When Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (KANK) released in 2006, it received mixed-to-positive reviews, with the film s portrayal of infidelity becoming a major point of discussion and criticism. Over the years, however, the Karan Johar directorial has come to be regarded When Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (KANK) released in 2006, it received mixed-to-positive reviews, with the film s portrayal of infidelity becoming a major point of discussion and criticism. Over the...
When Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (KANK) released in 2006, it received mixed-to-positive reviews, with the film’s portrayal of infidelity becoming a major point of discussion and criticism. Over the years, however, the Karan Johar directorial has come to be regarded as a cult classic. Now, as the movie completes 20 years, Karan has revisited the polarising response it received and recalled how, at one point, he was convinced he might be physically confronted by angry viewers.
Karan then recalled the moment when Dev (Shah Rukh Khan) and Maya (Rani Mukerji) give in to their attraction. “At one point in the film, Dev and Maya enter the elevator of a hotel and what proceeds is the two characters succumbing to their love and desire. At that point Lady Saree looked at Sir Kurta in shock and dropped her popcorn. He turned back and said (in Gujarati), ‘Dream sequence che!’ When Sir Kurta realised it wasn’t a dream sequence, he looked at his wife angrily (who was now relishing her popcorn much more) and insinuated an immediate exit! They left the cinema and my heart sank,” he wrote.
Karan Johar also recalled another encounter that left him even more shaken. “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,” he wrote.
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna went on to receive sharply divided reactions from audiences and critics. Karan recalled being called both “brave” and accused of going against traditional “sanskaari” values.
“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,” he wrote.
However, weeks later, an encounter at an airport lounge gave him a different perspective. “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 recalled.
Reflecting on Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna two decades later, Karan Johar acknowledged its flaws but maintained that its intentions were always misunderstood.
“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,” he wrote.
The filmmaker added, “I knew it was touching a raw nerve, a fact of life we as a society like to brush under our value-based carpets… a reality we don’t want thrown at us by our beloved movie stars and icons.”
Karan further clarified that Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was never intended to endorse infidelity. “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. A choice (with no judgement) only we need to make.”
The filmmaker concluded his note by reflecting on how the film’s meaning has evolved with time and how audiences themselves have changed. “Yes… each story is different, each circumstance is unique, every individual has their own reasons… but stories and movies are meant to make you think… or relate. KANK perhaps did that and you can hate it or love it… it certainly didn’t make you feel indifferent to it,” he wrote.
He added that, 20 years later, he often meets people who tell him they could not relate to the film when it released but understand it better today.
Karan Johar ended by expressing gratitude to the cast and crew of the film, writing that he would “always be indebted to them for their passion and compassion.”
