17th May 2008 22.00 IST
By Agencies
More than a decade after Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge stole the hearts of cinemagoers, the director-actor pair of Aditya Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan are hoping to recreate its magic with yet another love story Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi .
Bangalore based 19-year-old model, Anushka Sharma has been roped in under the Yashraj Films banner to play the lead opposite King Khan in 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, whose shooting began with SRK and Anushka joining the first day of the shoot with Aditya, who is returning to film direction after a gap of eight years with this film that is scheduled for a December release.
"Yash ji and Adi have always given me roles that have got me love and appreciation from fans all over the world and this time Adi has again written a character for me to play which I think will become as beloved as the role of Raj in DDLJ," SRK was quoted as saying after the end of first day's shoot of 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' in a statement released by Yashraj Films.
After a long hunt for heroines, debutant Anushka was finalised to play the lead of a small town Punjabi girl by Yash Raj Films, who are hoping to revive the magic of 'DDLJ' with 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'.
The film, a love story, is rumoured to be a desi version of Hollywood's classic romantic film 'My Fair Lady'. "I am going to be trying to hit it out of the park with 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'," SRK said.
Earlier, speculations were high that Anil Kapoor 's daughter Sonam Kapoor , who debuted with Saawariya , will be the leading lady opposite King Khan but Sonam and Yash Raj denied it.
Aditya debuted with 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', which is memorable not only for its plot but also for acting as a launch pad for SRK as the king of romance in the Indian film industry. SRK and Kajol later worked together in other films making them as one of the most successful pair of the Bollywood.
'DDLJ' thirteen years after its release continues to attract fans in Mumbai's Maratha Mandir theatre where it is still being run without a stop since it first released in 1995.
SRK, who in his early career played negative roles in films 'Darr' and 'Baazigar' was initially reluctant to play the character of a romantic guy in 'DDLJ' but then decided to act in the film after Aditya persuaded him.
Raj and Simran's love story still beholds its magic with fans clapping every time SRK comes up with his famous dialogue, "Bade Bade shahro mein aise chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rahti hai...".
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