Karan Johar, Rani Mukerji, Shah Rukh Khan at a special anniversary screening for ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’

Filmmaker-producer Karan Johar recently hosted a special screening of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in Mumbai, marking 25 years of his generation-defining film.

Released in 1998, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was Johar’s directorial debut starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji in the lead roles. The film, essentially a relationship drama, follows three college friends and their destinies over a long period of time. It was celebrated for its candid portrayal of friendship and young love, becoming a representative classic of the heady, escapist 90s. Its iconic line — ‘Pyaar, dosti hai’ (love is friendship) — became a catchphrase of the times. The film was also a major hit with the diaspora audience in the West.

At the screening, Johar was joined by Shah Rukh Khanand Rani Mukerji as they discussed the impact of the widely-loved film. Kajol, however, was not present at the event.

“This film is an important landmark in our lives and hearts,” Shah Rukh Khan told the cheering audience. “It’s 25 years of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. We make films, some get forgotten, some do very well at that point in time, some just don’t do good at all. But this is one film that has stood the test of time and has aged very well. It has aged nearly as good as Karan Johar,” SRK said.

Johar, returning the compliment, called the Jawan actor the ‘biggest movie star in the world’.

Rani Mukerji recalled she was just 17 when she did Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. “It feels great because today I have a daughter who is going to turn 8 in December, something like how Sana (Saeed, who played Anjali) was in the film. If Kuch Kuch Hota Hai hadn’t happened, maybe I wouldn’t have been the star that I am today. So thank you Karan and Shah Rukh. I always say nobody romances better than Shah Rukh. I learned how to romance on cinema from Shah Rukh,” Mukherjee beamed.

On Monday, Johar posted a video of some of the iconic moments from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai on his social media.

He wrote, “25 years ago is where it all began…and here we are today celebrating not just a film but an EMOTION for me and from all the love we get for it, I gather it is for everyone too…

Thank you for showering unending love for this tale of pyaar & dosti till today and thank you for marking my journey as a filmmaker for 25 years with such warmth. I will eternally be grateful to the people I am fortunate to work with, to the people I meet who watch my films and to the magic of MOVIES.”

Johar’s recent directorial, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, a return to the familiar turf of romance and cross-generational conflict, was a popular success. It was led by Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt.