Kuch Kuch Hota Hai turns 24: When Karan Johar said he had to beg Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji to do the film

Karan Johar’s debut directorial Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which won him many awards and equal amount of brickbats down the years, has turned 24. The iconic film swept the awards that year and remains a fan favourite to the day. However, when the film was being made, the role eventually played Rani Mukerji, Tina Malhotra, was refused 9 leading actresses including Aishwarya Rai and Tabu.
Talking about the casting process for the film, Karan had said at the Talent Next launch , “I had asked everyone. Main bhikari ban chuka tha uss film mai. Eight heroines had already rejected me for the Rani Mukerjee’s role. Mujhe laga, agar koi na mile toh mujhe khud short-skirt pehen ke woh role karna padega (I thought if I don’t get anyone, I might have to wear short skirt and play the role). Eventually eight heroines said no to me and nobody besides Aishwarya Rai even called me back after hearing the narration.”

Karan had initially written the role for Twinkle Khanna; he later offered it to Aishwarya, Urmila Matondkar and Tabu, among others. Talking about refusing the role, Aishwarya had earlier told Filmfare, “I’m in a catch-22 situation, really. Though I’m a newcomer, I’m compared with all the senior actresses.” She added, “If I’d done the film, it would have been tittered that, ‘Look, Aishwarya Rai is back to doing what she did in her modelling days—leaving her hair straight, wearing minis, and pouting glamorously into the camera.’ Ultimately, the hero goes back to the more real person. I know if I’d done Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I would have been lynched.”
In the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Rani’s character Tina dies at the very beginning of the movie and according to Karan’s father Yash Chopra, that was the main reason for the actors turning down the movie. However, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was a massive success at the box-office and also starred Shah Rukh and Kajol in lead roles.  

He further revealed that Shah Rukh Khan and Aditya Chopra had suggested Rani’s name to him after watching her in the film Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat. Karan also said that he faced a similar problem with Salman’s role. “I had to beg both Salman and Rani to be on board,” he added. He added that, “Lagaan opened the doors for unusual casting in mainstream cinema.”
Talking about the film Student Of The Year, Karan said that when he made the film it was a chance he took. “It was a leap I had to take.”