Karan Johar made his directorial debut with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji. More than 25 years after its release, the film remains a pop-culture favourite, celebrated for its performances, memorable moments and music. Speaking recently at the Marrakech Film Festival in Morocco, Karan recalled working with Shah Rukh on the film and revealed that he received threats from the underworld around the time of its release.

When asked about the magic of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Karan said, “On the basis of the very first scene I wrote I convinced shah Rukh khan for this film. He wanted me to narrate the movie, but I hadn’t written the whole thing, I just had one scene. I went and met him in Jaipur, which is where he was filming. I narrated that scene and he agreed to do it.”

‘Held Aryan Khan in my arms’

Karan’s association with Shah Rukh, however, began even before Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, when he worked as an assistant director on Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge. “I told him that tight jeans would suit him, and that he should open a few shirt buttons because he has a beautiful Adam’s Apple. He said ok, but when Adi went to his room, Shah Rukh said, ‘Who is this? And what is he saying? Adi said that I am from another side of the city and that’s how I speak. Later, he asked me to do the costumes for his next film,” he shared.

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The filmmaker continued, “Thats how my journey with Shah Rukh began. We became close friends, he became like an older brother to me, and even his wife became my family. My very first schedule of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai finished and Shah Rukh’s son Aryan was born. We rushed to the hospital from the studio. I’ve held his son in my arms since he was a day old. And now, he has directed a series,. I cried so much while watching it the first time.”

‘Shah Rukh is my anchor, support system’

Karan Johar further emphasised his strong bond with Shah Rukh Khan. “My relationship with Shah Rukh is deep and love. He was my anchor, my support system, my everything. He used to take over on set and even sort out stressful situations on set. I had less technical knowledge about the camera while shooting that film. He used to help me with that as well. A lot of the techniques of cinema were taught by Shah Rukh to me in that film.”

Underworld threats during the late 1990s

The film’s release, however, came at a turbulent time for the Johar family, as filmmakers faced threats from the underworld in the late 1990s. “The underworld had started threatening filmmakers. It was very scary at that time. Me, my father, and mother received such calls, and we had to rush to London to stay away from Bombay. I didn’t know what was going on. After 5 days of release, I went to the red phone booth to ask Aditya Chopra about how the film was doing. There was no Google at that time,” he shared.

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Karan further added, “He asked me what I wanted to buy, I told him that I wanted to buy a bigger home for my parents, so he replied ‘Buy whichever home you want, the film is a blockbuster.’ I started crying. I woke my father and mother up and told them how the film had done well. My father was shocked because this was happening to our family after 20 years. I had no clue that I created a film that would live on.”

Karan Johar attended the Marrakech International Film Festival for its Conversation series and to present a gala screening of his production Homebound, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan.