Bollywood romcom ends record 1,009-week run

The credits rolled for a final time on Thursday for the Bollywood classic "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" as it ended a record-breaking 1,009-week run at a cinema in Mumbai. The romantic comedy, which translates as "The Brave-Hearted Will Take The Bride", first began screening at Mumbai's Maratha Mandir cinema on October 20, 1995 when its star Shah Rukh Khan was still a relative unknown. The movie went on to become one of the best-loved of all Bollywood blockbusters and matinees at the Maratha Mandir continued to attract steady audiences, with many fans coming back again and again. But after celebrations marking the 1,000-week landmark in November last year, screenings were moved to an earlier time and audiences dropped off, according to a report in Mumbai's DNA newspaper. The film tells the tale of two expatriate Indians living in Britain who meet and fall in love on a trip to mainland Europe. But the young woman Simran, played by actress Kajol, is to be married to a family friend in India, an arrangement set up by her strict father. After various plot twists in cities including London and Paris and a few picturesque musical numbers, the pair get together and convince their families of their union, an important factor in conservative Indian society. The nearly twenty-year run obliterated all previous records for Bollywood movies and even US President Barack Obama quoted one of its lines during a speech in India last month. Speaking during the 1,000-week celebrations last year, Khan told of his pride at having appeared in such an iconic movie. "It's been 20 years for this film and I feel honoured that I was part of this film," said the actor, who is now one of Bollywood biggest stars.