EXCLUSIVE: Karan Johar says Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor, Sooraj Barjatya influenced him to make Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Recently, during Pinkvilla Masterclass, Karan Johar opened up about the directors who influenced him to make Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Read on!

By Yash Singh

Updated on Oct 17, 2023 | 11:11 AM IST | 178K

Picture courtesy: Sheldon Santos and IMDB

Karan Johar made his directorial debut in 1998 with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Rani Mukerji starrer turned out to be a major critical and commercial success. Recently, in an interview with Pinkvilla, KJo spoke about how directors like Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor, and Sooraj Barjatya influenced him for the film.

Karan Johar on influences for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

In an interview with Pinkvilla Masterclass, Karan Johar spoke about how Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was a result of his love for Hindi cinema. He then stated the directors whose influence on him is visible in the film. He said, "There's so much of Yash Chopra in there, there's so much of Sooraj Barjatya, there's so much of Raj Kapoor. So many influences I have had as a kid." KJo then called the film his 'one big dream.'

Check out the interview:

Karan Johar on narrating Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to SRK

In the same interview, the director stated that he took one year to write Kuch Kuch Hota Hai by combining two stories that he had in mind. In 1997, he narrated it to Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol while anticipating that he would be thrown out during the narration. He said: "I really thought that they'd throw me out literally after the narration because I didn't know what I was narrating." However, SRK liked the script and agreed to do the film.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai also has Salman Khan in a special appearance. The film was released in 1998 and met with critical and commercial success. Over the years, it has become a part of the Indian pop culture.

Karan Johar's work front

Karan's recent directorial venture was Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. The film marked his return to the director's chair after nearly seven years. Upon release, it met with positive critical reviews and strong box office results. As a producer, he is gearing up for the action film Kill which premiered at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Apart from that, Sidharth Malhotra and Disha Patani starrer Yodha is also slated to release in December.

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