Bollywood multi-hyphenate Karan Johar, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his directorial Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, has shared anecdotes about his first-hand audience reviews that were “polarising” in nature. On Monday, KJo took to his Instagram and penned a long note, sharing how he experienced a gamut of emotions from the audience and their reviews of the film, which was largely discarded at the time of its release.
Karan recalls KANK receiving polarising reviews
Looking back at the film’s release, Johar recalled watching a paid preview at a cinema the night before the film opened. He said he quietly sat among the audience and noticed a middle-aged couple reacting strongly to a scene involving Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji’s characters, Dev and Maya.
Johar recalled that the couple seemed upset even before the scene, and the situation became more tense when Dev and Maya entered a hotel elevator and gave in to their feelings for each other.
He further mentioned, “I stepped out with mixed feelings, and a lady and her crying daughter came up to me (I honestly thought she was moved by the movie). She asked, ‘Are you Karan Johar!!??’. I said yes, with fearful pride. 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’. I was worried she may hit me, so I scurried away from her and encountered some more angry faces. The film released to hugely polarising reviews and audience feedback. From being called brave, my best work to anti-‘sanskaari’ values and immense hate, I heard it all. I met a woman at an airport lounge a few weeks later (at this point I was ready to be assaulted at any given point of time). She said, ‘I loved your film but I lied to my husband and told him I hated it’. I was semi-relieved and asked why. She said, ‘If I told him I loved it, he would have asked me what I liked about it, so it was safe to lie’.”
Karan agrees KANK had flaws
The filmmaker agreed that the film had its flaws but also made a bold statement, saying that some songs in the film were absolutely unnecessary, something that would leave music lovers polarised. He went on, “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. 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.”
Johar said that, two decades later, he has met several people who have started seeing the film differently. According to him, some viewers who could not connect with it when it released now understand it better.
More about the film
Directed by Karan Johar, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna starred Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta in lead roles. The romantic drama released in theatres on August 11, 2006. The film dealt with marriage, love and extra-marital relationships.
