Set largely in New York City, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna follows the story of Dev and Maya, who fall in love with each other, despite being married to different people. It was shot over a 90-day period in the United States. The cinematography of the film was handled by Anil Mehta. Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy composed the music while the lyrics were penned by Javed Akhtar.[4]
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was released worldwide on 11 August 2006 to mixed reviews from critics, with criticism on its subject matter and screenplay, and praise for its dialogues, soundtrack, humor, costumes, cinematography and performances of the cast. The film emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office, ranking as the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. It became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time overseas at the time of its release. The film was screened in over 1,200 cinemas worldwide,[6] grossing a total of ₹1.13 billion ($37 million).[4][7] It was also screened at the 31st Toronto International Film Festival and the 19th Tokyo International Film Festival.[8][9]
Maya is a schoolteacher and an orphan who is to marry her closest childhood friend, Rishi Talwar. The two have been raised by Rishi's fun-loving, wealthy womanizing father, Samarjit. Dev is a successful soccer player who lives in New York City with his wife Rhea, his son Arjun, and his mother Kamaljit. Maya meets Dev moments before her wedding. Although the two are strangers, they connect instantly. Right after they part, Dev is hit by a car and permanently injures his leg. As a result, he can no longer play soccer.
Four years later, Dev, who now walks with a limp, is short-tempered and embittered because of his inability to play soccer; Rhea's successful career as a fashion magazine editor makes him feel inferior to her. Dev is now the soccer coach for a team of juniors, including his son, but is frustrated when Arjun doesn't play like him. Meanwhile, Maya is struggling with her infertility and lack of love for Rishi, seeing him as childish. Dev and Maya meet again, and Rhea and Rishi strike up a professional friendship. Sam and Kamal, having lost their spouses, become friends to help one another through their loneliness. Dev and Maya decide to do the same; they become friends and try to give each other ideas to salvage their marriages, all of which comically fail.
Dev and Maya realize they have feelings for one another and not toward their partners, and feel drawn towards one another. After their marriage anniversary dinner, Rhea mentions that she has received a promotion, and Dev goes into a rant, sneering that she is trying to show off. Hurt, Rhea accuses Dev of being jealous of her professional success and makes him realize his failure to be a good husband and a good father because he cannot come out of his bitterness. At the same time, Rishi expresses his frustration at Maya's lack of affection and his resentment toward her inability to have children. Feeling worthless, Maya meets a disheartened Dev at the train station, and the two confess that they have fallen in love with each other.
Dev and Maya begin an affair but feel guilty for playing with their spouses' feelings, as both Rhea and Rishi try their best to make their marriages work. Nevertheless, Dev and Maya give in and sleep together. They are later caught in an embrace by Sam and Kamal, who are shocked and upset that they have cheated. That night, Sam had a heart attack. On his deathbed, he advises Maya to leave Rishi, as she is depriving both of them of happiness in life. After Sam's death, Dev and Maya decide they must end their relationship and go back to their spouses, but first, they must tell them the truth about their extramarital affair because neither of them will be able to move on in the shadow of lies. Shocked and heartbroken, Rhea and Rishi divorce their spouses. Kamal, fearing that Rhea might separate her from Arjun, requests Rhea to let her live in their house after the divorce, to which Rhea reacts with a teary embrace. Dev and Maya lie to each other and say that everything is fine, believing they'll never meet again, and Maya moves to Philadelphia.
Three years later, Dev and Maya have been living alone, both miserable. One day, Rishi visits Maya and reveals that he has forgiven her already, and he has fallen in love again and is remarrying. He invites Maya to his wedding. Rhea attends with her boss Jai, whom she is now dating, and is revealed to be a friend of Rishi's second wife, Catherine. Rhea confronts Maya about the affair and reveals that she left Dev. However, as Rhea and Rishi have both moved on, they encourage Maya to go after her love, Dev, revealing that he is about to leave for Toronto by train for his new job. At the train station, Dev sees Maya but avoids her, believing she is still with Rishi. However, as the train pulls away, the two lock eyes. Seeing her tears, Dev pulls the emergency brake and returns, and the couple reunites. In a voiceover, Dev reveals that although he and Maya found happiness together after many years, they sometimes wish that they did not have to cause heartbreaks along the way.
