Review: Come Fall In Love - The DDLJ Musical (Manchester Opera House)

Review by Jack McCabe

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In 1995, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) was released. It is one of the biggest cinema blockbusters in Indian cinema history, which blends romance with Indian Culture and explores love vs tradition, family values, and sacrifices for love. It has now been adapted into a musical directed by Aditya Chopra, who was also the director of the film back in 1995, with book and lyrics written by Nell Benjamin who was also written lyrics for Legally Blonde and Mean Girls. The new music comes from Vishal Dadlani and Sheykhar Ravjiani.

Come Fall In Love tells the story of Simran, a British-Indian Oxford philosophy student and Roger, her English, charming but clumsy love-interest. They meet at one of Roger’s famous parties after which Simran, through no fault of her own, ends up in the cells. Simran has a forthcoming arranged marriage to a family friend in India., and before she goes, she sets off on an interrailing trip with her best friend Cookie, Ben, and Roger. This is where the unlikely relationship between Simran and Roger blossoms and Simran begins to question what she really wants.

It is not a complicated story to the extent that it is relatively predictable, but at the heart of this story is the tension between tradition and progression, respect and true love. One can forgive the predictable nature of the tale when it is so heartwarming. 

This was a production which improved as the evening went on, starting slowly both in terms of pace and the quality of the songs. I found myself struggling to engage with the first four songs, and I was worried about how the show was going to play out. What was obvious from the beginning is that Linda Cho’s costumes, Derek McLane’s set, and Rob Ashford’s choreography were going to be sights to behold. The costumes and routines exploded onto the stage in bursts of colour and energy which were engaging and exciting.

After those first four songs, the production really improved in terms of quality and paced. I adored the song ‘Twice as Good,’ a brilliant way to explore the complicated dynamics between father and daughter. Jena Pandya, playing Simran, had an ability to maximise the chemistry with whoever she was on stage with at that time. She was endearing, likeable and funny. Irvine Iqbal gave a standout performance as her father, Baldev. His ability to play on the tensions in the play, exploring his conflict between love and tradition was fantastic. 

Ashley Day played Rog to perfection. He was cocky, charming and clumsy, behind his money and over-confidence was a young man full of emotion, love, and a huge amount of ambition. Ashley Day was able to bring out all of those features to a T and the audience was really rooting for him as the show went on. The production also had a large ensemble which increased the energy of the performance and made it a spectacle. The choreography particularly in the big ensemble numbers was a sight to behold. 

Two further stand-out performances came from Kara Lane and Harveen Mann-Neary, who played Rog and Simran’s mothers respectively. They brought comedy and raw emotion to their roles, with their number together being one of my highlights of the show.

This production really got going in the second half and brought together all of the features of this musical that made it a really enjoyable evening. The humour, emotion, colour and movement culminated in a brilliant finale which had the audience on their feet wanting more. This culture is rarely represented in stage musicals, and it was a pleasure to watch. After a slower start, Come Fall In Love turned into an enjoyable, energetic and colour-filled evening. 

Come Fall In Love - The DDLJ Musical plays at Manchester Opera House until June 21st

For tickets and information visit https://comefallinlovemusical.com/

Photos by Johan Persson