Karan Johar, who made his directorial debut with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, emerged as a critically acclaimed commercial blockbuster and it even won the National Film Award For Best Popular Film For Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
The film brought together a slew of iconic artists, however, some even refused to work for the same and they regretted their decisions. One of them was the legendary lyricist Javed Akhtar. ALSO READ | Karan Johar Recalls Mother Hiroo Johar Was Concerned About His Directorial Debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai; Filmmaker Says, ‘For A Second, I Questioned Myself’
In a recent conversation with ace fashion designer Prabal Gurung, Karan Johar recalled making his first movie and revealed that the legendary lyricist Javed Akhtar refused to write lyrics for the film because of its title, but later regretted his decision after the film became a success.
"Javed sahab had a problem with the title Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, we had a creative disagreement and he told me, ‘I don’t feel like I can write the lyrics of this film’s songs’ and it was a very amicable. I told him that it is my desire to work with you and he said, ‘We will work Karan another time.’ But when the film released, he called me and told me that he was wrong", said Karan Johar.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai starred Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji, and Salman Khan, in 1998, and even a series of actors declined Karan Johar for Aman’s role, which was eventually played by Salman Khan in the film. ALSO READ | Karan Johar Directorial Debut Movie, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai Clock 23 Years, Filmmaker Thank Kajol, SRK And Rani Mukerji
Sharing that a couple of actors had declined the role of Aman, Karan added, "After Chandrachur Singh and Saif Ali Khan said no, I was very depressed. One day, I was at Chunky Panday’s house for a party and Salman came up to me and said ‘I heard you have been shopping’. He said you need to be really confident to do that part and asked me to come and narrate it to him the next day", and when Karan did narrate the script to him, the Sultan actor agreed to do the film.
The film also starred Farida Jalal, Anupam Kher, Sana Saeed, Archana Puran Singh, Reema Lagoo, Himani Shivpuri, and Johnny Lever among others, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai will celebrate 25 years of its release in October next month.
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