Kuch Kuch Hota Hai · reception & legacy
1998 · Karan Johar
How Kuch Kuch Hota Hai has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
The biggest Bollywood hit of 1998 and an instant phenomenon at home and across the diaspora — but rewatches now come with an asterisk, as a generation raised on it (and Karan Johar himself, who's admitted he cringes at parts of it) re-litigates its gender politics while still knowing every song by heart.
What's debated
The forever-war: is Rahul Bollywood's worst romantic hero, and why does the film only reward Anjali once the tomboy gets a saree-and-makeover — problematic fave discourse at its purest.
Its footprint
It sparked an actual friendship-band craze in 90s India, and 'pyaar dosti hai' ('love is friendship') remains one of Hindi cinema's most quoted romantic credos — the film is shorthand for an entire era of glossy, Archie-comics-flavoured Bollywood romance.
Where it stands
A foundational millennial comfort classic and the definitive SRK–Kajol text — the gateway Bollywood film for countless diaspora kids and a 'you grew up on this' touchstone.