Kuch Kuch Hota Hai became a blockbuster after its release.
After Aishwarya Rai and Twinkle Khanna turned down the role of Tina, actor Rani Mukerji came on board Karan Johar’s debut directorial Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
Karan Johar made his directorial debut with 1998 romance drama Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which became one of the biggest blockbusters of that year, and is still considered as a classic. Its star cast including Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji’s popularity skyrocketed after the phenomenal success of the movie.
However, not many would know that Rani’s role of Tina Malhotra was initially offered to Twinkle Khanna and Aishwarya Rai. Karan had in fact revealed that Tina’s character was inspired by his childhood friend, Twinkle. However, Twinkle rejected the role, after which the filmmaker discussed the role with Aishwarya, who at the time was quite new to Bollywood. The actress declined the role, and a year later after the film’s release, revealed why she didn’t accept it.
In an interview to Filmfare a year after Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was released, Aishwarya said that she was in a “catch-22 situation”. The actress said that even though she was a newcomer, she was compared with all the senior actresses in the film industry. At the time, Aishwarya was looking for roles that did not restrict her to just her looks but also added substance to her character.
Speaking with Filmfare, Aishwarya had said, “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.”
On the 20th anniversary of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Twinkle had opened up about opting out of the movie. “To be honest, I initially had no regrets that Kuch Kuch Hota has gone out of my hands. Wasn’t sad. However, now when I watch the videos of all the awards that the film won after it became a blockbuster, I feel regret. Both of us were sitting on the terrace and Karan was narrating his story, crying a lot while narrating it. Karan appeared to be deeply involved in his narrative. But due to sudden reasons, I was not able to do the film,” she had said during an event.
