Karan JoharKabhi Alvida Naa Kehna broke new ground in Bollywood with her sincere depiction of infidelity. Game Shah Rukh Khan and Rani MukerjiThe film portrayed morally complex characters and triggered a widespread debate on publication. While critics and audiences were divided and commercially underperformed the film compared to typical SRK Hits, it left a lasting mark for its bold story.
Against the back
Nearly two decades later, Rani Mukerji, new from his first national prize, reflected on why the film met such resistance in a conversation with Ani. “Maybe India was not ready for it. But it’s always nice to be a part of movies that are long ahead of their time. Since in history when people talk about movies, at least they will remember our films as the movies that actually spoke out loud to the nation, spoke to an audience that was not yet ready to meet the truth,” she said.
To make the audience uncomfortable
Rani explained how the film’s realistic depiction of relationships caused viewers to confront their own truths, “yes, it happened (infidelity) and it made people uncomfortable because it made them see their own truth in their lives. And it is always difficult to reflect on your own truth, you know? And when it happens in front of you on a cellulic.
SPEAking Previous at a movie festival in goa, she shared how the movie Sparked Personal Introspection, “I THINK WHAT HAPPENED WITH KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA WAS THAT, AFTER THE MOVIE WAS RELESED, THERE WERE A Lot of Divorces. The movie in extreme discomfort. And I think that is the feedback karan got for his movie, and I think it opened eyes for a lot of people and they tooo the decision of being happy.“
Looking forward
Rani is now preparing for Mardaani 3, which will be released at the beginning of next year. Reports also suggest a possible reunion with Shah Rukh Khan in his upcoming project King, which marks his first collaboration on the screen in several years.
