It’s been a long time since ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ was released. You might realise it as you remember how young you were when you first saw the film. Yes, it’s a classic and it’s also the film that made Karan Johar. Karan has another film coming out in a couple of months that stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai. This will be his first release in a long time after ‘Student of the Year’, which starred newcomers at that time.
Karan recently spoke about KKHH in a recent interview how it was difficult for him to cast actors for the special appearances in the film. You might remember these roles as the ones that Salman Khan and Rani Mukherji played. Karan once said years ago that Salman approached him at a party and told him he will play the role as he liked Karan’s father, Yash Johar, very much. As for Rani, she was recommended for the role by Karan’s best friend, Aditya Chopra, and Shah Rukh Khan’s wife, Gauri Khan.
Find out more from Karan himself.
On casting actors for the roles Rani Mukherji and Salman Khan played in ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’
I had a lot of trouble while casting for Rani Mukerji’s part in ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. I had approached eight heroines and no one agreed (for the role). (I had) given a romantic narration but no one responded. I became like a beggar. Even for Salman Khan’s part (in the movie), I had to roam here and there. Finally, it all happened. I had to literally beg Salman and Rani to be on board.
On hiring Rani Mukherji for ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’
I went to Rani who was then going to do ‘Ghulam’. It was suggested to me by Shah Rukh Khan and Aditya Chopra. They both recommended Rani’s name after looking at a particular expression of her in ‘Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat’. We wanted a known face for Rani’s part as she dies in the beginning (in the movie), but that did not work out.