Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol’s iconic love story DDLJ opens to houseful shows at IFFI

For many present, this was their first time watching DDLJ on a big screen, making the experience all the more emotional.

A wave of pure nostalgia swept across the Kala Academy campus on Tuesday evening as PictureTime’s inflatable theatre roared to life, echoing with whistles and cheers the instant Simran ran into Raj’s arms.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge — Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol’s iconic love story — made its first-ever appearance in a mobile cinema setting at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), and the response was nothing short of electric.

A state-of-the-art theatre has been installed at the esteemed Kala Academy for IFFI 2025 by PictureTime Digiplex, a company renowned for its innovative inflatable cinema setups that transport theatrical experiences to even the most remote parts of India. With the showing of this timeless classic, their goal of bringing films to places that traditional theatres frequently overlook found its ideal moment.

One of the festival's main attractions was the Aditya Chopra-directed movie, and the 130-seat inflatable theatre was completely booked before the performance even started.

The atmosphere inside was more akin to a celebration than a screening: schoolchildren applauded at every memorable moment, families arrived in groups, couples relived memories, and even the security personnel stopped to take in the magic that was happening on screen.

For many present, this was their first time watching DDLJ on a big screen, making the experience all the more emotional. The crowd erupted at every beloved scene, mouthing dialogues in unison, cheering for Raj and Simran as though seeing them for the very first time.

“We expected excitement, but what we witnessed was beyond anything we imagined,” shared Surajit Roy, COO & President, PictureTime. “The theatre turned into a stadium. Tickets sold out within minutes. People were laughing, singing, quoting every dialogue — it was the kind of cinematic celebration PictureTime aims to bring to communities everywhere.”

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DDLJ was not the end of the inflatable theatre. Along with an eclectic lineup of critically acclaimed films like Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 12th Fail, the Malayalam sensation Manjummel Boys, Rajkummar Rao's Srikanth, Rani Mukerji's Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway, Sooraj Barjatya's Uunchai, Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay!, and Irrfan Khan's eerie Qissa, among many others.

The screenings collectively turned PictureTime’s inflatable theatre into one of the liveliest spots at IFFI — a space where nostalgia, celebration and community came together, all in the name of cinema.