Karan Johar shares throwback memories with...; calls the film 'bold, brave and...'

Today, August 11, marks 19 years of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, and on the occasion, Karan Johar has penned a heartfelt note reflecting on his experience of working on a beautiful script and with a talented cast.

Karan Johar’s third film, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (KANK), starring Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan and Kirron Kher, was indeep a piece to remember; not because the characters embrace us but for the opposite reason. It shows how a small misjudgement and marrying the wrong person can bring huge turmoil in your life. Today marks the 19 years of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, and on the occasion, Karan Johar has penned a heartfelt note reflecting on his experience of working on a beautiful script and with a talented cast.

What Karan Johar wrote about KANK?

Taking to his Instagran handle, the filmmaker shared a throwback video and pictures from the sets of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and wrote, “Some love stories transcend time and still hold all the power they once did…KANK for me will always be that. My third film in and I was moved again by the absolute honour of having such terrific people on set with me to make a story that was bold…brave and full of only heart❤️❤️❤️ #19YearsOfKANK #KabhiAlvidaNaaKehna.”

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna derives inspiration from…

The film is unquestionably a testimony to Karan Johar’s development as a director and musician. The film’s inspiration comes from Yash Chopra’s intriguing but abortive Silsila, and he was indeed Karan’s favourite director.

Shah Rukh plays flawed husband in KANK

The casting is much more intriguing. Shah Rukh Khan immediately plays the part of the cheating husband that Amitabh Bachchan played in Chopra’s movie. Shah Rukh, a grumpy, resentful, and unsuccessful football player, uses his damaged ego as a battering rod to ruin his marriage to Preity Zinta, a dedicated and yet domesticated professional.

Abhishek as devoted husband in KANK

Abhishek Bachchan’s portrayal of the absolutely loyal husband, played by the trustworthy Sanjeev Kumar in Silsila, strikes the most honest notes. KANK casts the greatest Bollywood stars as fatally damaged spouses, which would ordinarily disrupt our stars’ egoistic balance.

Rani tackles KANK’s most complex role with grace

Rani, Abhishek’s icy, cleanliness-obsessed wife who comes alive in Shah Rukh’s company, is the most difficult role to perform. Her erratic and sometimes harsh rejection of a loving, devoted, sensitive spouse for a nasty, sour-tongued guy who vents his frustrations on his wife (played by Preity Zinta) and shy 10-year-old son is sure to raise many eyebrows.

Running the balance between irrationality and fun, Rani portrays the film’s most difficult character with a composed conviction that brings the dispersed lives in this drama set in New York into a grasp of elegant emotions.

Karan turns pain into poignancy in KANK’s climax

By skillfully weaving the mixture of suffering and desire into consumable scenes of varied sensitivity, Karan Johar redeems and elevates the characters. Ultimately, the movie places the adulterous pair in the “safe” realm of suffering and self-sacrifice, where they would have stayed if not for their respective husbands, Abhishek and Preity, joining together to support the “forbidden” union.