Earlier this month, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai turned 21 years old. It’s one of the most iconic movies of Bollywood, no doubt. But looking back at it today, there are a lot of things that were problematic about it. And looks like the director and writer of the film, Karan Johar seems to think so too. Can we all just agree Rahul was a jerk to Anjali in college? In an interview with Mid-day, Karan revealed his characters and story were flawed and if he ever got a chance to rewrite them, he would make a lot of changes to it. He also said that his lead character Rahul didn’t do much in the film and it was only Shah Rukh Khan‘s charm that made Rahul who he is.
Talking about his character, Karan said:
Rahul doesn’t stand for very much. He’s a deeply confused character, doesn’t know what he wants and, really, didn’t do a lot much in the movie. Whatever happened to him was because there were people pushing him – his dead wife’s spirit, his eight-year-old daughter, and Anjali herself. What made him endearing was his charm, his large heart and Shah Rukh’s personal charisma.
Hear, hear! It’s astonishing how Karan is so aware and accepting of flaws in the characters .
Karan also talked about how he would fix Rahul‘s problematic behaviour of he ever got to rewrite the script.
He said:
I’d give him a spine and more emotional quotient. I’d also introduce more confrontation. Rahul, today, would be able to have an open conversation with Anjali. He’ll know that she likes him and he’d address that with her. If Tina were to die, he’d come to terms with his feelings for Anjali and go back to her, not sit moping.
He said that back then he wrote the film, he was 24 years old with no formal training or prior experience. But since then, he has grown and surrounded himself with newer and younger energies. According to Karan, this has enabled him to understand where he was wrong and act on it.
This is why I love Karan Johar. It’s refreshing when celebrities are so honest about their own work.