“The Punjab distributor said ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham bahut badi hit hai par Gadar jitni hit nahin hai” – Karan Johar

By Fenil Seta -

October 16, 2023 - 8:30 PM IST

The much-loved filmmaker, Karan Johar, completed 25 years on October 16 as a filmmaker. His debut film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, was released on October 16, 1998, and as we all know, emerged as a blockbuster. His next film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), had a bigger star cast and was an even bigger hit. But before the film’s release and during the opening weekend, Karan Johar feared that his film might bomb badly.

“The Punjab distributor said ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham bahut badi hit hai par Gadar jitni hit nahin hai” – Karan Johar

At an interaction held by Pinkvilla, Karan Johar said that Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was released in the last month of 2001. By then, path-breaking films like Lagaan and Chandni Bar and all-time blockbuster like Gadar had released and changed the trend. He also added that he was blown away by Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hai.

Karan Johar said, “I had grown up with Farhan. He was a naughty, bratty kid. I wondered ‘Yeh kya film banayega yaar’! I used to think I was cool (as I showed the ‘Cool’ chain in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai). But then I realized I was far from cool. What was really cool was Dil Chahta Hai.” He joked, “By the end of it, from feeling like a front-footed filmmaker, I felt like an underdog.”

He narrated, “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham had really bad reviews. It was called ‘old wine in a new bottle’. I was really depressed. A trade analyst wrote in the review, ‘It’ll disappoint all concerned’. I told my friend that my film was going to flop. He took me to a psychic. That psychic pulled cards out for me, and I was crying!”

KJo continued, “I called (distributor) Anil Thadani. He told me, ‘Are you going crazy? This is pre-Eid. Just wait for Monday’.”

Karan, however, was quite tense. He revealed, “I did a mannat. I walked to a temple. My father (producer Yash Johar) had told me that if Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham flops, we would have to shift to our old house. Whatever money we made on Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, we put it on this film. I imagined my mother, my father and I leaving the house with suitcases in our hand!”

On Monday, Karan Johar headed to Mumbai’s Liberty cinema, where Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was playing. At this point, Karan said, “There was a massive traffic jam in the lane leading to Liberty. I was getting very anxious. I asked someone, ‘Yeh traffic kyun hai?’. He replied, ‘Advance booking ka line hai’! I asked, ‘Kis picture ke liye?’. He irritatingly said, ‘Arre yeh family picture bani hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’!”

The audience listening to Karan laughed as the director continued, “I ran through the traffic. Anil Thadani took me to the ‘House Full’ board. All shows were sold out. He told me, ‘Call all the distributors now. Your film is a massive hit’.”

Karan did as instructed. All distributors couldn’t contain their excitement, except one. Karan Johar laughed as he said, “The Punjab distributor said “‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham bahut badi hit hai par Gadar jaisi hit nahin hai’! I asked ‘Flop toh nahin hai na?’. He answered, ‘Kya baat kar rahe ho? Sab shows full jaa rahe hai’!”

Also Read: Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh shoot for Koffee With Karan 8: Reports