Shah Rukh Khan unexpectedly stopped by the Come Fall in Love: The DDLJ Musical rehearsal space in London. The UK premiere of this new stage version of the well-liked 1995 Hindi romantic film, in which Khan played Raj and Kajol played Simran, is scheduled for May 29–June 21, 2025, at Manchester Opera House.

Aditya Chopra, the original director of the groundbreaking, multi-award-winning Hindi-language film, is directing Come Fall in Love: The DDLJ Musical, which is set in both the UK and India. Since its 1995 release, DDLJ has been the longest-running film in Indian cinema, showing nonstop in Mumbai. This year, DDLJ is commemorating its 30th anniversary.

“It was such an honour to meet Shah Rukh Khan and have him in the rehearsal room. He gave the show a lot of his time and support. It was an amazing experience and something I will always remember to be able to show him some of the famous scenes that he and Kajol first created. I am so excited to take this story to the stage in Manchester next week,” said Jena Pandya, who plays Simran.

“It was a moment that quietly landed on all of us, special in a way that didn’t need words. He met the entire company when he arrived in our rehearsal room. I could sense the significance of it as I watched everyone embrace him. He welcomed each of us with such affection and sincere enthusiasm for the work we have been doing. What it must be like to see a project that millions of people love being transformed into a musical thirty years later is beyond my comprehension. He insisted on seeing more, though! I will say that he was extremely happy, but the words we exchanged in private are for one Raj to another Rog. The afternoon was extraordinary. I will always remember it,”  said Ashley Day, who plays Rog.

Iconic music composers Vishal & Shekhar will be composing the music of the new English musical.

The musical will star Jena Pandya (Bhangra Nation, Mamma Mia) as Simran and Ashley Day (An American in Paris, Dynasty) as Rog, along with Irvine Iqbal (The Father and the Assassin) as Baldev, Kara Lane (The Addams Family) as Minky, Harveen Mann-Neary (Bend It Like Beckham) as Lajjo, Amonik Melaco (Austenland) as Ben, Millie O’Connell (SIX) as Cookie, Ankur Sabharwal (Snakes and Ladders) as Ajit, Kinshuk Sen (Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical) as Kuljit, Russell Wilcox (Exit The King) as Rog Sr.

The other cast members are Erica-Jayne Alden (A Christmas Carol: The Musical), Tash Bacarese-Hamilton (Frankie Goes to Bollywood), Scarlett Behl (Cinderella), Sophie Camble (Singin’ in the Rain), Gabrielle Cocca (Frozen: The Musical), Rohan Dhupar (Mamma Mia!), Joe Django (All England Dance Gala), Alexander Emery (Love Never Dies), Kuldeep Goswami (Bhangra Nation), Ella Grant (Once Upon a Time Tour), Yasmin Harrison (Burlesque), Mohit Mathur (Beyond Bollywood), Tom Mussell (Burlesque), Purvi Parmar (Little Shop of Horrors), Saaj Raja (Best of Enemies), Manu Sarswat (Cake The Musical), Garrett Tennant (Mamma Mia!), Sonya Venugopal (Life of Pi), and swings Emily Goodenough (Sunny Afternoon), Marina Lawrence-Mahrra (The Secret Silk), Jordan Maisuria-Wake (Peter Pan).

 A great musical to look forward to.

Priyanka Dutta