Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra lied to Yash Chopra for Shah Rukh Khan’s DDLJ jacket: ‘Adi said, be ready to go back home’

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge completed 30 years earlier this year, and while the film continues to garner love across generations, one of its most defining visual elements remains etched in popular memory, the Harley-Davidson jacket worn by Shah Rukh Khan for a major chunk of the film. Over the years, the jacket became iconic, turning into a fashion craze that still persists. Recently, filmmaker Karan Johar, who served as an assistant director on the film, revealed the story behind acquiring the now-legendary jacket. While speaking on Manyavar’s YouTube channel, he shared how he, along with director Aditya Chopra and fellow assistant Uday Chopra, collectively pitched in to buy the expensive piece, without informing producer and veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra of its actual cost.

“It was a Harley-Davidson jacket. Adi, Uday and I went together to purchase it. It was a 300-pound jacket in 1994, and now you can estimate how expensive it would be in today’s time,” he said. Recalling Yash Chopra’s reaction, or rather, the lack of it, Karan added, “He didn’t say anything because we told him it cost 50 pounds. We had all decided to lie, and we contributed everything we had to buy it. Because, otherwise, it would have been very difficult to explain that he (SRK) was going to wear it throughout the film, and look at the impact it had.”

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He further revealed that due to the absence of duplicate costumes, he and Uday Chopra often slept with the entire outfit (jacket, red checkered shirt and jeans) next to them, to ensure nothing went missing. He also recalled a stern warning from Aditya Chopra: “Adi said that if you lose even one thing, then be ready to go back home. So we were very scared.”

As DDLJ marked its 30-year milestone, the makers commemorated the occasion with the unveiling of a life-size bronze statue of Raj and Simran at London’s iconic Leicester Square. Shah Rukh and Kajol flew down for the ceremony, and following the unveiling, the duo spoke to BBC Asian Network, reflecting on the surreal experience. In his trademark wit, Shah Rukh Khan remarked, “Dilwale Dulhania, me and Kajol are like a bad habit, you can’t get away from us.” When reminded that he had once described the film as “dal chawal” for Indians, a staple, the actor smiled in agreement and said, “It’s like dal chawal, yeah.”