DIRECTOR ADITYA CHOPRA TO MAKE HIS BROADWAY DEBUT WITH HIS WORLDWIDE BLOCKBUSTER, DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE (DDLJ)

“Western musical theatre and Indian films are two long lost lovers separated in time’” Aditya Chopra
 

Leading Indian film-maker Aditya Chopra  is set to make his Broadway directorial debut with his record-setting worldwide blockbuster, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ). 
 
The  Chairman and Managing Director of India’s biggest film studio Yash Raj Films,  Aditya Chopra has directed and produced some of the biggest blockbusters in the history of Indian cinema. His debut feature, the historic romantic film ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, which released in 1995, is still running in theatres. Popularly called DDLJ, it is one of the highest grossing movies in the history of Indian cinema and the biggest IP of the country’s rich and diverse movie industry. 
 
After 26 years, Aditya Chopra is set to direct DDLJ again but this time on Broadway.  Aditya has been working on this passion project for the past three years and has brought together a stellar, extremely diverse team, comprising some of the best talents of Broadway and India for the same. 
 
‘Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical’ is being produced by Yash Raj Films. Based on an original story by Chopra, the musical will feature book and lyrics by Laurence Oliver Award-winner Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde, Mean Girls), top Indian songwriters Vishal Dadlani & Shekhar Ravjiani will serve as composers. Tony and Emmy winner Rob Ashford (Frozen, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Boys from Syracuse) will choreograph with associate choreographer Shruti Merchant. The design team will also include set design by Emmy and Tony Award winner Derek McLane (Moulin Rouge!, Hairspray Live!, 33 Variations) and music supervision by Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning Bill Sherman (In The Heights, Sesame Street, Hamilton). Adam Zotovich is the Executive Producer for the project. 
 
Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical is set to be on stage in the Broadway season of 2022-2023, with a World Premiere at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego September 2022. A global casting search begins shortly headed by Duncan Stewart of Stewart/Whitley casting and Yash Raj Films casting head Shanoo Sharma. 
 
ADITYA CHOPRA’s NOTE ON HIS BROADWAY DIRECTORIAL :
Summer 1985. I was 14 and on a holiday in London. My parents took my brother and me for our first musical theatre experience. The lights dimmed, the curtains lifted and what unfolded in the next 3 hours left me speechless and stunned.  Until then, I was a kid who was an avid movie watcher and what I loved the most was big screen Indian blockbusters. But that day what I saw on stage blew my mind. I couldn’t believe that this kind of spectacle could be created live on stage. But the most significant aspect that resonated with me was how similar musical theatre was to our Indian films. It was just not the fact that both use songs to tell the story, i it was the feeling they evoked.  The burst of colours, the heightened drama, the passionate singing, the unabashed dancing, a classic story, a happy end. It filled me with the same joy and emotions that a good Indian film does. I realised then, that worlds apart, languages apart, western musical theatre and Indian films are two long lost lovers separated in time.
 
Autumn 2021… I’m embarking on my most ambitious project till date. 26 years back I started my career with a film called Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ, what it is more famously known as). The film created history and changed my life and many others forever. But what many don’t know is that I never intended to make DDLJ in Hindi. As a 23 year old young man greatly influenced by Hollywood and American pop culture, I thought I would make a couple of Indian films and then I would be off to Hollywood and make DDLJ for a worldwide English speaking audience with Tom Cruise as my leading man. That obviously didn’t happen. DDLJ released in 1995 and became the longest running film of Indian cinema. It gave me my identity and kickstarted an amazing journey for which I’ll always be grateful.
 
26 years later I’m going back to my original vision of the story of DDLJ, a love story of an American boy and an Indian girl, a love story of two cultures…two worlds. But this time the medium is not cinema but theatre. 26 years later I will be directing DDLJ all over again but this time as an English language Broadway Musical for a worldwide audience. 
 
I’m terribly nervous and incredibly excited. I’m a hardcore cinema guy, I have never done theatre in my life and here I am trying to pull off the craziest ambition of my life. But what is giving me confidence is the fantastic team that I have. Each one of them are masters of their field and their brilliance and expertise is going to make this a fantastic show. The past 3 years as we have developed this passion project, I have learnt so much from them and discovered the unbelievable talent that the Broadway community has. I feel 23 again, the same age I was when I directed DDLJ. I’m once again a student, each one of my team members is more experienced than me in the world of theatre, I’m the rookie and I’m loving every moment of it. I’m all set to learn, explore, create and enjoy with these wonderful theatre artists and the magical world of Broadway Musicals. See you on stage in Autumn 2022 with Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical 

  
Quote from Nell Benjamin
“DDLJ was my introduction to Indian filmmaking before I even knew who the amazing Aditya Chopra was, and the movie had such joy and heart that I fell in love with it. I was so happy to be approached to do the musical and I hope my work helps everyone fall in love with Simran and Rog and their journey across multiple cultures to love. The world can always use a little more cultural understanding, and I can’t wait to sit in a theater with an audience sharing the joy and surprise of Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical.”

ADITYA CHOPRA (Director) is the biggest film-maker of India. At just 23 years of age, he directed Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), one of the biggest blockbusters in the history of Indian cinema which is still running in theatres, 26 years since its release. He is also the first Indian director who delivered a hat-trick of blockbusters with his first three directorials DDLJ, Mohabbatein and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Aditya’s vision for cinema in India has shaped and reshaped pop-culture as he directed and produced some of the biggest cult classics that the country has ever witnessed. His vision and trend-setting excellence over the years has elevated Yash Raj Films (YRF) to become one of the most reputed and iconic brands in India today. Aditya Chopra became an avid film buff from his early childhood. And while his schooling in film started with viewing films, his college and university were his father, the legendary Indian film-maker Yash Chopra’s home productions. At the age of 18, Aditya’s own film career kicked off. He started working as an assistant to his father in some of the iconic classics like CHANDNI (1989), LAMHE (1991) and DARR (1993).His directorial debut, DDLJ is still running theatrically for more than 1000 weeks after it was originally released on 20th October 1995. His singular touch was evident in every frame of the movie; and its freshness, wit, romance and chemistry between the lead pair –and the unique marriage of a hip modern sensibility married to a belief in Indian traditions won every heart over. DDLJ was truly an Aditya Chopra product in every sense. He was responsible for the story, screenplay and dialogue in addition to direction. He won every conceivable award for this film, including 10 Filmfare awards, India’s equivalent to the biggest global awards. The master-storyteller, Aditya Chopra, is unanimously regarded as a visionary and a cinematic trendsetter. As a director, he is synonymous with the ‘idea of romance’ among Indians globally. As a producer, he is known for exploring genre-shifting trends and has redefined entertainment across generations. He also holds the record for producing the maximum number of films in Hindi language. He is the first Indian film producer to move towards a film studio model through independent projects helmed by producers, writers and directors under the YRF banner. He is also the biggest star-maker who has launched numerous generation-defining youth icons of India through his films. As Chairman and Managing Director of YRF, Aditya Chopra is the driving force behind creativity at YRF Studios. He oversees the development of YRF’s business strategy and implementation of the company vision. Apart from emerging as one of the most successful movie moguls of Indian cinema, Aditya Chopra today has emerged as the most sought-after equitable brand in Indian entertainment.