When SRKs DDLJ helped Sushant Singh Rajput understand cultural balance

Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who died on June 14, 2020, at his Bandra residence, was one of the most talented and brightest stars of Bollywood. The ‘Dil Bechara’ actor once told how Shah Rukh Khan’s 90’s film ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ helped him understand the cultural dilemma that India was witnessing those days.

In an interview with HT Brunch, he said, “It wasn’t like I was unaffected by Bollywood, no. I was a huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan. I remember watching Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) and thinking now here’s a cool dude. He is a great performer, but that’s not what impacted me most: Shah Rukh helped me sort out my confusion about who I should be.

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  “This was in the early ’90s and the economy was just opening up – we were seeing Coke cans for the first time, international brands were coming in, and I was fascinated…yet confused. I didn’t know whether to embrace the West or be loyal to our culture. At this point came DDLJ, I was in Class VI, and Raj showed me that it was cool to have a beer, but then he also waited for Simran’s dad’s approval. There was a balance. It was the perfect marriage of an aspiring India and an India trying to hold on to its culture.”

  Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, writing for HT Brunch in 2017, had revealed how Shah Rukh Khan had been more than a star-like influence on him. The senior actor’s most iconic character Raj in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge had helped him wrap his head around a cultural dilemma.

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Sushant’s death sent shock waves across the country.  Soon after his demise, many conspiracy theories started floating in every once-in-a-while on social media in the form of trending hashtags.

Sushant’s death sent shock waves across the country.  Soon after his demise, many conspiracy theories started floating in every once-in-a-while on social media in the form of trending hashtags.