during a European summer of fun. They part ways back in London but later cement their relationship despite parental opposition. Simran’s father relents in a moment of epiphany, with the memorable line “Ja Simran ja, jee le apni zindagi” (“Go Simran, go, live your life”), and she races after a moving train to join Raj.
The US stage musical, Come Fall in Love, has a similar plot but a key difference is that Simran is now an Indian-American, who falls in love with not Raj but Roger (Rog), a white American.
Its makers say the show, which opened in San Diego last September, is a celebration of two cultures, with British actor Austin Colby and US actress Shoba Narayan heading the cast of 30.
But fans of DDLJ – the acronym for Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (which loosely translates to ‘the brave-hearted will take the bride home’) – say the casting was a missed opportunity and an instance of whitewashing.
Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna tweeted: “What if Shawshank Redemption was made on Broadway, and Morgan Freeman was replaced by white actor, is that inclusivity?”
Actor Colby has said he is aware what his involvement means to many people, “and I completely understand its impact. I’m not the Raj that Shah Rukh Khan made us fall in love with, nor will I ever pretend to be”.
