Cult Indian Blockbuster ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ Heads To Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Fest

Aditya Chopra’s 1995 hit Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), starring Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol (Kajol Devgan), will kick off the public screenings of Saudi Arabia’s upcoming Red Sea International Film Festival, running December 1-10 in the port city of Jeddah.

The feature will open the program for the event’s new open-air Red Sea Corniche venue, which will host free screenings and concerts across the 10 days of the festival.

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DDLJ has been enjoying a buzzy revival in cinemas in India this month, following its limited re-release in multiplex chains PVR, Inox and Cinepolis on November 2 to mark the 57th birthday of its co-star Khan.

The cult classic reportedly packed out the theatres where it played and grossed close to $30,000 in one day which was regarded as a good number high given the fact the feature is widely available on streaming platforms.

Khan will be feted with an honorary award at the Red Sea this year. In DDLJ, he and Kajol star as a couple who meet on an interrail holiday in Europe but only realize they are in love when the woman is called back to India for an arranged marriage.

Chopra, who was just 23 years of age when he directed the film, is now the chairman and managing director of Indian major Yash Raj Films, which was created by his father.

“Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is not just our biggest IP, but it’s one of India’s biggest IP that has spread love and joy to millions of people across the world,” said Akshaye Widhani, CEO of Yash Raj Films.

“We are delighted that our film, 27 years after its release, is still one of the most loved films in the history of world cinema. It is our pleasure that DDLJ will be the first film to open public screenings at this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival.”

Audiences attending the free outdoor screening will also be able to watch the red carpet arrivals on the big screen for the festival’s official opening film What’s Love Got To Do With It?.

Other titles due to play as part of the Corniche program include Gurinder Chadha’s Bend It Like Beckham, Egyptian classic Watch Out For ZouZou and late Syrian-American director and producer Moustapha Akkad’s 1980 epic war film Lion Of The Desert, starring Anthony Quinn and Oliver Reed.

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