Parmeet Sethi recalls Yash Chopra visiting the sets of DDLJ: 'He and Pamela ji used to come with homemade pasta, mutton, and lasagna'

Parmeet Sethi is remembered for his role as Kuljeet in the iconic Shahrukh Khan and Kajol film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' As Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) celebrates its 30th anniversary, actor Parmeet Sethi reminisces about his time on the legendary film’s sets.Speaking to SCREEN, Parmeet highlighted the unforgettable support and care shown by filmmaker Yash Chopra. “Yash ji didn’t interfere even for a second, not even a single word when Adi was directing,” Parmeet said. “The way he narrated the film to me shot by shot, he shot it exactly the same way, no difference at all. It was all Adi, the film was clear in his head." He further said that Yash Chopra was the father figure on the set. "He and Pamela ji used to come with homemade pasta, mutton, and lasagna.

The atmosphere uplifted the whole unit.

Not like today, 50 managers and 50 vans. These walls have been created now, ” the actor recalled.

Lessons learned beyond fame

Parmeet explained that while 'DDLJ 'opened doors for him, it also presented challenges. “Immediately after that, I got Diljale, which again was a hit film. But, somewhere down the line, the kind of response I hoped for, that didn’t come,” he said, reflecting on how he was typecast into negative roles.

He further said that majority of the roles that were offered to him after the film were villain and negative roles. "Also not the main villain – villain’s son or brother, so I kept rejecting those. As I realized 2-3 years down the line, once you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind.”Years later, when Parmeet reconnected with

Aditya Chopra

, the director advised him to have accepted more offers. Parmeet recalled, “I told him, ‘You should have picked up the phone and told me this na, you are the experienced one, not me.’”

Yash Chopra’s smart production setup

Parmeet also fondly recalled Yash Chopra’s practical approach to filmmaking, noting that the legendary director believed a film itself doesn’t fail—rather, it is the budget that can fail. He was careful to invest in elements that would actually be visible on screen which helped in ensuring that money was spent wisely on what audiences would see, rather than on extravagant setups like large makeup vans that wouldn’t make an impact in the final film.