British actor Austin Colby plays the character based on Raj from the Bollywood movie DDLJ in the Broadway musical Come Fall in Love. The fact that a white actor is taking on this role has aroused great anticipation among Indian fans and moviegoers. The actor responds to all criticism in a recent interview.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge comes to Broadway as a musical: Come Fall in Love. The address is in the hands of Aditya Chopra herself. The musical is a modern multicultural adaptation of the Bollywood classic. Characters Raj and Simran from DDLJ are two iconic names and characters.
In the Broadway musical, Simran remains the same, but the creators have made a surprising choice for the male lead. Raj is now Rog (Roger), an American. The fact that such an iconic Indian character, played by one of the most popular Indian actors, is now being played by a white actor has been heavily criticized. Fans talk about ‘money laundering’ and even call this a ‘new form of colonialism’.
“I am aware of what my participation in this production means to many people. And I understand the full impact of this. I am not the Raj Shah Rukh Khan we fell in love with, and I will never pretend to be.”
“I am very excited to fulfill the vision of the creative team for this position. And I really believe in the story and how we’re going to tell it. I hope the public Adi [Chopra] and will trust the original vision of the team for Come Fall In Love on Broadway and will love this play as much as we do.”
Austin also drew criticism when he shared on Instagram that he “hadn’t heard of DDLJ until a few weeks before.” This angered fans over the casting of an actor who is unaware of the film’s cultural impact.
Austin says that he has already seen the movie. “After watching DDLJ, he filled me with joy to see the rich world of Indian culture. It is overwhelming to fully digest the impact of DDLJ on Indian and global audiences. The film has touched many hearts and changed lives.”
An interesting fact is that Aditya Chopra initially conceived DDLJ starring a white man. Years ago, he revealed in an interview that he initially wanted to do Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge with Hollywood star Tom Cruise.
Come Fall in Love has its world premiere at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. The musical will run from September 1 to October 16, 2022, with the official premiere on September 14.
