San Diego — One of the most successful Bollywood movies of all time. Released in 1995, it still plays daily in Mumbai cinemas. The song is the mainstay of the wedding. Its lead actor has become a Bollywood superstar. And now “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” or “DDLJ” has come to the stage.
“Come Fall in Love — The DDLJ Musical” is currently in previews here at The Old Grove ahead of its upcoming Broadway show. Fans of the film were in an uproar after the producers announced the stage adaptation last fall, but social media lit up with criticism when the show’s cast was revealed this summer. News that Colby would play the role of Rog, known as Raj in the film and played by Indian star Shah Rukh Khan, has led many fans of the film to denounce the musical for whitewashing.
The show’s creators say they want to tell a story where two cultures merge. However, critics of the casting decision consider it a missed opportunity. South Asians are still underrepresented on stage and in film as demand for more inclusive employment and storytelling increases in the entertainment industry.
India-based performer Andy Kumar, better known as VJ Andy, wrote in a tweet“Why can’t we tell our story as it is? No whitewashing??” Negative comments littered Instagram in response to the rousing post about Colby’s casting. Not colonized enough,” wrote one user. Another comment said: This is nothing to brag about. ”
Indian-born, New York-based chef Vikas Khanna also took to social media to voice his displeasure. “They took the star away from us,” Khanna said in a video call. ’”
“When you do this, it makes the kids feel depressed,” he added. “Let’s not back down. We’ve worked really hard to get on stage.”
‘DDLJ’ was one of the first Indian films to center on a love story between Non-Resident Indians (known as NRIs) and reflects a large number of immigrants. It focuses on his two young NRIs who live in London. Party her boy Raj (Khan) is rich, qualified and western, the complete opposite of old-fashioned Simran (Kajol) and her hardworking and traditional father. “Do you call yourself Indian? You give India a bad name.” However, when Simran returns to India for an arranged marriage, Raj and Simran persuade their father to Try to let their love conquer all. In addition to its central love story, the film resonates as it focuses on love for country and family.
The film was “nervous” for NRI, which “jumps between two or three cultures,” explained Professor Rajinder Dudra of the University of Birmingham Media and English in an interview. As the film emphasized, individuals had to grapple with the tension between Indian traditions and Western ideas: “Dilhai, his Hindustani way of thinking,’ Indian at heart” Dudra added, “If you’re of Indian descent anywhere in the world, it means you have an attachment to India.”
Nods to the film, narrative arcs remain, including pigeons, mustard flower fields, and mandolin cameos, but this “DDLJ” is decidedly American. Raj morphs into his Roger (or Rog), and Reed now lives in Massachusetts, meeting in Cambridge as a Harvard student. Aditya Chopra, who directed the film, also directs the stage show. The book and lyrics are by Nell Benjamin, who wrote screen-to-stage adaptations of “Legally Blonde” and “Mean Girls.”
August, Chopra posted a statement On Instagram, he explained that his initial vision for the film involved a white male lead. (It seems that Tom Cruise was his first choice.) Introducing Indian culture to audiences around the world. “That was the starting point for Come Fall in Love, the story of Indian Simran, her culture and heritage through the eyes of an American Roger.”
In an interview earlier this month, Benjamin said he wasn’t surprised by the reaction “given the lack of representation” at the theater, but was still unnerved by the uproar. suffered [Chopra] Or me or someone would want to whitewash this movie,” she explained. ‘ It’s not a story, and I believe people who come to see the show will understand that.”
The musical’s scriptwriters stressed that a predominantly South Asian cast, including Shobha Narayan, who plays Simran, is still being performed, and a spokeswoman for the production said South Asians make up more than 50 percent of the cast members. Stated.
Benjamin said the creators had considered writing the male protagonist as Indian-American or half-Indian, but believed it was an “easy choice” and didn’t work out. , can’t add value’, but that’s not what we wanted to do together. ”
Not everyone was critical of the stage musical’s direction. We thought there was an advantage in making it work for our audience. “I think it’s more problematic that he’s South Asian, because where does this objection come from,” she said, referring to her family’s disapproval of the central marital relationship. The possible differences between the two South Asians are less obvious to US audiences, she said, because 2010 doesn’t focus as much on caste and class differences as it does in India and the UK. “If I hadn’t seen the movie, I wouldn’t have understood,” she said. “It would probably require another level of explanation that is not creatively helpful.”
The composers of the musical, Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani, known as Vishal & Shekhar, also disagreed with the criticism. Ravjiani said he is proud to represent India through the 18-score musical. (The two did not write original songs for the film. These have become classics. The melodies from the film are easily heard in musicals.) Dadrani said that Chopra wanted to tell this particular story, and that He repeated that it was “ridiculous”.
“It’s not about color, it’s not about white or brown,” Dadrani added. “It’s a story about a boy who is in love with a girl, whose family is different from the girl’s family.”
But in another interview, Benjamin saw color as a storytelling tool. She explains, “With the change to Log, we’re talking about color,” about how Roger’s “whiteness” privileged him and made things easier until he faced Simran’s father. talked.
Despite the criticism of the show, among the 30 or so audience members interviewed in San Diego, reactions were mostly positive, both movie-savvy and non-movie savvy.
One of the few voices of opposition was Shebani Patel, who flew in from San Francisco to see the show. We don’t hate the show, but it’s not our show. ”