As ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ completes 20 years, Karan Johar has revisited the intense reactions to the Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji-starrer. The filmmaker recalled being confronted by an angry woman after a preview screening and acknowledged the film’s flaws, including its excessive scale and some unnecessary songs, while maintaining that its emotional core was always sincere.

Karan Johar recalls the polarising response to ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’

‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ released in theatres on August 11, 2006, and immediately became one of Karan Johar’s most debated films. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta, the romantic drama explored marital dissatisfaction, emotional infidelity, love and desire.Ahead of the film’s 20th anniversary, Johar reflected on the strong reactions to the film in a lengthy Instagram post. He recalled attending a paid preview the night before its theatrical release, choosing to sit among the audience without revealing his identity.The filmmaker said he noticed a middle-aged couple reacting strongly to a scene involving Shah Rukh Khan’s Dev and Rani Mukerji’s Maya. Their discomfort intensified during the sequence in which the two characters enter a hotel elevator and give in to their feelings for each other.

A woman confronted Karan Johar after the screening

Johar recalled that one of the most striking reactions came after the screening, when a woman approached him with her crying daughter. Initially, he assumed she had been emotionally affected by the film.Instead, she questioned him about its subject and blamed him for what she had witnessed.As quoted by Mid Day, Johar recalled, “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.”Johar said the divided response continued after the film’s theatrical release. While some viewers considered it a bold and emotionally honest film, others felt that its treatment of marriage and infidelity conflicted with traditional family values.Johar also remembered an encounter at an airport lounge several weeks after the release. A woman told him that she had actually enjoyed Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, despite having told her husband that she disliked it.The filmmaker said he was relieved by her confession and asked why she had hidden her true opinion.The woman explained that admitting she liked the film could have led to uncomfortable questions from her husband. Johar recalled her saying, “I loved your film but I lied to my husband and told him I hated it”.She added, “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 admits ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ was ‘over-bloated’

Looking back two decades later, Johar has also acknowledged the film’s shortcomings. He admitted that its production scale was excessive and that some of its songs were unnecessary.The filmmaker said, “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.”Johar also clarified that the film was never intended to endorse infidelity. He said, “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.”‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ continues to find a different audienceDespite its polarising reception in 2006, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna has continued to generate discussion over the years. Its treatment of unhappy marriages, emotional compatibility and complicated relationships has also found renewed relevance among younger audiences. The film brought together Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji as Dev and Maya, alongside Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta as Rishi and Rhea. Its themes, performances and music have ensured that it remains one of Johar’s most discussed directorials.