Karan Johar reflects on 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna' criticism as film marks two decades

Filmmaker recalls couple walking out mid-screening, says movie's intention was not to endorse infidelity

On the 20th anniversary of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Indian filmmaker Karan Johar reflected on the concerns and criticism surrounding the film, emphasising that his intention was never to endorse infidelity but to explore the pursuit of love.

Johar shared a message on his Instagram account, recalling the film’s premiere and the harsh reactions and comments he received from audiences who criticised his approach to the subject of infidelity within marriage. He acknowledged that the film's message had been interpreted differently, but expressed hope that viewers watching it today could find lessons in the film's exploration of the boundaries within marriage and the complexities of love.

"On the eve of the 20th anniversary of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna…penning down some unique encounters and realisations I had, thanks to this film!" he captioned the post.

Addressing what he described as a misconception about the film, Johar emphasised: "The film did not endorse infidelity (that was never my intention) but it did show that stepping out of the boundary of marriage to seek love or desire can destroy your foundation and family. A choice (with no judgement) only we need to make."

He added that the film "perhaps did that and you can hate it or love it." "It certainly didn’t make you feel indifferent to it. 20 years later, I meet many people who tell me they couldn’t relate to it then but understand it better today," Johar wrote.

 

 

 

 

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The filmmaker also acknowledged the film’s flaws, admitting that it was "over bloated" in scale and featured opulent, and at times unnecessary, songs that reflected his understanding of mainstream cinema at the time. However, he maintained that the film was made with the right intentions.

According to Johar, he knew that the movie was "touching a raw nerve, a fact of life we as a society like to brush under value-based carpets. A reality we don’t want thrown at us by our beloved movie stars and icons."

He noted, "I don’t deny the flaws of the film," but added that he "always felt it had its heart in the right place."

Further, the filmmaker recalled the night before the film's official premiere, when he attended a preview at a cinema and witnessed a strong reaction to the work.

Recalling the incident, Johar said he had quietly gone to watch the film with an audience and was sitting behind a middle-aged couple. The filmmaker shared that at one particular scene in the film, the woman looked at her husband in shock and dropped her popcorn. The man then turned back and said in Gujarati that it was a dream sequence, but upon realising that it wasn't, looked at his wife angrily and signalled an immediate exit.

"They left the cinema and my heart sank," Johar recalled.

The filmmaker also shared another encounter in which a mother confronted him after her daughter’s divorce, accusing him of promoting problematic values through his films.

Johar concluded his reflection with gratitude to the cast and crew, encouraging audiences to revisit the film with a more nuanced perspective.

"We want life to give us black and white solutions to all our relationship traumas, but can we look at it with a grey lens? Maybe then we will understand ourselves better, just maybe," he wrote.

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna follows Dev and Maya, played by Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji. The story centres on two individuals trapped in unhappy marriages who develop an emotional connection that eventually leads to an extramarital affair.

As the movie marks two decades since its release, Johar’s reflection suggested that it's controversial themes continued to resonate with audiences. While he acknowledged the movie's flaws and the criticism it received, the filmmaker remained firm that its intention was to explore the complexities of love, marriage, desire and the difficult choices people make when relationships begin to fall apart.