Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge ('The Brave-hearted Will Take the Bride'), universally known as DDLJ, opened to huge popular acclaim in India in 1995. This work points out that it is a paradoxical film which affirms old-fashioned values of pre-marital chastity and family authority, affirming the idea that Westernization need not affect an essential Indian identity.

Anupama Chopra is film critic for the national news magazine India Today. She is the author of Sholay: The Making of a Classic (2000) which won the prestigious National Award for the year's best book on cinema.