Britain’s Railway celebrates 200 years in Bollywood style with ‘DDLJ’ musical todayheadline

London: Railway 200, Britain’s celebration of 200 years of the modern railway network this year, has joined hands with film production company Yash Raj Films (YRF) for a unique India-UK cultural celebration and the romance associated with railways in Bollywood. ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, popular as ‘DDLJ’ worldwide, was famously shot extensively in the UK, including a key scene at London’s King’s Cross Railway Station where the film’s lead pair – Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol – met for the first time. Railway 200 is now planning to celebrate that connection with a set of immersive activations at Manchester and London railway stations as YRF finalises the cast for its ‘Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical’ stage premiere in May.

“We’re very pleased to partner with Yash Raj Films and celebrate the enduring romance of rail and power of connection across the world,” said Suzanne Donnelly, Executive Director of Railway 200.

“The railway has long inspired filmmakers and helped to shape our cultural landscape. Its bicentenary this year provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this hugely successful, rail-related Bollywood blockbuster, and its new musical opening in the UK this summer,” she said.

‘DDLJ’ has the distinction of being the longest-running title in Indian cinema, playing continuously in Mumbai since its release back in 1995. In 2025, YRF is celebrating 30 years of one of the highest grossing Hindi films in the history of Indian cinema.

“YRF has always stood for bringing stories that are rooted in India, yet have a global footprint and ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ is a testament to that,” said YRF CEO Akshaye Widhani. “To celebrate 30 years of ‘DDLJ’, we are bringing the stage adaptation of the movie ‘Come Fall In Love – The DDLJ Musical’ to the UK. Our musical is set to have its UK premiere at the Manchester Opera House on May 29,” he said. “Together, we want to spread the message of how unifying love can be and how celebrating diversity and inclusivity is the need of the hour,” he added.

‘Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical’ is an English language stage production directed by Aditya Chopra, the original director of ‘DDLJ’. Its story will be a nod to the original as it follows Simran as a young British Indian woman who finds herself engaged to a family friend in India in an arranged marriage.

However, the plot thickens when she falls in love with a British man named Roger.

The production will feature an original score, complete with 18 English songs, with music by Vishal Dadlani and Sheykhar Ravjiani and lyrics by Nell Benjamin.

The creative team also includes choreographer Rob Ashford, of Disney’s ‘Frozen’ fame, with co-choreography by Shruti Merchant. UK-based actors Jena Pandya and Ashley Day have been cast as Simran and Roger for the show which had a world premiere at The Old Globe in San Diego, California, back in 2022.