Cast
Amitabh Bachchan as Samarjit "Sam" Talwar: Rishi’s father; Maya’s adoptive father and former father-in-law
Shah Rukh Khan as Dev Saran: Kamaljit’s son; Rhea’s ex-husband; Arjun’s father; Maya’s lover
Abhishek Bachchan as Rishi Talwar: Samarjit’s son; Maya’s former husband; Catherine’s husband
Rani Mukherji as Maya Talwar: Samarjit’s adoptive daughter and former daughter-in-law; Rishi’s former wife; Dev’s lover
Preity Zinta as Rhea Saran: Dev’s former wife; Arjun’s mother; Kamaljit’s former daughter-in-law; Jai’s colleague and eventual girlfriend
Kirron Kher as Kamaljit "Kamal" Saran: Dev’s mother; Arjun’s grandmother; Rhea’s former mother-in-law
Ahsaas Channa as Arjun Saran: Dev and Rhea's son; Kamaljit’s grandson
Arjun Rampal as Jai Mehra: Rhea's boss and eventual boyfriend
Saira Mohan as Catherine Talwar: Rishi's second wife; Jai's friend
Kajol in a cameo appearance in the song "Rock 'N' Roll Soniye"
John Abraham in a cameo appearance as the DJ in the song "Where's The Party Tonight?"
Karan Johar in a cameo appearance as a train passenger
Ayan Mukerji in a cameo appearance as a train passenger in the song "Tumhi Dekho Naa"
Tarun Mansukhani in an uncredited cameo appearance as Rishi's colleague and friend
Production
Development
Initially titled Kalank, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was then titled after a line from the popular Kishore Kumar song "Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna" from Chalte Chalte (1976).[11] The film was directed and written by Karan Johar who collaborated with Shibani Bathija to write the screenplay, and the dialogues were penned by Niranjan Iyengar.[12]
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was initially supposed to mark Kajol's screen comeback after 5 years, having last starred in Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001). However, she refused the film, due to her prior commitments with Yash Raj Films's Fanaa (2006); however, she made a guest appearance in the song "Rock 'N' Roll Soniye". Upon her refusal, Mukherji, who was supposed to play Rhea, was then cast as Maya. Mukherji termed the film "a turning point" in her life.[16]Preity Zinta was then cast as Rhea, who described the part as an attempt to shed her vivacious public image.[17]
Amitabh Bachchan and Kirron Kher were later cast as Samarjit (Rishi's father) and Kamaljit (Dev's mother) respectively. Arjun Rampal and John Abraham also made guest appearances in the film as Rhea's boss, and a DJ in the song "Where's The Party Tonight?" respectively. Riteish Deshmukh and Khan's real-life son, Aryan Khan also had guest appearances, but their scenes were cut during the editing process.[18]
In an interview, Johar stated that the filming for the song "Tumhi Dekho Naa" was done at multiple locations and ended up being extremely time-consuming. The "blue section" of the song was shot at Columbia University in Upper West Side, the "yellow section" was shot at Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, the "orange section" at Bear Mountain State Park, the "pink section" at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan, the "red section" at the Pier A Park in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the "green section" at the Union Station in New Haven. The red section was initially designed to take place in the rain. However, due to the low temperatures, the raindrops produced by the rain machines started freezing in mid-air, thus posing a risk of physical harm to the actors. Consequently, the filmmakers decided to do away with the rain. However, they still wanted to make use of the 200 red umbrellas they had purchased for the sequence. Eventually, they decided to shoot the red section on a sunny day where the actors used the umbrellas to block out the sun. The shooting for the green section also ran into problems. 200 extras were hired for the section but only 15 showed up. Consequently, crew members present on the set wore the green costumes to take their place. Ayan Mukerji, who was an assistant director of the film, can be seen in a green sweater carrying a box in one of the frames.[22]
Themes and influence
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna explores themes of marital infidelity, adultery and dysfunctional relationships. The film shows the characters of Dev and Maya sharing dysfunctional relationships with their respective spouses Rhea and Rishi, and in turn indulge in an extra-marital affair. On a deeper level, the film also explores themes such as meeting someone's soulmate after marriage, how complications in love can affect families, and the consequences of marrying a wrong person.[23]
In an interview, director Karan Johar stated that he got the idea behind the film when he saw a married couple in London break up on amicable terms. The break-up, and Richard Linklater's romantic drama Before Sunset (2004), made him want to explore deeper dynamics of love, marriage and relationships which is where he came up with the plot of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.[12] A similar theme was explored in films such as Yash Chopra's Silsila (1981), Mahesh Bhatt's Arth (1982) and Mike Nichols' Closer (2004), in addition to Johar's later production, Gehraiyaan (2022) directed by Shakun Batra.[24]
The music and background score of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, while the lyrics were penned by Javed Akhtar. This is the second time that lyricist Javed Akhtar and the composers Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy have teamed up for a Dharma production. The trio also replaces Johar's usual collaborators Jatin–Lalit, who had composed for his previous films. The audio rights were acquired by Sony Music India, under Sony BMG, teaming up with Karan Johar, for the fourth time after Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... and Kal Ho Naa Ho.
