20 Years of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: 20 Facts That You Grudgingly Admit Are TRUE About This Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji and Salman Khan-Starrer
KKHH is still watchable, but our nitpicky minds have many found many holes in the film than on Mumbai roads during monsoons.
The year was 1998. For the writer, it was the year he was preparing for his 10th Board exams. For Bollywood, it was the year of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. A movie that gave the writer the idea that he can live a Riverdale kind of life when he joins college and therefore motivated him to study harder. It was another thing that my college life turned out to be something out of an Anurag Kashyap movie, but that's a story for another day. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai might have falsely sold me the idea of college, love, life and marriage, but it was a breath of fresh air when it came out in 1998. Karan Johar Celebrates 20 Years of the Classic Kuch Kuch Hota Hai With an Emotional Message for the Cast – See Pic.
Marking the grand entry of Karan Johar as a director, the movie has some awesome things to its credit. It reiterated Shah Rukh Khan's King of Romance tag, while also making us feel real bad for Salman Khan (once upon a time, such things happened!). Kajol-SRK's chemistry was still intact (and we hate Rohit Shetty for ruining it in Dilwale!). And Rani Mukerji made it to the big league and turned out to be much more than the Khandala girl! The music was awesome and the bubble-gum romance was Hindi cinema at its escapist best!
20 years later, our perceptions of the film have changed. KKHH is still watchable, but our nitpicky minds have many found many holes in the film than on Mumbai roads during monsoons. Let me remind you, this writer doesn't hate the movie, but he has found some many things that had endeared him then, began to annoy him now. And so do many other fans who share their thoughts about the film in various movie discussion boards. In this special feature, I put down 20 observations about the movie, that we have to grudgingly admit is true about one of the most likeable romances of Bollywood cinema!
#1 The film has not aged well. Sure, some scenes are funny and some touching but overall, Time has not been kind to KKHH.
#2 The premise was nonsensical in 1998. Still is. Even Karan Johar has admitted to it.
#3 Little Anjali is the most annoying thing about the movie. Tomboy Anjali was annoying too. So no wonder Rahul and Tina named their kid after her.
#4 Shah Rukh Khan got away with the dulhania. But you have to admit, Salman Khan got away with the claps!
#5 The movie could never live upto its most popular quote - "Hum ek baar jeete hai, ek baar marte hai, shaadi bhi ek baar hoti hai ... aur pyar ek baar hi hota hai!" Rahul fell in love twice and also got married twice. Unfortunately, real biology didn't allow him to have more than one life. Oh, wait! Karan Arjun did that!
#6 Admit it; when you heard the movie's name for the first time, you thought it was sleaze!
#7 The movie actually expects us to root for Rahul in his suits beating poor Anjali wearing a saree in a game of basketball. No wonder Anjali keeps saying...
#8 Rahul's favourite song must be 'Tera Pallu Sarka Jaaye Re'!
#9 Which summer camp allows parents to have free access to its facilities?
#10 That 'kissing-without-consent' Surd boy would later be accused by his female colleagues of sending them lewd pics!
#11 For two people claiming to be 'Best Friend, Yaaaaar!', Rahul never sought Anjali after she left for her hometown. I understand why Anjali wants to avoid him, but Rahul didn't know she was in love with him. And they never exchanged their home addresses even once? Best Friend, my foot!
#12 The rain-dance scene still remains the sexiest scene that Karan Johar has directed, and the only romantic sequence in the movie that has aged well!
#13 Kuch Kuch Hota from Aman's POV is 'Channa Mereya!'
#14 How many friendship bands did you buy after watching this film? Oh, you don't remember what they are?
#15 Kuch Kuch Hota Hai has another interesting love story hidden that no one talked of. That of Farah Khan's unnamed character, who appeared both in Rahul, Tina and Anjali's college and years later in Neelam's show! She also waited more than 8 years to get her true love! (the guy with the red circle marked is designer Manish Malhotra).
#16 If Tina really wanted Rahul to marry Anjali after her death, shouldn't she have written a letter to Anjali herself before her demise instead of writing 8 letters to her daughter? And she expected Anjali to remain unmarried all this while? Oh, wait! She didn't have her address right? But if an 8-year old girl can find where Anjali is, why couldn't she?
#17 Wondering if Rahul would have fallen for Anjali, if she still remained a tomboy the second time they meet, that misogynistic jerk!
#18 Why does little Anjali call her grandma 'sexy'? In which household in India, is a kid allowed to get away with that?
#19 Tina strumming an unplugged electric guitar to Jatin -Lalit's ripoff of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Take That Look Off Your Face is Bollywood at its cheesiest best!
#20 DDLJ was a better movie. By Miles!
But hey, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai also gave Salman Khan his first Filmfare award (for Best Supporting Actor). At least Bhai fans are still happy about that! And it also marks the glorious beginning of a renewed Dharma Productions, which gave us much better films later. So all is forgiven!
(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 16, 2018 02:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).