Karan Johar reveals that Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was the third BIGGEST hit in the UK behind The Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter: “A London exhibitor said that there are queues in the cold for this film”

By Fenil Seta -

October 16, 2023 - 8:15 PM IST

The overseas territories have emerged as a huge market for Hindi films and Karan Johar can be hailed as the king of these regions. Almost all his directorial ventures have struck a chord with the South East Asians settled abroad. This is evident from his first film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), which completed 25 years on October 16. His next directorial, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) was a bigger hit, and its overseas record was broken by Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006). My Name Is Khan (2010) and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), too, scored big time. His latest release, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, starring Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi, is a bigger hit in Overseas than in India, shocking trade and industry. It crossed the $21 million mark and continued to get an audience even after it was out on Amazon Prime Video.

Karan Johar reveals that Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was the third BIGGEST hit in the UK behind The Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter: “A London exhibitor said that there are queues in the cold for this film”

During an interaction held by Pinkvilla, Karan Johar was asked when he realized for the first time about the unprecedented popularity of his films in foreign lands. Karan revealed that it happened when Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, was released.

KJo continued, “I went to a theatre in London called Cine World. It was situated in a locality where the bulk of the Asian community comes (to watch films). I watched Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham there. A gentleman called Andrew ran the theatre. He told me, ‘I was very keen to meet you. (I wanted to know) who’s this director who made it to the top 3 of the UK box office after Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone (2001) and The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001). You are on number 3’! He further said, ‘There are queues in the cold to see this film’.”

Karan Johar stated, “When I went inside, I saw that the audience was reacting to everything. There’s a scene when Kajol says ‘Wapis chalo ab Rahul. Yeh na hamara desh hai, na hamare log hai’. They all stood up and clapped! I wondered, ‘If you all really want to leave, why are you all here?’!”

He signed off by adding, “I was so overwhelmed with that feeling. That’s when I realized that there’s some kind of a connection that my film has had with the diaspora.”

Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Karan Johar surprise fans at Kuch Kuch Hota Hai 25th anniversary screenings