Javed Akhtar reveals why he rejected 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'
Renowned lyricist Javed Akhtar recently revealed that he turned down Karan Johar's debut film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (KKHH), because he hated the title. Speaking to comedian Sapan Verma, Akhtar said he regretted his decision but explained why he did it in the first place. "I consider the '80s to be the darkest time for Hindi cinema...This principle led me to turn down a very successful film—KKHH."
Akhtar's disagreement with Johar over 'KKHH' title
Akhtar had written the first song for KKHH but left the project when Johar decided on the title. He said, "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."
Johar's perspective on Akhtar's departure from 'KKHH'
Separately, Johar spoke to designer Prabal Gurung and opened up about Akhtar's exit from the project. He said Akhtar later confessed he was wrong. "Javed sahab had a problem with the title Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, we had a creative disagreement and he told me, 'I don't feel like I can write the lyrics of this film's songs.'...But when the film released, he called me and told me that he was wrong."
Akhtar and Johar's collaboration on 'Kal Ho Naa Ho'
Despite their disagreement over KKHH, Akhtar and Johar eventually collaborated on Johar's 2003 film Kal Ho Naa Ho. The successful partnership marked a significant milestone in their professional relationship. Meanwhile, despite Akhtar's initial reservations, KKHH became a massive box-office hit and is now considered a classic. Its soundtrack also achieved remarkable success, becoming the best-selling Bollywood album of the year with an impressive 8M copies sold in India.
