Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) turns 28 this week, and with Kajol’s Anjali tribute back in the conversation, it’s the right time to revisit Karan Johar’s directorial debut. Behind the love triangle, the campus and the songs, the making was full of near misses and happy accidents.
1. Kajol’s bike crash blacked out the moment
During “Yeh Ladka Hai Deewana,” Kajol lost control of her bicycle, fell, injured her knee and was briefly unconscious. She later called the accident her most memorable moment from the shoot because she has no recollection of it.
2. Two unfinished scripts became one film
Johar initially developed two separate stories: a college love triangle and a widower-and-child drama. Dissatisfied with both, he merged them. He told Rediff.com: “It was about the trauma of a widower and his little child… Then I thought: Why not bring a youth aspect to the story? Why not a flashback? That’s how the story got made.”
3. Tina was first offered to Twinkle Khanna
The role was written for Twinkle Khanna, who declined. Aishwarya Rai, Raveena Tandon, Tabu, Urmila Matondkar, Shilpa Shetty and Karisma Kapoor were approached but turned it down. Aditya Chopra recommended Rani Mukerji after watching her in Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat (1996).
4. Aman saw two refusals before Salman Khan
Saif Ali Khan and Chandrachur Singh both declined the part. Salman Khan accepted after meeting Johar at his sister Alvira Khan Agnihotri’s home, and although there were early concerns over remuneration, he eventually completed the ensemble.
5. The campus was modelled on Riverdale High
Johar asked art director Sharmishta Roy to base the college on Riverdale High. He said: “Shah Rukh plays Archie, Rani Mukerji plays Veronica, and Kajol played Betty.” Costume designer Manish Malhotra sourced outfits from London, featuring international brands such as DKNY and Polo.
6. Shimla on screen was Ooty in real life
Principal photography started on 21 August 1997 and lasted about nine and a half months. College scenes were filmed at the University of Mauritius in Moka. The Shimla summer camp was shot at Wenlock Downs in Ooty, Tamil Nadu, while the title song took ten days across Scotland.
7. Shah Rukh Khan helped with the technicals
Because the crew was relatively inexperienced, Shah Rukh Khan frequently assisted with technical aspects during filming. Johar later acknowledged his own limited knowledge of directing and production at the time.
8. A rehearsal became the final cut
For the emotional reunion between Rahul and Anjali after eight years, Johar asked the actors to rehearse and improvise their reactions. He secretly recorded the rehearsal and was so impressed with it that he placed the footage in the final film.
9. Shabana Azmi’s criticism changed how Johar sees it
Johar has acknowledged retrospective criticism of the film’s gender roles. He recalled Shabana Azmi criticising a scene suggesting a woman becomes desirable only after altering her appearance, especially Anjali’s transformation when she grows her hair.
10. Jatin–Lalit began their Johar run here
The soundtrack was composed by Jatin–Lalit with lyrics by Sameer. It marked the duo’s first collaboration with Karan Johar, and Sony Music released it on 19 August 1998.
Which of these details makes you want to watch the campus scenes again? Tell us your favourite Kuch Kuch Hota Hai making-of fact.
Facts from Wikipedia: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.