Shah Rukh Khan visits rehearsals of DDLJ Musical in UK

Shah Rukh Khan paid a surprise visit to the London rehearsal set of Come Fall in Love: The DDLJ Musical, the stage adaptation of the actor's 1995 film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

Shah Rukh, who starred as Raj in the original Aditya Chopra-directed blockbuster opposite Kajol's Simran, visited the set ahead of its UK premiere at the Manchester Opera House next month.

The reimagined stage production, which will run from May 29 to June 21, is also directed by Aditya Chopra.

Jena Pandya, who plays Simran in the musical, called the meeting a 'long-lasting memory'. “Meeting Shah Rukh Khan and having him in the rehearsal room was such an honour. He was so generous with his time and support for the show. Being able to show him some of the iconic scenes that he and Kajol originally established was an incredible feeling and will be a long-lasting memory for me. I can't wait to head to Manchester next week and put this story on stage,” she said in a statement.

Ashley Day, who plays Rog, an updated take on SRK's Raj, said the actor greeted the cast and crew with "love and genuine excitement about what we've been building".

"I can't imagine what it must feel like to see a project beloved by millions being reimagined as a musical 30 years later. And yet, he kept asking to see more! The words we shared privately are for one Raj to another Rog – but I will say he was very happy. It was an unbelievable afternoon. I'll never forget it," he added.

The plot of the musical revolves around Simran (Pandya), a young British Indian woman who finds herself engaged to a family friend in India in an arranged marriage. But later falls in love with a British man named Roger (Day).

Music composers Vishal Dadlani and Sheykhar Ravijani, who have created 18 new English songs for the musical, said having Shah Rukh visit the workshop was an "amazingly positive experience".

Set in the UK and India, Come Fall in Love: The DDLJ Musical will also feature Irvine Iqbal, Kara Lane, Harveen Mann-Neary, Millie O'Connell, Kinshuk Sen and others.