DDLJ Turns 30: Maratha Mandir Celebrates Bollywood’s Longest-Running Love Story

Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir, the 1,107-seat single-screen cinema hall that opened in 1952, marks an extraordinary milestone as it celebrates 30 years of uninterrupted daily screenings of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) on October 20, 2025, cementing its status as a cultural touchstone for Bollywood lovers. The Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol starrer, directed by debutant Aditya Chopra and released on October 20, 1995, has become the longest-running film in Indian cinema history, playing at the 11:30 a.m. matinee with ticket prices at Rs 50 (balcony) and Rs 30 (dress circle).

Executive Director Manoj Desai, reflecting on its enduring appeal, told PTI, “As long as audiences keep coming, DDLJ will stay on the marquee,” recalling his early prediction after a pre-release screening: “Yeh lambi race ka ghoda hai” (This is a horse for a long race). The film’s universal resonance, affordable pricing, and the theatre’s proximity to Mumbai Central and ST bus stands draw 70–100 weekday viewers and 200–300 on weekends, spanning middle-class families, students, and influencers.

DDLJ, a romantic saga of Raj and Simran navigating tradition and love, has transcended generations, its iconic dialogues—“Bade bade deshon mein aisi chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hain” and “Jaa Simran, jaa, jee le apni zindagi”—echoing through Maratha Mandir’s halls, where audiences whistle and sing along to hits like Tujhe Dekha To. Desai recalled a 2014 uproar when a notice announced the film’s end after 1,000 weeks, prompting couples to demand its continuation, underscoring its fan-driven legacy.

The only hiatus came during a four-month COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, with viewers flooding calls to resume screenings post-reopening. The theatre’s old-world charm, adorned with memorabilia of classics like Mughal-e-Azam and Pakeezah, and its AC comfort attract diverse patrons, from night-shift workers napping during shows to 58-year-old taxi driver Vijay, who sees his late father in Amrish Puri’s patriarch, to 30-year-old comedian Pulkit Kochar, who shares the film’s birth year and calls watching it at Maratha Mandir “surreal”.

The film’s run defies the decline of single-screen theatres, with 60% of India’s 9,500 such venues shuttered since 2010, per FICCI-EY reports, as multiplexes and OTT platforms dominate. DDLJ’s 1,500-week milestone—equivalent to 10,500 screenings—generates steady revenue, with Maratha Mandir earning Rs 1 crore annually from the film alone, bolstered by low overheads and loyal staff who share meals with regulars. Social media buzz on X, with #DDLJ30 trending at 80,000 posts, celebrates its cultural heft, though some lament ticket price hikes from Rs 20 in 1995.

As Diwali 2025 illuminates Mumbai, DDLJ’s saga of love and tradition mirrors the festival’s spirit, drawing new viewers like a young couple discovering it in 2024 and returning weekly. Amid industry struggles, Maratha Mandir’s packed shows prove DDLJ’s timeless magic, ensuring its reels keep spinning as long as hearts keep cheering for Raj and Simran.

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