Karan Johar recalls Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna backlash before 20th anniversary

Filmmaker Karan Johar has looked back at the fierce audience reactions that followed Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna in 2006. As the film approaches 20 years, he said its themes of love, marriage and consequences are understood differently now.Karan Johar spoke about the impact of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. (Credit: Instagram/@karanjohar)Ahead of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna completing 20 years in 2026, Filmmaker Karan Johar shared an Instagram note looking back on the reactions that followed the film's 2006 release. The 54-year-old said the film, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta, was praised by some and fiercely criticised by others for the way it dealt with love, marriage and infidelity.Johar said the responses have stayed with him over the years. In his note, he revisited unusual encounters with viewers, reflected on what he now sees as the film's flaws, and said the story was never intended to endorse infidelity. He added that many people who could not relate to the film then tell him they understand it better now.Johar recalled that on the night before the release, a paid preview was held at a nearby cinema, and he quietly went in to watch the film with the audience. He said he was seated behind a traditionally dressed middle-aged couple who already seemed upset and, as he put it, were taking that anger out on their popcorn.He wrote that during the scene in which Dev and Maya (played by Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji) enter a hotel lift and give in to their love and desire, the woman looked at her husband in shock and dropped her popcorn. The husband then turned around and said in Gujarati, "Dream sequence chhe!" Johar said that when the man realised it was not a dream sequence, he looked at his wife angrily, pushed for an immediate exit, and walked out. Johar added that his heart sank as they left. Angry people after the screeningAfter the show, Johar said he stepped out with mixed feelings and was approached by a woman and her crying daughter. He first thought the daughter had been moved by the film, but he said the exchange took a different turn.The woman asked if he was Karan Johar. When he said yes, she told him, "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!" Johar said he feared she might hit him, hurried away, and then noticed more angry faces around him.Polarised reviews and one unexpected compliment Johar said the film drew sharply polarised reviews and audience feedback after its release. He wrote that he heard everything, from people calling it brave and his best work to others accusing it of going against 'sanskaari (cultural)' values and expressing intense dislike.He also recalled meeting a woman in an airport lounge a few weeks later. By then, he said, he was ready for another confrontation. Instead, the woman told him, "I loved your film...but I lied to my husband and told him I hated it." When Johar asked why, she replied, "If I told him I loved it he would have asked me what I liked about it...so it was safe to lie!"How he sees the film nowJohar said he does not deny the film's flaws. He described it as overblown in scale and said it had opulent, and at times unnecessary, songs shaped by his understanding of the mainstream. Even so, he added that he always felt the film had its heart in the right place.He said the story touched a raw nerve and dealt with a reality that society often pushes under a value-based carpet. According to Johar, the film did not endorse infidelity, and that was never his intention. He said it instead showed how stepping outside marriage in search of love or desire can destroy a person's foundation and family, and that it remains a choice people make without judgement.What 20 years have changedJohar wrote that every story, circumstance and individual is different, but films are meant to make people think or relate. He said Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna may have done exactly that because people either loved it or hated it, but were rarely indifferent to it.He added that 20 years later, many people tell him they could not relate to the film at the time but understand it better now. He also wrote that people often want black-and-white answers to relationship troubles, and asked whether life can instead be seen through a grey lens.Johar ended the note by thanking the cast and crew and saying he would always remain indebted to them for their passion and compassion.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka SharmaPublished On: Aug 10, 2026 20:01 IST