Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is one of Bollywood’s cult films that created history in Hindi cinema. And this year, on August 11, 2026, the film completed 20 years of release. Celebrating the big milestone, the film’s director Karan Johar shared his untold experiences post-release and also years later with a long post, also mentioning that his film didn’t endorse infidelity.
Karan, with his series of slides, shared his post-release encounters and his realizations even years later. In the first slide, the director mentioned going to the theatres to watch the film in the preview screening and meeting an angry couple, “A night before Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna released, there was a paid preview in a cinema nearby. I went quietly to watch the film with an audience, and I was sitting behind a very traditionally dressed middle-aged couple (and for some reason they seemed angry and the anger was taken out on the poor popcorn they were chomping on!) At one point in the film, Dev and Maya enter the elevator of a hotel and what proceeds is the two characters succumbing to their love and desire. At that point, Lady Saree looked at Sir Kurta in shock and dropped her popcorn. He turned back and said (in Gujarati) – “Dream sequence che!” When Sir Kurta realized it wasn’t a dream sequence, he looked at his wife angrily (who was now relishing her popcorn much more) and insinuated an immediate exit! They left the cinema and my heart sank.”
Further, he added, stepping out of the theatres with mixed feelings, “I stepped out with mixed feelings, and a lady & her crying daughter came up to me (I honestly thought she was moved by the movie). She asked – “Are you Karan Johar!!??” I said yes, with fearful pride. She said, “I took my daughter to see a happy film with songs and dances and family values because it’s YOUR film. The DAY she got her DIVORCE, and this is what I saw!! Shame on you.” I was worried she may hit me, so I scurried away from her and encountered some more angry faces.”
Speaking on the different responses about the film, Karan said, “The film released to hugely polarising reviews and audience feedback… From being called brave, my best work to anti ‘sanskaari’ values and immense hate – I heard it all… I met a woman at an airport lounge a few weeks later (at this point I was ready to be assaulted at any given point of time); she said, “I loved your film…but I lied to my husband and told him I hated it.” I was semi-relieved and asked why. She said, “If I told him I loved it, he would have asked me what I liked about it…so it was safe to lie!”
Accepting the flaws of his film, Karan clarified that Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna didn’t endorse infidelity as it wasn’t his intentions ever, “I don’t deny the flaws of the film… It was over-bloated in scale and had opulent (and some unnecessary) songs to pander to my understanding of the mainstream… but I always felt it had its heart in the right place.”
And further added, “I knew it was touching a raw nerve, a fact of life we as a society like to brush under our value-based carpets… a reality we don’t want thrown at us by our beloved movie stars and icons. The film did not endorse infidelity (that was never ever my intention), but it did show that stepping out of the boundary of marriage to seek love or desire can destroy your very foundation and family. A choice (with no judgement) only we need to make.”
Concluding his note, Karan said, “Yes…each story is different, each circumstance is unique, every individual has their own reasons…but stories and movies are meant to make you think…or relate. KANK perhaps did that, and you can hate it or love it… It certainly didn’t make you feel indifferent to it. 20 years later, I meet many people who tell me they couldn’t relate to it then but understand it better today… Perhaps life itself gives us answers we never ever wanted to question. We want life to give us black-and-white solutions to all our relationship traumas…BUT, can we look at it with a grey lens? Maybe then we will understand ourselves better…just maybe… I am ever so grateful to the incredible cast and crew family of our film… I’ll will always be indebted to them for their passion and compassion. #20YearsOfKANK.”
The 2006 Hindi film Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was directed by Karan Johar and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar under Dharma Productions, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan, and Kirron Kher.
