Karan Johar celebrated his debut film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai amidst fanfare, the lead actors Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji and the rest of the cast was in attendance, but Salman Khan gave this do a miss. The Bigg Boss host however sent across a message to the team from Lonavala where he was shooting for the reality show. Apart from the cast and crew, Karan’s new generation of students – Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter, Ananya Panday, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra were also in attendance. It was heart warming to see Sidharth and Varun pose for the shutterbugs together. With Alia Bhatt out of the equation, it looked like the two heroes had no bone to pick. However, insiders reveal that once inside the venue both the actors steered clear of each other.

While Varun and the rest of the gang went over to Karan’s residence and had an informal bash, Sidharth we hear left from the event. The actor has been a frequent guest at most of KJo’s party and was even introduced as Dharma’s blue-eyed boy at the event celebration 20 years of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Then what made Sidharth excuse himself from his mentor’s big bash. A fair feathered friend informed Latestly that Karan and Sidharth’s relationship is strained thanks to the filmmaker’s other protégé Alia Bhatt. Now we all know that Alia and Sidharth were supposed to be in a serious relationship after the duo worked together in Karan’s production venture Kapoor & Sons. Watch here: 5 Awkward Moments From '20 Years of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' Celebration Event

While buzz suggests that Alia was extremely possessive of her beau, there were talks of Sidharth’s fling with Jacqueline Fernandez. Karan had even teased the latter about the Kick actress on his chat show Koffee With Karan. Soon afterwards reports of the couple’s split made headlines. Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor made their relationship official at Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja’s wedding and we also witnessed an awkward encounter between the ex-lover Sid-Alia at the reception. Don't miss: With Alia Bhatt Out of the Picture, Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan Are Back to Being Friends – See Pic

Karan is close to Alia and Ranbir and is also backing their mega budget project Brahmastra. With Ranbir-Alia in the picture, Sidharth feels sidelined and isn’t too happy with Karan it seems. What else can explain the actor’s absence from a bash that was meant to celebrate his mentor.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 17, 2018 08:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).