Karan Johar’s directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is celebrating 20 years of its release today. The film that brought popular culture to India released on October 16, 1998. It was a totally different film of the times and brought a newfound sensibility to Indian audience with its ‘cool’ quotient. Everything that was shown in the film was totally different from all the other Hindi films released previously. Karan achieved instant success with the film becoming a super hit and gave a new lease of life to his father’s production house Dharma Productions.

Karan was a strapping young man when he donned the director’s hat for the film and went on to make a name for himself in the industry. Today, he is a powerhouse and a man of immense clout in the industry. Talking about KKHH to a leading daily he says, “I owe everything in my career to KKHH. After its release, I knew I had a job that I could keep. I was like, ‘Chalo, they won’t throw me out of the industry now. I’ll be able to make more films and create more cinema memories.’”

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[caption id="attachment_142862" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Karan Johar[/caption]

He further adds, “Everything I do and have achieved today is because of KKHH. I will always be grateful for its success and the love it continues to get. The fact that it is relevant today and that it still connects with the global audience means the world to me.”

[caption id="attachment_151013" align="aligncenter" width="647"] A still from the film[/caption]

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was also special for Karan as he found an extended family in the form of his lead star cast. Talking about Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji, Karan told the daily, “I was exceptionally close to Kajol as a child. I got to know Shah Rukh during Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Rani while making this film. All relationships go through some highs and lows, but I can proudly say that 20 years later, they are not just my friends but even my family. I am in touch with them almost every day. They are a big part of my emotional and life decisions and I am a part of theirs. Shah Rukh, Kajol and Rani will always be my family.”

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is not only just a film but a catalyst and a reason for many things not only in the filmmaker’s life but also for an entire generation who got influenced by it.