Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna remaind one of the boldest, and most polarising, films of Karan Johar’s career. The film tackled the complex subject of infidelity, featuring mega stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, and Preity Zinta, and marked a departure from the traditionalism that often defines Karan’s filmmaking. Recently, while discussing the film with Rani Mukerji and reflecting on the challenges of shooting such a controversial story, Karan recalled how deeply the actors were affected by their roles.
He specifically mentioned how Preity Zinta became so immersed in the film that she took it personally and struggled to separate herself from her character. “It was such a deeply immersive experience for the actors, because I realised that all the characters, Dev, Maya, Rishi, and Rhea, everyone got so immersed in their roles. At one point, I actually had to tell Preity that this wasn’t really happening, that we were shooting a movie. She was like, ‘But why is he cheating on me?’ and I said, ‘He’s not cheating on you, it’s the character.’”
Karan Johar added that other cast members, including Rani Mukerji and Abhishek Bachchan, also faced emotional challenges during filming. “There was a moment when Abhishek really broke down on set. You remember there was a scene we were shooting, and he just broke down. There were moments when I could see you just looking sullen and sad, and I realised that everyone was going through something. It felt like you were going through beats in your head, because the film talks about ground realities, emotional realities, things that people go through but don’t like to address. We don’t like to acknowledge them; we brush them under the carpet. But they are all realities of modern life.”
Reflecting on the overall experience, Karan admitted, “I realised it was a very tumultuous experience.” Rani, listening with her characteristic candid humour, added, “Yeah, I think for audiences as well, it was.”
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Last year, Rani Mukerji also spoke to ANI about why Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna didn’t resonate with viewers at the time. She said: “Maybe India wasn’t ready for it. But it’s always nice to be part of films that are way ahead of their time. Because in history, when people talk about films, at least they’ll remember our films as those films that actually spoke aloud to the nation, spoke to an audience who was yet not ready to face the truth. And through such films, there were a lot of changes.”
