DDLJ To Continue Screening At Maratha Mandir Cinema Hall

There is good news for all the movie buffs, particularly those who have been thronging Mumbai’s prestigious Maratha Mandir cinema hall to watch Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol’s immortal love story DILWALE DUHANIA LE JAYENGE (DDLJ) because Manoj Desai, the managing director of the theatre has discarded all the rumors that the movie is soon going to be removed from the cinema hall. It may be noted that Maratha Mandir is a single screen theatre and runs other movies as well, but the matinee show has been booked for DDLJ.

Briefing the media Manoj Desai asserted, “The reports appearing in media that Dilwale Duhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) will be removed from Maratha Mandir in December after running for 19 years is absolutely rubbish and plain rumor.” 

He added, “In fact DILWALE DUHANIA LE JAYENGE (DDLJ) will be celebrating its 1,000 week this December and it will be grand event for cinema hall as till date no movie has ever celebrated such as a massive run in our cinema hall or anywhere in the world.” 

Manoj Desai further informed, “The movie has been playing in Maratha Mandir since its release on Oct 20, 1995. In 2001, it broke the record of ‘longest-running film in Indian cinema’ of SHOLAY, which had created a similar record of running over five years in Mumbai’s Minerva Theater.”

Going down memory lane Manoj Desai recalled, “In 2011, when DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE completed 800 weeks of its running, Producer Yash Chopra decided to organize a huge celebration thinking the theatre may discontinue the movie but I assured him that I have no plans to remove the movie.”

On being quizzed does the movie draws crowd as it is regularly aired on television and an entire generation has watched, a confident Maoj Desai declared, “Though it is true the movie is almost 20 year old and is shown multiple times on TV but it is still a craze among movie buffs. We have DDLJ show daily at 11.30 a.m. and believe it or not we get 40 to 50 percent occupancy on weekdays, while on weekend it runs houseful.” 

“There are often people in the audience that have seen the film 50 times or more, but still they enjoy the film by clapping, cheering, mouthing the dialogues, and singing along with the songs.” Manoj concludes.