Karan Johar: I would give SRK a spine

In a world of whatifs Kuch Kuch Hota Hai wouldve never got made Or if it had it wouldnt have been made under Dharma Productions While the Yash Joharrun firm had some interesting movies under its belt Dostana 1980 Gumrah 1993 and the National Awardwinning box office disaster Agneepath 1990 it remained a midlist production firm that safe to say wouldnt have survived postliberalisation IndiaThe debut vehicle of Johars son Karan changed that For the first time ever Dharma had landed itself a blockbuster Kuch Kuch Hota Hai released in 1998 on the same day as Bade Miyan Chote Miyan Twenty one years later this last week KKHH trended online and unleashed a wave of nostalgia while the Amitabh BachchanGovinda starrer was forgottenRani Mukerji Shah Rukh Khan Kajol and Karan Johar at the 20th anniversary celebration of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai at a Juhu five star in October 2018 PicGetty ImagesThe 90s were defined by a handful of movies the machismo of Ghayal and Agneepath 1990 made way for the importance of family values in a fastchanging India with Hum Aapke Hain Koun 1994 and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge 1995 before finally introducing us to Rahul Khanna who wore snug tees chains that spelt cool and had girls drool How that was possible is a question we can only ask in hindsightKaran Johar is the first to admit it Rahul doesnt stand for very much Hes a deeply confused character doesnt know what he wants and really didnt do a lot much in the movie Whatever happened to him was because there were people pushing him his dead wifes spirit his eightyearold daughter and Anjali herself What made him endearing was his charm his large heart and Shah Rukhs personal charismaAnjali need not be the longhaired sareeclad sexy girl to win Rahuls attention because as his BFF she was always worth it all Mallika Dua comedienne actressJohar confesses that the ethics and politics of the movie were all wrong There was no logic or backstory to the characters You dont know what Shah Rukh or anyone else does for a living in the movie And the eight letters one for each birthday made no sense eitherHe was 24 when he wrote these characters He hadnt studied film and was driven by a passion for largerthanlife cinema that bordered on melodrama Growing up I saw my mother play Hindi film songs everything from Rafi and Kishore Kumar to Geeta and Guru Dutt KKHH was a homage to all the movies I grew up watching everything from Kabhi Kabhie and Bobby to SilsilaThe most obvious one change is of course the premise The film is all about how you live once and you love once But in that same lifefilm the hero falls in love twice So then Mayank Shekhar entertainment editor middayHis influences have since changed If Bollywood was his primary point of reference in adolescence now he makes a conscious effort to engage with regional cinema as well as international digital shows After this interview he is set to meet Tamil filmmaker Vetri Maaran whose films Asuran and Vada Chennai are among those he recommendsIm also a fan of Atlees Kumar Tamil director work I loved Bigil he says And I watch everything in the Telugu commercial space Lately Johar has also been watching The Family Man The Loudest Voice and FleabagI would rather have Rahul get together with Anjali than Tina I mean imagine the number of years wasted I would change that or perhaps a longer version of Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram Bhuvan Bam YouTube starBut my sensibilities changed because I surrounded myself with newer and younger energies I became more democratic and began practising an opendoor policy that helped me understand where I was going wrong and act on it he says I also became more comfortable in my own skin and stopped comparing myself and my work with others Johar says he could see these influences working on him as early as the time he was making Kal Ho Na HoSaif Ali Khan was apprehensive of playing Rohit Patel I had to tell him that it wasnt a sign of weakness but rather quite the opposite I explained that a man who can stand by someone he loves while knowing she loves someone else is a strong person Its not what makes him weak but human The role would put Saifs career on the fast track making him a bankable star Incidentally Saif had turned down a similar role just a few years earliermdashAman Mehra in Kuch Kuch Hota HaiThe conscious effort to stay relevant also helped Johar create stronger women in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil his last major feature film that critics count as among his most grownup movie yet Here Anushka Sharmas Alizeh continues to rebuff Ranbir Kapoors advances till the very end If KKHHs whiny Rahul earned sympathy Ae Dils Ayan Kapoor earned a fair amount of criticism I didnt know how else to end the movie Johar says I wanted the film to have that arc At the end it was Alizeh to whom your heart went out In some ways the two movies bookend Johars directorial career so farJohar says todays Rahul would be someone whos more assured and strong Id give him a spine and more EQ emotional quotient Id also introduce more confrontation Rahul today would be able to have an open conversation with Anjali Hell know that she likes him and hed address that with her If Tina were to die hed come to terms with his feelings for Anjali and go back to her not sit mopingTheres a scene in KKHH where Rahul learns of Anjalis impending wedding and taunts her She in turn refuses to confront him and walks away Thats not how Id written the scene In my original draft Anjali tears into Rahul and calls him out She says he doesnt know how to stand up for himself I threw out the scene because I thought it would cause a disservice to my leading man Today Id keep it Because now I understand its what would make them more human More realCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates