Karan Johar recalls getting schooled by Shabana Azmi for getting gender politics wrong in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: ‘I feel cringy’

Earlier, at an IIMUN event, Karan Johar criticised Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and said that it “propagated wrong gender politics”. He said, “I feel like I have grown as an individual, The first film that I made, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I firmly believe that the gender politics of that film was all wrong. It is propagating incorrect gender politics, there is a lot of surfacesness in that film. Of course, there is nostalgia so you love it, but you don’t scratch the surface of the film and see that what Rahul is doing is actually not what I would want all the Rahuls in the audience, or all the boys in general, to do.”

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai centers around a love triangle between college students Anjali (Kajol), Tina (Rani Mukerji), and Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan). Anjali, initially portrayed as a tomboy, secretly falls in love with her best friend, Rahul. However, Rahul falls for Tina, a new student who is both beautiful and charming. After Tina’s untimely death, years later, Rahul reconnects with Anjali, who has since embraced her femininity. This time, Rahul realizes his love for Anjali, leading to their marriage.