Filmmaker Karan Johar marked 20 years of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna on Monday, August 10, by revisiting some of the unusual and often uncomfortable reactions he encountered around the film’s release. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta, the 2006 film explored marriage, infidelity, loneliness and relationships, subjects that sparked considerable debate among audiences.
20 Years of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna: Karan Johar recalls angry reactions, mixed reviews; says, “It had its heart in the right place”
Taking to social media on the eve of the anniversary, Karan shared a long note recalling what happened when he quietly attended a paid preview of the film before its theatrical release. He remembered sitting behind a traditionally dressed middle-aged couple who appeared increasingly uncomfortable during the sequence involving Dev (Khan) and Maya (Mukerji) in a hotel elevator.
Recalling the couple’s reaction, Karan wrote, “At one point in the film, Dev and Maya enter the elevator of a hotel and what proceeds is the two characters succumbing to their love and desire. At that point Lady Saree looked at Sir Kurta in shock and dropped her popcorn. He turned back and said (in Gujarati) – ‘Dream sequence che!’”
According to Karan, the man eventually realised that the sequence was not a dream and decided to leave the theatre with his wife. The filmmaker said the incident left him worried about how the film would be received.
However, another encounter outside the theatre left an even stronger impression on him. Karan recalled meeting a woman accompanied by her daughter, who questioned him about the film. “She said, ‘I took my daughter to see a happy film with songs and dances and family values because it’s YOUR film. The DAY she got her DIVORCE and this is what I saw!! Shame on you,’” he wrote.
Karan admitted that Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna received “hugely polarising reviews and audience feedback”, with reactions ranging from calling it brave and his best work to accusing the film of going against traditional values.
He also recalled meeting a woman at an airport lounge weeks later who told him that she had actually loved the film but had told her husband that she hated it. According to Karan, she explained, “If I told him I loved it he would have asked me what I liked about it…so it was safe to lie!”
Karan Johar says Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna did not endorse infidelity
Looking back at the film two decades later, Karan acknowledged its shortcomings, particularly its scale and songs. “I don’t deny the flaws of the film… It was over bloated in scale and had opulent (and some unnecessary) songs to pander to my understanding of the mainstream… but I always felt it had its heart in the right place,” he wrote.
The filmmaker also clarified his intention behind portraying extramarital relationships in the film. “The film did not endorse infidelity (that was never ever my intention) but it did show that stepping out of the boundary of marriage to seek love or desire can destroy your very foundation and family,” Karan stated.
He further noted that the film was meant to present a complicated reality rather than offer straightforward answers about relationships. According to him, every relationship and circumstance is different, and cinema can encourage audiences to think about those complexities.
Karan observed that several people have told him over the years that they could not relate to Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna when it released but understand it differently today. Reflecting on that shift, he wrote, “20 years later, I meet many people who tell me they couldn’t relate to it then but understand it better today…Perhaps life itself gives us answers we never ever wanted to question.”
He concluded his note by questioning whether relationship struggles should always be viewed in terms of right and wrong. “We want life to give us black and white solutions to all our relationship traumas…BUT, can we look at it with a grey lens? Maybe then we will understand ourselves better…just maybe…”
Karan also expressed gratitude towards the cast and crew of the film, acknowledging their contribution to a movie that continues to generate discussion two decades after its release.
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More Pages: Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna Box Office Collection , Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna Movie Review
Tags : Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Down Memory Lane, Down The Memory Lane, Features, Flashback, Instagram, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Karan Johar, Kirron Kher, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Shah Rukh Khan, Social Media, Throwback
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