SRKs character in KKHH had no spine, film lacked logic: KJO

Director Karan Johar has offered an honest dissection of his debut film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which turned 21 earlier this week. The romantic drama, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji in key roles, was released in 1998 to phenomenal success.

But Karan, in hindsight, isn’t too sure about the film’s ethics and gender politics. Taking an axe to the film in an interview to Mid-Day, the filmmaker said that Shah Rukh’s character, lacked a spine as well as a coherent backstory. He said, “Rahul doesn’t stand for very much. He’s a deeply confused character, doesn’t know what he wants and, really, didn’t do a lot much in the movie. Whatever happened to him was because there were people pushing him - his dead wife’s spirit, his eight-year-old daughter, and Anjali herself. What made him endearing was his charm, his large heart and Shah Rukh’s personal charisma.”

The filmmaker added, “There was no logic or backstory to the characters. You don’t know what Shah Rukh, or anyone else, does for a living in the movie. And the eight letters - one for each birthday - made no sense, either.”

Talking about a scene in particular, in which Rahul taunts Anjali before her wedding, Karan said, “That’s not how I’d written the scene. In my original draft, Anjali tears into Rahul and calls him out. She says he doesn’t know how to stand up for himself. I threw out the scene because I thought it would cause a disservice to my leading man.”

But Karan said that if he were to make the film today, he’d have retained the scene, “Today, I’d keep it. Because now I understand, it’s what would make them more human. More real.”

As for fixes, Karan said, “I’d give him a spine and more EQ [emotional quotient]. I’d also introduce more confrontation. Rahul, today, would be able to have an open conversation with Anjali. He’ll know that she likes him and he’d address that with her. If Tina were to die, he’d come to terms with his feelings for Anjali and go back to her, not sit moping.”

Yeh itna gyaani kyun bana phirta hai?? Agar itni hi samjh aayi hoti toh adhm kaise likh dali??

The is perfect with its flaws.

It's way better than his latter work imo

Kjo sounds so intelligent at times, phir ek nazar at his filmography and mera delusional vanish hota hai.

Yet it's still considered your best work. Make a better movie than KKHH to prove that you have grown matured.

Itna paata tha toh aisi movie kyun banaya? 😆

Agreed abt rahul. But now make a better movie and prove your Maturity. 👏

He always makes these statements after the fact. How this, this, and that was wrong with his characters and he shouldn’t have written or directed a movie that way. And then his next movie has glaring problems along the same lines. The only difference is that he’s saying all this about KKHH 20 years after the movie rather than 2 years.

All that being said, I’m not sure I believe him when he says he wanted to write the climax differently. Back then I think he was even more filmy than now and I can’t imagine him having that frame of mind in the context of movies to have his hero be confronted and called out.

Still rahul is far better than ayan anyday

I would have taken Kjo seriously if he had not vhenemently defended the crappy ADHM and man child Ayan's antics in the film... He really reads everything written about his films on twitter I feel.