Thirty-Six Years Later, He Stood At The Same Platform And This Time, Anupam Kher Wants India To Never Forget It

The Platform That Made A Generation Believe In Love

There are film locations, and then there are places that become cultural landmarks etched permanently into a nation's memory. The railway station in Punjab where Raj finally runs after Simran in the climax of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge one of Indian cinema's most celebrated scenes is undeniably one such place. Anupam Kher, who played the role of Raj's father Dharamvir Malhotra in the 1995 Aditya Chopra directorial, recently returned to that very station after 36 years and shared his emotional experience with the world. Standing there again, he said it felt as if time had briefly stood still.

What Anupam Kher Saw And What He Felt

Kher described the visit as a deeply personal and nostalgic experience, recounting how the iconic climax scene was filmed alongside Shah Rukh Khan, the late Amrish Puri, Kajol, Farida Jalal, and Parmeet Sethi at this very location. In his own words loosely translated from Hindi he wrote that standing there again made him feel as though time had paused for a moment, and expressed a heartfelt wish that the Maharashtra government should develop this place as a tourist destination. He drew a compelling parallel with how film locations around the world become part of people's memories and emotions and urged India to preserve its cinematic heritage with the same respect and dignity.

The Case For Bollywood Film Tourism

Kher's appeal is not just nostalgic sentiment it is a well-reasoned cultural policy argument. Countries and cities that have embraced film tourism have reaped enormous dividends. New Zealand built an entire tourism ecosystem around Lord of the Rings. London turned Platform 9¾ at King's Cross into a global Harry Potter attraction visited by millions annually. Switzerland actively markets its DDLJ connection a Yash Chopra named train runs on the Jungfrau Railway drawing Indian tourists specifically to relive the film's magic. India, with one of the world's most emotionally attached cinema audiences, has barely scratched the surface of what dedicated film location tourism could achieve.

DDLJ Film Tourism Highlights

• Anupam Kher revisited the DDLJ climax station in Punjab 36 years after the film's iconic scene was shot there
• The climax featured Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amrish Puri, Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal, and Parmeet Sethi
• Kher has appealed to the Maharashtra government to develop the location as a dedicated tourist destination
• DDLJ is the longest-running Hindi film in cinema history, still screened at Mumbai's Maratha Mandir since 1995
• Switzerland already benefits from a Yash Chopra-branded train on the Jungfrau Railway drawing Indian film tourists
• Film location tourism is a multi-billion-dollar global industry with proven returns for host destinations
• India's cinematic heritage remains largely undeveloped as a structured tourism and cultural economy product
• Kher's visit and appeal have gone viral across social media, reigniting national conversation around cinema heritage tourism

From Silver Screen To Tourist Trail A Pitch Worth Hearing

India's government both at the central and state levels has been actively pushing film tourism through the Ministry of Tourism's Film Tourism Policy framework. Kher's appeal arrives at exactly the right moment when policy conversations around leveraging Bollywood's cultural export value are gaining momentum. Turning the DDLJ station into a managed heritage tourism destination with curated experiences, interactive exhibits, and a preserved platform section could create a self-sustaining cultural economy around one of Hindi cinema's greatest love stories.

Sources: Moneycontrol Entertainment (May 11, 2026), ABP Live Entertainment, Curly Tales, India Today Movies, Times of India, NewKerala, May 2026