The title song "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" rendered by Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik is a tearjerker. "Mitwa", an evocative Sufi rock ballad, marked the introduction of Pakistani singerShafqat Amanat Ali into the Bollywood scene. "Where's The Party Tonight?" by Shaan, Vasundhara Das, Loy and Shankar Mahadevan is the club song picturized on Abhishek and Preity. Then follows "Tumhi Dekho Naa", a soft and romantic ballad, which again is sung by the Sonu Nigam – Alka Yagnik duo is picturized on Shah Rukh and Rani. "Rock 'N' Roll Soniye", picturized on Amitabh, Abhishek and Preity is a 60's Rock 'N' Roll track, sung by Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan and Mahalakshmi Iyer. "Farewell Trance" is the trance version of the title track, which is a rarity in Bollywood. The album also has a remix for Mitwa – Revisited".[25] The soundtrack ends with a sad version of the title track, again by the Sonu Nigam – Alka Yagnik duo, "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna – Sad Version" which speaks of destiny, meeting again in life and never saying goodbye. The trio took care to not make the album sound repetitive, especially since the overall genre of the soundtrack is similar to that of their previous chartbuster Kal Ho Naa Ho.[26]
The soundtrack of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was released in the United Kingdom on 12 June 2006 and was officially released in India on 16 June 2006 along with a grand music launch at the 7th IIFA Awards in Dubai.[27]
Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama dismissed the initial negative reaction and hype, saying "Much before the official release of the music album of KANK, rumour brigade has been having a field day in pulling down the album. Well, that's not something new as with every biggie comes its share of detractors. But on hearing the songs for yourself, you realize that is it NOTHING, but a rumour! The album is yet another fine product from the team that delivers the kind of path-breaking music expected from it."[30] Sukanya Verma of Rediff called the album "a treat for the melody-starved."[31] S Sahaya Ranjit of India Today called the album “a good mix.”[32]
Charts and sales
The album opened at #1 and retained the top position in the music charts for 10 straight weeks, despite facing tough competition from musical hits like Gangster: A Love Story, Fanaa and Krrish. According to the figures from Box Office India, the album sold over 1,900,000 copies in India making it the second best-selling album of the year, marginally behind Dhoom 2.[33][34]
Release
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna's teaser trailer was released along with Fanaa, which released on 26 May 2006.[35]
Taran Adarsh from Indiafm.com described the subject matter as a delicate one which could have easily been disastrous and praised the way in which director Karan Johar boldly constructed the film, citing it as his finest work to date.[40] Adarsh approved in particular of the script and the devices the director incorporated to contrast emotions between scenes, remarking that, "the screenplay balances the two extremes; light moments and dollops of emotions with amazing ease".[40] The individual cast performances were also praised by Adarsh, who commented on the effectiveness of the casting and the interaction of the actors.[40]
Rajeev Masand of IBNLive gave the film 4 out of 5 stars praising the screenplay and Johar's direction, saying "Few writers have such solid control over their screenplay as Karan Johar does. Few understand the intricacies of narrative as well as he does. Johar goes from highs to lows, from plateaus to peaks with the ease of a pro. He knows exactly how to turn a seemingly ordinary scene into something special with just that one line of dialogue, or that hint of background music."[41]
Raja Sen of Rediff.com was particularly critical of the film, also expressing dissatisfaction with its length. He remarked, "I feel older. A showing of Karan Johar's mammoth 22-reel Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna has left me unbelievably exhausted. I walked out of the hall feeling my cheeks for stubble, wondering if my clothes are suddenly dated and my hair's turned grey. I've lost a sizable chunk of my life, and you will too."[42] Unlike other critics, he identified flaws in the script and criticized the strength of characters saying "The characters are cardboard, the setting is glitzy, the songs are tiresome, and the story oscillates between high melodrama and slapstick hilarity, going nowhere. Rarely has a weak script relied so completely on pretty people with big names to carry every line through".[42]
