Karan Johar romanticized, glamorized infidelity
Twenty years later, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is still one of the most divisive Karan Johar films till date, with polarised opinions and audience feedback. The supposed ‘romantic’ drama, starring Rani Mukerji as Maya, Shah Rukh Khan as Dev, Preity Zinta as Rhea, and Abhishek Bachchan as Rishi, released in 2006 and was considered way ahead of its time for the Indian society. Being a fan of Karan Johar’s feel-good cinema, I have watched KANK more than once. But, even 20 years later, it demands one question – When does understanding the reason why someone cheats become an excuse for the cheating itself?
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna divided audiences with a section criticising the film for its portrayal of infidelity while another called it a mature look at modern marriages. As the film turns 20, the debate refuses to die. We bring you two contrarian pieces on the Karan Johar film. Shruti Kapoor disagrees with Navya Kharbanda’s point of view, writing that KANK was never asking audiences to approve of an affair. It was asking them to look past one, at two marriages that had failed long before anybody strayed. Read her piece here.
The unusual Karan Johar movie had everything the filmmaker is known for — good-looking people in good-looking settings, lavish songs, Shah Rukh Khan, and beautiful songs. However, under the glossy skin was a core value that failed to go with his ‘love your family’ ethic. The story of two lovers Dev and Maya, who fall in love with each other, despite being married to other people, was supposed to represent the depth of unhappy marriages, emotional unavailability, and the possibility of falling out of love. All happy couples are alike; each unhappy couple is unhappy in its own way.
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna divided audiences with a section criticising the film for its portrayal of infidelity while another called it a mature look at modern marriages. As the film turns 20, the debate refuses to die. We bring you two contrarian pieces on the Karan Johar film. Shruti Kapoor disagrees with Navya Kharbanda’s point of view, writing that KANK was never asking audiences to approve of an affair. It was asking them to look past one, at two marriages that had failed long before anybody strayed. Read her piece here.
The unusual Karan Johar movie had everything the filmmaker is known for — good-looking people in good-looking settings, lavish songs, Shah Rukh Khan, and beautiful songs. However, under the glossy skin was a core value that failed to go with his ‘love your family’ ethic. The story of two lovers Dev and Maya, who fall in love with each other, despite being married to other people, was supposed to represent the depth of unhappy marriages, emotional unavailability, and the possibility of falling out of love. All happy couples are alike; each unhappy couple is unhappy in its own way.