Raj was aspirational, naughty & charming!’ : Ranbir Kapoor on how ‘Raj’ from DDLJ shaped him as a romantic film hero

MUMBAI: Superstar Ranbir Kapoor, who is back on-screen as the quintessential romantic hero in the much-awaited Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, says Raj from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) has inspired him to play charming lover boys in cinema, having seen the iconic film at least 20 times!

“Raj was everything! You know, he could do anything! I think Aditya Chopra gave us a character, that was aspirational, he was naughty, he was charming, like it shook you up! I know I saw that film probably 20 times in the theatre!” reveals Ranbir, who has won the country’s heart in cult romantic films like Bachna Ae Haseeno, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Rockstar, Tamaasha, to name a few.

DDLJ is the longest running film in the history of Indian cinema as it still plays at Maratha Mandir in Mumbai.

Ranbir has spoken his heart out on YRF & Hindi cinema’s influence on people’s lives in the unanimously acclaimed Netflix docu-series The Romantics. The docu-series is a tribute to the legacy of Yash Chopra, YRF and itscultural impact on India and Indians for the past 50 years. The national over-pouring of love for Yash Chopra and YRF was evident as The Romantics became the Number 1 trending title on Netflix within 48 hours of its drop, a rare feat for a documentary!

From Aamir Khan to Salman Khan, from Shah Rukh Khan to Ranbir Kapoor, from Amitabh Bachchan to Ranveer Singh, from Rani Mukerji to Hrithik Roshan, from Katrina Kaif to Anushka Sharma, the mega-stars and icons of Hindi cinema have come together and spoken about Yash Chopra and YRF’s contribution to Indian cinema in The Romantics.

The Romantics has been directed by Oscar & Emmy-nominated film-maker Smriti Mundhra, who returns to Netflix after the phenomenal success of Indian Matchmaking and the Never Have I Ever franchise.
Netflix, in this four-part docu-series, will also feature 35 leading personalities from the film industry, who have closely worked with YRF through its 50 year glorious existence.

Interestingly, the reclusive head of the iconic Yash Raj Films, Aditya Chopra, was also coaxed into recording his first on-camera interview for ‘The Romantics’! His insights about YRF and the Hindi film industry in this docu-series is a huge highlight for the film fraternity, cinephiles & Hindi cinema audience at large.

Netflix released The Romantics on Valentine’s Day, Feb 14, as a tribute to Yash Chopra, who is regarded as the ‘Father of Romance’ in India because of his iconic romantic films like Silsila, Lamhe, Kabhi Kabhie, Veer-Zaara, Dil To Pagal Hai, Chandni, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, etc.

YRF is currently at an all-time high as their latest release Pathaan, the fourth film of YRF’s Spy Universe is breaking all records at the global box office. Pathaan is now the number one Hindi film worldwide and has become the biggest all-time blockbuster in the history of Hindi cinema with worldwide gross collection currently at 988 crore!