Karan Johar’s directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai has become an iconic film and is celebrating 20 years of its release today. The film catapulted Karan as well as Dharma Productions among the top players in the industry and helped establish them at par with Yash Raj Films. The film is also well-loved and popular for a lot of reasons like the music, the star cast, the child actors and the story that was pretty different from the films that were released at the time. The film also made ample use of supporting actors who made the film an interesting and hilarious watch.

We all know the love story of Rahul, Anjali and Tina but other than them the film also boasts of very strong supporting characters that are still remembered today and all of them had a character arch that was not stereotypical.

Here’s a look at some of these characters from the film who were memorably brought to life by actors who made them believable.

Mrs. Savitha Khanna played by Farida Jalal

[caption id="attachment_150436" align="aligncenter" width="670"] Farida Jalal and Sana Saeed in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai[/caption]

Farida Jalal played Shah Rukh Khan’s widowed mother and the main caretaker/supporter of his daughter Anjali (played by Sana Saeed). Farida’s motherly act was not a weepy one but rather a fun-loving and mischievous character who does not bat an eyelid in joining her granddaughter’s plan of getting her father reunited with his college best friend. Although she is seen haranguing her son to get married again she is not one to mope around. Her banter with Johnny Lever when she accompanies her granddaughter to summer camp is equally funny and entertaining.

Principal Malhotra played by Anupam Kher

[caption id="attachment_150437" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Anupam Kher in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai[/caption]

Anupam Kher’s portrayal of the college Principal is different from your normal Principal but he surely made the authoritarian post a lovable and approachable one. Anupam’s portrayal brought a sense of humaneness to the character and the entire thing of having a soft corner for his colleague made it more relatable. His request to Kajol to befriend his foreign returned daughter was also very praiseworthy as he realized that college can be a very brutal place for newcomers.

Ms BrAganza played by Archana Puran Singh

[caption id="attachment_150759" align="aligncenter" width="647"] Archana Puran Singh in KKHH[/caption]

Archana’s Miss Briganza was the catalyst that propelled Anjali (played by Kajol) to realize that she is in love with Shah Rukh’s Rahul. She was also the one who made them (with Rani) sing and dance to the popular song Koi Mil Gaya that proved to be a turning point in the story and in the friendship of the trio.

Anjali’s mother played by Reema Lagoo

[caption id="attachment_150439" align="aligncenter" width="670"] Reema Lagoo in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai[/caption]

Reema’s motherly act was a revelation. She was a single mother, a widow, had an unmarried daughter on her hands and yet was not worried unduly about getting her married. What she was worried about was the fact that her daughter was settling for a guy and not able to forget her one true love. She was supportive, perceptive and knew the hidden desires of her daughter, something that Lagoo beautifully portrayed on screen. And yeah, bonus points for the fact that she was not weepy and neither cared about society’s taunts or backlash of having an older-unmarried daughter on her hands.

Rifat Bi played by Himani Shivpuri

[caption id="attachment_150441" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] Himani Shivpuri in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai[/caption]

Himani’s Rifat Bi was the St. Xavier's girls' hostel matron and unlike most wardens portrayed previously on screen, she was a motherly figure who knew the pains of young girls living without their parents. She played a motherly figure to Kajol and consoled her when she was heartbroken by Rahul’s insensitive behaviour. She was also the one who provided her address to Sana, Farida and Anupam when they came enquiring for the whereabouts of Kajol after she leaves college midterm without leaving any forwarding address.

Colonel Almeida played by Johnny Lever

[caption id="attachment_150451" align="aligncenter" width="561"] Farida Jalal and Johnny Lever in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai[/caption]

Lever and Jalal brought much-needed banter to the film. His love for England and the fact that he is totally outmatched by Jalal’s character was something that was extremely funny. They were a pair who loved to needle each other but at the same time knew the main agenda of being in the summer camp.

Silent Sardarji played by Parzan Dastur

[caption id="attachment_150458" align="aligncenter" width="826"] Parzan Dastur in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai[/caption]

Parzan Dastur had already created a name for himself and a place in everyone’s heart by doing Dhara’s ‘Jalebi’ ad, so seeing him on the big screen was an added bonus. However, he impressed with his cuteness and the fact that he kept counting the stars without uttering a single word was another factor that made his character memorable. When he uttered his single dialogue from the film to Kajol who is leaving the summer camp, “Tussi ja rahe ho? Tussi na jao,” it brought a lump to everyone’s throat.

Karan’s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was special in many ways but one thing that stood out was the fact that every character in the film is a positive one. The entire story unfolds because of choices and reactions of the characters. There are no villains and no dark characters, everyone is shown fighting their own battles and everyone had their own troubles and dilemmas to face and that made the film a stupendous hit when it released and shaped an entire generation of people.