Rani Mukerji says ‘there were a lot of divorces’ after people watched Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna: ‘It was ahead of its time’

Talking about her character Maya, the actor said, “What is beautiful about Maya’s character is that she loved Rishi in a different capacity and as a friend. What she found in Shah Rukh’s character was the romance she was always looking for.”

The actor said, “It is very important to talk about a woman’s wants and her choices. Just because the husband doesn’t beat you, it does not mean that he is good in bed or you are in love with him. A women is never allowed or asked, ‘Are you attracted to this man?’”

Rani continued, “In fact, Karan Johar was bold enough to make a film like that at a time when he wasn’t sure what was happening. I think it is important to stand by strong films and strong roles. But in the history of Indian cinema, it will always be remembered as a film which is always ahead of its time.”

Karan had opened up about a fight with Aditya Chopra, about one scene in which Shah Rukh and Rani married characters commit adultery. On journalist Anupama Chopra’s All About Movies podcast,  Karan had said, “I was shooting that sequence, and I was at this big location that was snowed out, and Adi called me. He said, ‘Listen, I’ve been thinking about it for the last couple of days, and it’s very strongly in my head. I don’t think they should have sex. I feel like India will not accept it. They should come to the point, and retract, because they’re guilty about it’.”

However, Karan insisted on including the scene in the film despite disagreements. Later, he realised that it might have been better commercially to avoid it, thinking the audience would have been more receptive to the love story without the intimate scenes. Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna was released in 2006 and also starred Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Anupam Kher, among others.

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