Helmed by Karan Johar in his directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai went on to become one of the most unforgettable films in the history of Bollywood. It was headlined by Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, and also featured Rani Mukerji and Salman Khan in pivotal roles. Karan Johar had to face several rejections for his first film as a total of ten actors refused to play the second leads to Shah Rukh and Kajol. These included Saif Ali Khan, Chandrachur Singh, Twinkle Khanna, Urmila Matondkar, Tabu, Shilpa Shetty, Aishwarya Rai, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor, and Juhi Chawla.
However, there was another Bollywood superstar who walked out of the film at the last moment and regretted his decision later. This was none other than the legendary screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who along with Salim Khan were the real superstars in the 1970s as they scripted multiple blockbusters and were paid even more than the biggest heroes at that time.
In a recent conversation on comedian Sapan Verma's YouTube channel, Akhtar recalled the entire episode. He said, "I consider the ’80s to be the darkest time for Hindi cinema. People were either writing double-meaning songs or songs with no meaning at all. I avoided films that, in any way, had lyrics I found absurd or vulgar. This principle led me to turn down a very successful film - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. I had written the first song for it, but when Karan decided on the title, I refused to work on a film with that name. I thought, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai..kya hota hai? I regret it now, but at that time, I refused."
Made in just Rs 10 crore, Karan Johar's debut film went on to become a blockbuster, earning Rs 106 crore gross worldwide and became the highest-grossing Indian film of 1998. The lyrics of the songs were eventually penned by Sameer. Akhtar and Johar later collaborated on multiple projects together.
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