When Kajol shouted at Karan Johar in front of everyone while shooting for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: ‘Karan, just shut up’

As far as Bollywood friendships go, Kajol and Karan Johar’s is a favourite among fans. The actor and filmmaker have weathered particularly difficult storms in their friendship that spans more than two decades. Personality-wise they’re the two ends of the spectrum, as they once described themselves –as Kajol is ‘hot-headed’ and doesn’t believe she is entirely a people’s person, and Karan Johar is more mellow and diplomatic.
In an old interview to Simi Garewal, Kajol and KJo recalled their bond as well as their fights. Feeling rather abashed, Kajol recounted an incident where she shouted at Karan while shooting Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and how she apologised later. KJo said, “We were shooting the basketball sequence of Kuch Kuch, and she said something to me in front of a hundred technicians. She had to tie her shoes in her introductory shot, and I wanted it rather quick. She was unwell and making a rather girly knot and I wanted her to hurry up. Finally she just flared up and said, ‘Karan, just shut up!’ Immediately, my face just fell and I said whatever and I did my sulk act. Two minutes later, this one pounced on me to apologise.”

Kajol added, “It was so wrong for me to do this in front of everybody. He is my friend, but at the end of the day he’s a director and it was his first film.” KJo added, “And when Kajol starts apologising, she takes ten minutes to apologise. Then finally I had to apologise to her for apologising to me!”
Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji and Kajol in a still from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
During the course of the interview, Karan Johar also remembered how Kajol had reassured him on his first day as director, and told him to even yell at her in front of everyone else, so that everyone could see that he was in charge. When Simi asked about what the ‘deciding factor’ of their friendship was, KJo mentioned that it was when Kajol chose his film Kuch Kuch Hota over Mani Ratnam’s film at the time. He said that Kajol had been an ardent admire of the filmmaker, but when he actually called her, she assumed that KJo was playing a prank on her. Karan had to get Shah Rukh Khan into the mix to convince Kajol that it wasn’t. However, Kajol refused to do the Mani Ratnam film as she had already promised KJo her dates on principle. This left Karan Johar rather touched.
Kajol and Karan Johar on Kuch Kuch hota hai sets (Photo: Express Archives)
Kajol has starred in several Karan Johar films, including Kuch Kuchh Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and My Name Is Khan. She has made cameos in Kal Ho Naa Ho and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna as well. In 2016, their friendship hit a particularly rough patch and it didn’t seem whether the two would ever reconcile, but years later, they managed to do so and are as thick as thieves again.