Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

CBZ

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai also known as KKHH, is a Hindi romantic comedy drama film, released in India and the United Kingdom on 16 October 1998. It was written and directed by Karan Johar, and starred the popular on-screen pair of Shahrukh Khan and Kajol in their fourth film together. Rani Mukerji featured in a supporting role, while Salman Khan had an extended guest appearance.

Filmed in India, Mauritius, and Scotland, this was Karan Johar’s directorial debut. One of his goals for the film was to set a new level for style in Hindi cinema. The plot combines two love triangles set years apart. The first half covers friends on a college campus, while the second tells the story of a widower’s young daughter who tries to reunite her dad with his old friend.

The film was extremely successful in India and abroad, becoming the highest grossing Indian film of the year, and the first Bollywood film to enter the UK cinema top ten. The soundtrack also became the biggest seller of the year. The film won many major awards including the “Best Film” honours at the Filmfare Awards, the National Film Awards, Zee Cine Awards, Screen Awards, and Bollywood Movie Awards. Years after its release, it still makes appearances on Indian television and has achieved an iconic status.

Cast

  • Shah Rukh Khan as Rahul Khanna: A student at St. Xavier’s college, and Anjali Sharma’s best friend. He marries Tina and they name their daughter ‘Anjali.’
  • Kajol as Anjali Sharma: The college’s tomboy and Rahul’s best friend, who is secretly in love with him.
  • Rani Mukerji as Tina Malhotra: The principal’s daughter, feminine, sophisticated, an alumna from Oxford University. She is the woman with whom Rahul eventually has a daughter, but has always felt guilty for coming between Anjali and Rahul.
  • Salman Khan as Aman Mehra: Anjali Sharma’s loving fiancé.
  • Sana Saeed as Anjali Khanna: Named after Anjali Sharma, she is Rahul’s and Tina’s daughter.
  • Farida Jalal as Mrs. Khanna: Rahul’s mother.
  • Anupam Kher as Principal Malhotra: Tina’s father. He is slightly infatuated with Ms. Briganza.
  • Archana Puran Singh as Ms. Briganza: A showy English teacher. She flirts with Principal Malhotra.
  • Reema Lagoo as Mrs. Sharma: She is Anjali Sharma’s mother and has doubts about her daughter’s motives for marrying Aman.
  • Himani Shivpuri as Rifat Bi: St. Xavier’s housekeeper.
  • Johnny Lever as Col. Almeida: The manager of Camp Sunshine.
  • Parzan Dastur as Silent Sardarji: A Sikh boy at Camp Sunshine that never talks.
  • Neelam as herself in a special appearance: She is the host of The Neelam Show.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai has been the subject of reviews and critical analysis following its initial release. Fuad Omar called it a phenomenal debut for director Karan Johar; he said that the film has a memorable “feelgood factor”. Subhash K Jha called the film “a simple stylish, sensuous and ambrosial love story,” further adding that the chemistry between the lead pair was unbeatable. A reviewer for Timeout Film Guide, while commenting that the second love triangle went on too long, liked most of the film, saying that “its performances, camerawork, storytelling and extensive musical numbers [are] all energetically colourful.” In 2004, Meor Shariman of The Malay Mail called the film a “must watch” for Bollywood fans, and also for those seeking an introduction to Bollywood. The film has also been criticized for creating unreal worlds and characters, to which Johar has said that this was part of his vision of escapism.

A few years after its release, Sony purchased satellite rights for the film for INR 4 crore. The film was also released on VHS, DVD, and eventually Blu-ray. Now Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, along with Johar’s second film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…, often play on television to consistently high ratings. Johar said, “It’s gratifying to know that they’ve aged well and passed the test of time.” One of the best examples of the iconic status of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was the 2012 film Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi. Farah Khan and Boman Irani re-created scenes and characters from KKHH for posters to promote their film, and also paid homage in one of the songs, “Ramba Mein Samba”. In 2010, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was selected by Time as one of their “Five Essential Bollywood movies to Netflix”.

Koochie Koochie Hota Hai is an animated remake of the original, directed by Tarun Mansukhani. Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee, Anupam Kher are reprising their roles as Rahul aka Rocky, Anjali aka Angie, Tina, and the Principal. New cast members include Uday Chopra, Ritesh Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt and Simi Garewal. The story will have an anthropomorphic animal cast. As of October 2012, Karan Johar has placed the project on permanent hold. He said, “Animation films are not working nowadays, so as of now I have kept it on stand-by.”