20 Years Of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: Timeless moments that made the film a cult classic

By PeepingMoon Feature Desk

on October 16, 2018

Cheater! Cheater! Cheater! ‘coz that’s what you are – CHEATERRRRRRRR – if you have comfortably forgotten the significance of October 16. It was twenty years ago today, in 1998, we first danced to Saajan Ji Ghar Aaye, or saw Rahul Khanna and Anjali Sharma fight on the basketball court of St. Xavier’s College, or fawned over Tina Malhotra walking around the campus in micro-minis, or let Rahul redefine the rulebook with his classic “Pyaar dosti hai” dialogue or have Rifat Bi spell out the quintessential girly dress code. Two long decades since Karan Johar made his directorial debut only to change the way a 90s kid was looking at Hindi movies. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai had released on this very day and became the movie of the millennium.

Even today, the generation of Anjali Khanna who witnessed a totally colourful, entertaining, emotional and dramatic spin to Hindi cinema find themselves watching KKHH (as the film is fondly called) over and over again, mouthing dialogues before any of the cast can finish. The reason why the cinematic wonder is quite a rage till date is because of the timeless and evergreen moments KJo so beautifully sprinkled all across his script. The moments that make us believe in the magic of life! Contrary to the popular belief, the timelessness doesn’t come with a stamp of relevance in the contemporary era but rather a deep connection that remains etched in our hearts, forever. Offo, Papa!

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai brought C-O-O-L in our lives

Somewhere between Rahul’s C-O-O-L chain which also doubled up as the secret to him being Oh! Rahulllll all the time and Anjali’s tomboyish avatar (the hairband, the athleisure, the haircut…), Johar also normalised falling in love with friends. In fact, only made it better because, "Kyunki agar woh meri sabse achchi dost nahin ban sakti, toh main usse kabhi pyar kar hi nahi sakta." Now as we have seen Khanna certainly wasn’t the do-as-you-say kinda chap, but the handsome boy did turn things around for us in the English class of Ms. Briganza (Aahaan!). It seemed like a valid point then. Sounds very much valid even today!

Rahul and Anjali’s watertight bond – the fierce competition in basketball to secretly making wishes each time they saw a shooting star – deserves every ounce of your envy! And we bet, Rahul-Anjali ka jhagada did leave you a little sad every time. But, she is your best friend, ya?

Karan Johar alternates between brimming laughs to bucket fills of tears.

Even today when we watch this tear-jerking love saga, we can’t hold back our emotions as we witness Karan shift gear from the fanciness of a college romance to an emotional roller coaster as Anjali leaves her red dupatta with Tina. She leaves her love behind. And life moves on until…

SUMMER CAMP!

You have epicly ruined your childhood if you missed out on The Neelam’s Show! Besides, the colourful t-shirts, tent homes and favourite hobbies that include 'singing and dancing' definitely get to you. Raise your hand if you tried to count stars after watching the cute little kid lose count from the film!

Destiny…okay fine Dadi and Anjali conspire Rahul and Anjali to meet again. But what about Aman? He is the good guy every girl dreams to marry one day, so do we like him? But then don’t we wish Anjali ends up with Rahul? Especially after the sensuous rain dance.

Trust Shah Rukh Khan to live up to his badge of honour – the ‘King of Romance.’ He plays the damn piano in the air and still manages to sweep us off our feet. SRK and Kajol dance to the tune of love in the movie and the Goosebumps only attest the connection we could feel resonating off the celluloid.

Sorry Aman, kuch kuch hota hai…tum nahi samjhoge!

P.S. Rahul ki Anjali tumhari Anjali se jyada khoobsurat hai

Looking back, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai stands out as one of Shah Rukh, Kajol and Rani Mukerji’s career best. Packed with all the requirements of a paisa-vasool entertainment – KKHH scores a three-pointer ticking off genres of romance, comedy, drama and Johar’s favourite ‘family values.’ Maybe it wasn’t best of the cinema we have seen in the decades of the past, but it surely is priceless for all the treasure of moments Dharma Productions gifted us with.

Admit it, you did come up with a greet code for you and your BFF after you tried hard to imitate Rahul-Anjali’s handclap-nose-flick. Admit it, every time you hear Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram playing, you immediately rewind and replay the hip-hop version in your head. Admit it, there is no better way to rest a case than end it with the evergreen dialogue of the 90s because to all those who have millions of counter-arguments we can only say - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Tum Nahi Samjjoge!