Khaberni - A romantic comedy film has been playing in one of the Bombay cinemas for 30 years, becoming on Monday the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema.
Since its release on October 20, 1995, the film "The Brave Heart Will Take the Bride Away" (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge), has been showing daily at the famous "Maratha Mandir" cinema in Bombay, the financial capital of the country.
Mohammed Shaker, 60 years old, laughs, "I have watched it about thirty times since 1996, and I will continue to watch it."
Every day, at 11:30 AM, for 40 rupees (about half a dollar), viewers enjoy this love story between a young man and a woman who decide to challenge traditional norms.
Since its release, "The Brave Heart Will Take the Bride Away" has transformed Shah Rukh Khan into an Indian film star.
After three decades, this romantic story, which has become a Bollywood classic, continues to inspire large audiences.
Manoj Desai, the cinema's manager, says, "During the weekdays, it is usually frequented by students and young couples. On Sundays, we welcome around 500 people."
In the cinema, the audience still shows the same enthusiasm. The film explores the contradiction between the openness of the young Indian lovers living abroad and their parents' conservative values.
The film has also been shown on television, but many prefer to watch it on the big screen.
The screening of the film was briefly suspended in 2015, but after a wave of criticism, it returned to the theaters.
Film critic Baradwaj Rangan believes that the ongoing success of "The Brave Heart Will Take the Bride Away" is a love letter to India, which seeks to balance between old and modern values.
The critic points out that the work has become a "cultural landmark" because it has "skillfully embodied" the tensions between two generations.