In the United States, the film received a number of positive reviews. Critics such as Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times emphasized the larger-than-life nature of the film, remarking that, "It is full of big Bollywood stars and out-sized everything: the rainstorms are a little rainier than real life; the wind machines are cranked up an extra notch; the close-ups get closer and linger longer than usual; the coincidences that drive the plot are a little more numerous and unlikely than normal screenwriting allows".[43] He praised the humor in the script and the director's comic timing in certain scenes such as the children's soccer match, the bed store, and at the ballet show.[43] Derek Elley of Variety also praised the diversity of emotions displayed by the cast, remarking that, "Scripter Shibani Bathija never lets her characters inhabit a secure emotional place for very long, and impediments to happiness come from their own weaknesses rather than social constraints or plot-generated misunderstandings".[44] Elley noted Amitabh Bachchan's performance as an ageing lothario and praised Preity Zinta as "stepping far beyond her makeup".[44]
Box office
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna saw a record opening at many cities in India and generated ₹60 crore in the first week itself, although it is currently Johar's lowest-grossing film according to net collections, even if unadjusted for inflation. It emerged the highest grosser worldwide for an Indian film, surpassing Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...'s five-year-old record.[6] With a total overseas gross of $10.77 million, the film was the third-highest overseas grosser as of 2013.[45]
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna opened strongly in the United States and the United Kingdom with first weekend grosses of $1.3 million and $1.4 million (£750,000) respectively.[46] In total, it collected US$3,275,444 in the United States, while in UK, it netted over £5,079,688.00. In the US, one factor contributing to its success was the fact it debuted in 64 theatres, unusually high for a Bollywood film in cities with lower Indian populations such as Miami, Tampa, and Raleigh as well.[47]
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna's total worldwide gross was ₹113 crore ($37 million).[3][7][4] It emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of the decade in the overseas markets.[48][49] When adjusted for inflation, the film still ranks among the highest Indian grossers worldwide.[50]
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna remains one of the most popular musical romantic dramas in Hindi cinema. Breaking several Bollywood stereotypes, the film is regarded as bold and brave for exploring themes of marital infidelity. In retrospect, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is widely regarded as a cult classic and ahead of its time, due to its central theme, storyline, and characterizations.[53][54] It is also considered among the best ensemble cast films by Filmfare.[55]Shubhra Gupta featured the film in her book called ‘‘50 Films That Changed Bollywood’’.[56]
Filmfare noted, "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was made ahead of its time. The subject and the treatment forced people to sit up and think out of their comfort zone."[57][58]Times of India noted how the film does not "glorify" extra-marital affairs.[59]Firstpost termed the film as Karan Johar’s most polarized work as a filmmaker.[60]Film Companion termed it a "compelling and thought-provoking drama" that will make you laugh, cry, and reflect on your own relationships.[61] The film remains one of the most notable works of Johar, Khan, Mukherji, Abhishek Bachchan, Zinta, Kher and Amitabh Bachchan.[62][63][64][65] Khan and Mukherji were named in Bollywood Hungama's list of the top 10 best romantic couples of the decade.[66]
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