Dilwale Dulhaniya...completes 14-year run at Maratha Mandir

Leaving behind the Dilip Kumar-Madhubala-starrer Mughal-E-Azam and Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay that ran for over six years and five years at Maratha Mandir and Minerva respectively, YRF’s Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) has completed 14 years of continuous run at the above theatre. The film entered its 15th year last Tuesday at the same theatre. Said Maratha Mandir, managing director Manoj Desai in a statement, "The film completes 14 years in our cinema hall and we still get at least 60 to 70 per cent occupancy on weekdays and a houseful board on weekend and holidays. Whoever claims that it is not doing well can come and check our cinema hall.'' One of the main reasons why DDLJ still gets an audience has been the ticket pricing. While the Balcony tickets are priced at Rs 22, Dress circle for Rs 20 and stall tickets for Rs 18. The rentals are provided by YRF. Incidentally, Sholay was the first film to celebrate its silver jubilee at over 100 theatres. While the film released on 15 August, 1975, the cinema hall (Minerva) did not open its current booking for nearly 75 weeks. Strangely, not many of us know that Ashok Kumar's anti-hero film Kismet that released way back in 1943 ran for nearly three years in theatres in Mumbai and Kolkata.