Karan Johar recalls angry audience reactions to Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

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On the eve of the film’s 20th anniversary, Karan Johar shared an Instagram post recounting the polarised response to Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. He described watching a paid preview where a middle-aged couple walked out during the infidelity sequence, the woman dropping her popcorn in shock. Another woman confronted Johar outside the theatre, saying she had taken her recently divorced daughter expecting a happy film, and called the movie a shame.

Johar acknowledged the film’s flaws, calling it “over bloated in scale” with unnecessary songs, but insisted its heart was in the right place. He said the film never intended to endorse infidelity, only to show that stepping outside marriage can destroy a family. He also recalled a woman who later admitted she loved the film but lied to her husband about it. The director noted that viewers who could not relate to the film in 2006 now understand it better.