ETimes Decoded: #25YearsofKuchKuchHotaHai: How Karan Johar’s polished and whitewashed saga taught us a thing or two about love (and where it could have done better) | Hindi Movie News

Like all millenials studying this, I too, was barely an adolescent when Karan Johar‘s directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai got here out in 1998, replete with shiny visuals, chartbusting music, designer garments (additionally the COOL chain, which I believe now was a paid actor) and school theatrics. I laughed when Anjalishouted ‘Rahul is a cheater’, I cried when Tina died after which saved on sobbing via the second half of the film.I rooted forRahul and Anjali as a lot as I rooted for Rahul and Tina, and hoped that a long time later, I too will discover my fortunately ever after with a person like Rahul and ‘settle’ down, ultimately changing into mom to his youngsters (Did I point out that I used to be barely 12?)

The cult traditional, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji and Kajol lately accomplished 25 years. In essence a easy love triangle, the film tugs on the heartstrings of anybody who has skilled the euphoria of a primary ‘grownup’ love, or as Rahul says assembly that elusive somebody, jisko dekh ke kuch kuch hota hai. (one thing occurs) There’s unbridled pleasure and there’s heartbreak, coupled with a devastating demise sequence and a military of youngsters, colours and Shimla within the second half. Couple this with a track for each event and a Manish Malhotra outfit for each scene, and we now have a winner on our arms!
To jog your reminiscence, (you is likely to be a fan, however the film continues to be 25 years outdated), the happy-go-lucky school dude Rahul and the tomboy Anjali are greatest buddies in a straight out of a narrative book-ish school referred to as ST. Xavier’s (what are the possibilities!) The 2 upto a degree, share no romantic emotions for one another (and even when they do, they’re deeply buried, a minimum of for Rahul). Issues change when the ‘Oxford College’ returned Tina, daughter of the school principal, schmoozes into Rahul’s coronary heart, by donning a brief skirt by the day, and a salwar kameez in a temple on Tuesdays. She is poised, polished, well-spoken, trendy, but sanskaari in the proper doses (ladki aisi ho jise maa ke saamne le jaaya jaaye, says Rahul, which means that the proper lady is somebody you’ll be able to take residence to your mum). As Rahul finds himself falling deeply in love along with her (a tad too rapidly we’d add), Anjali abruptly realises that although Rahul sucks at soccer, she nonetheless loves him! Nonetheless, by that point, Rahul and Tina have fallen too deeply in love, so Anjali decides to allow them to be and strikes out of their life, till a long time later, Rahul and the now lifeless Tina’s daughter, additionally referred to as Anjali, decides to reunite her dad along with his greatest good friend.

Karan Johar, all of 21 then, has typically admitted that his debut film had lots of structural points. The truth that Tina left 8 letters for her new born child is baffling, one to be learn annually on her birthday, when clearly, youngsters are incapable of studying until they’re 3-4 years outdated, and positively not stark tales of affection and heartbreak. One other incontrovertible fact that even loyal followers discovered unsettling was that it’s simply ‘assumed’ that Anjali continues to be single after 8-9 lengthy years, and despite the fact that she is engaged, nothing about her life in these eight years has been proven. She can also be magically ‘lady-like’ now, carrying solely sarees, both because of merely ‘rising up’ or as a matter of proving a degree after her coronary heart is ruthlessly shattered to items – we are going to by no means know.
Nonetheless, these cinematic liberties aside, the film scores on emotion, one thing that Johar confirmed finesse from the phrase go. Whether or not it was the heartbreaking scene when Rahul confesses to Anjali that he loves Tina, or Rahul and Anjali’s awkward reunion on the summer season camp in Shimla, Johar’s writing was each sensible and transferring. In fact, when you have got actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji (full marks to Karan for recognizing her expertise in her in any other case chaotic debut Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat ) within the combine, it anyway makes for an influence packed spectacle.
As I stated earlier, for a 12-year-old, the film was at least a fairytale – portray an virtually excellent image of affection (bear in mind the Rani-SRK honey-laden married life montage?), instating the assumption that your first real love is somebody you’ll always remember and by no means transfer on from, identical to Anjali, who pines for Rahul even after virtually a decade, despite the fact that she is engaged to somebody who’s nuts about her.

As soon as the rose-tinted glasses wore off for me (and lots of others), we realised that Rahul was not an ideal man, not even by a mile. He was shallow sufficient to fall in love with the sultry Tina over the tomboy Anjali and years later, falls for Anjali as a result of Tina is lifeless and Anjali is now most likely extra lady-like than her! He additionally, via the course of the film, retains saying, ‘hum ek baar jeete hai, ek baar marte hai, shaadi bhi 1 baar hoti and pyaar bhi 1 baar hota hai‘ – (we reside as soon as, we die as soon as, get married as soon as and fall in love as soon as) after which falls in love and will get married throughout the subsequent few weeks to his platonic greatest good friend from school, who he has not been in contact with since years.
Nonetheless, the opposite facet of the coin that Karan most likely subconsciously tried to indicate, was that Rahul was a deeply flawed character, however that’s OKAY. In any case, how many people had our lives discovered after we have been 20-21 and in school? All of us had our share of ‘crushes’ which looking back (although you may not admit) have been on the ‘cutest’ women and boys in school, and never the one with the ‘purest’ of hearts. In fact, it was a little bit impractical that Tina and Rahul wed as quickly as they completed school and had a baby virtually instantly, however like most 90s motion pictures, this one too, positioned ‘falling in love and getting married’ as the best precedence for each genders, with little to no private ambition. (Learn Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai and so forth) And likewise, having a pehle pyar (past love) left adhura (incomplete) can also be OKAY. It isn’t the top of the world and you’ll ultimately transfer on to greener pastures.
But, even with all its flaws, the film is a traditional and one that may perk you up on a boring day. In fact, you do not have to take life-lessons from it and also you, evidently do not want a Rahul to go chasing the rainbows with. As a substitute, what you want is a lot of self-love and the assumption that love (together with different life milestones) will occur on the proper place on the proper time, after which you’ll be able to actually croon ‘Koi Mil Gaya‘ (minus the physique hugging sport tees please!)
You possibly can watch Kuch Kuch Hota Hai on a number one OTT channel…
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