Here’s Why Javed Akhtar Left “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” After Writing Its First Song Featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Rani Mukerji
Javed Akhtar is known as one of the most celebrated screenwriters in Bollywood, gaining recognition since the 1970s. He recently shared in a conversation that he considers the 1980s as the darkest period in Hindi cinema due to the prevalence of double-meaning songs during that time. As a result, he only wrote one song for Karan Johar’s movie Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which ended up being the film’s title. However, he later made a conscious decision to avoid writing nonsensical or double-meaning lyrics out of ethical considerations. Despite this, he now regrets not working on the film.
Javed Ji made an appearance on Sapan Verma’s YouTube channel, Chill Sesh, where he discussed this phase of his career. He reminisced about his successful collaboration with Salim Khan in the 1970s, where they penned hit films like Sholay, Don, Zanjeer, and Deewar, among others. However, the duo parted ways in 1982.
Reflecting on the 1980s, Javed Akhtar described it as a dark period in Bollywood writing history, marked by the creation and popularity of absurd and vulgar songs. He made a conscious choice to distance himself from such writing, stating, “I consider the ’80s to be the darkest time for Hindi cinema. People were either writing double-meaning songs or songs with no meaning at all. I avoided films that, in any way, had lyrics I found absurd or vulgar.”
While he initially wrote the song for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Javed Akhtar declined to work on the film when Karan Johar decided to use it as the title, deeming it as one of those absurd films. He admitted, “This principle led me to turn down a very successful film—Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. I had written the first song for it, but when Karan decided on the title, I refused to work on a film with that name. I thought, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai… kya hota hai? I regret it now, but at that time, I refused.”
Despite this decision, Javed Akhtar collaborated with Karan Johar on the 2003 film Kal Ho Naa Ho. Both Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Rani Mukerji, went on to become massive critical and commercial successes in Bollywood history.
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