Bollywood filmmaker

Karan Johar

has recently opened up about the criticism he received from

Shabana Azmi

for the gender politics in his directorial debut, ‘

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

‘ (1998). In a candid conversation with comedian

Zakir Khan

on the show Aapka Apna Zakir Khan, Karan Johar recalled how veteran actress Shabana once confronted him about the problematic portrayal of gender dynamics in the film.

Karan Johar shared that Shabana Azmi had questioned him specifically about the transformation of Kajol’s character, Anjali. She pointed out that Shah Rukh Khan‘s character, Rahul, only fell in love with

Anjali

after she grew out her short hair and adopted a more traditionally “beautiful” appearance. Shabana Azmi’s critique highlighted the problematic message that a woman’s worth or attractiveness is tied to her conforming to conventional beauty standards.
Reflecting on this, KJo admitted his shortcomings as a filmmaker at the time. He expressed regret and said, “I don’t like any of my films; I find a lot of mistakes in them. I feel cringy while watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai now. I feel, ‘What have I made?’ Kuch Kuch Hota Hai has a lot of mistakes. From where do I start?”

Karan Johar further elaborated on his conversation with Shabana Azmi, recounting his response to her critique. “I remember Shabana ji had called me and asked me, ‘What is the gender politics of this film?’ I responded, ‘I want to say I’m sorry. I didn’t know.’” Despite its flaws, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ remains an iconic romantic Indian drama movie.