As one of Bollywood’s most iconic films Hum Aapke Hai Koun..! turns 25 years old, here’s looking at how the film not only delivered a unique cinematic experience but also inspired Karan Johar to pursue the path of filmmaking.
In a video circulating on the internet, the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai director talks about some of his favourite scenes from the film and why they had an impact on him. “There was a moment in the song between Reema Lagoo and Alok Nath. When she folds her hands and the photograph goes to Renuka Shahane. I remember getting the hugest lump in my throat and I said, it’s such a happy family song. It makes you cry at the end of it.”
“When ‘Hum Aapke Hai Koun..!’ finished in that preview theatre and I realised this is what I want to do. I want to be a filmmaker,” he signs off.
Hum Aapke Hai Koun..! was directed by Sooraj Barjatya and starred faces like Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Alok Nath, Mohnish Bahl, Renuka Shahane, Reema Lagoo, Anupam Kher and more. The award-winning film released in 1994 and went on to become a blockbuster hit.
Talking about the “romance” and “subtlety” of Hum Aapke Hai Koun..!, Karan Johar said, “I find there are little moments in the film that I don’t know if people get but I totally got. It was just the way Salman says ‘Shit! I love her!’”
A game-changing film for Bollywood, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! went on to become a cult classic. The film’s plot centred around themes of family, tradition, and the institution of marriage - ideas that were at the root of Indian culture.
Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! gave Hindi cinema not just stellar performances and an over-the-top celebration of all things Indian, but also an evergreen soundtrack.
“There’s such oodles of sincerity. There’s such oodles of passion for what he so strongly feels about. He feels strongly about his family and his roots and his tradition. I said, please enjoy another man’s passion. Don’t look at the colour of his sofa. Don’t look at the colour of his curtains for heaven’s sake. If she is wearing a purple sari, don’t judge that. Look at everything else that he is trying to give you. And he’s trying to make you feel happy about life. And that is an emotion that we so rarely feel,” said Karan Johar while reminiscing about the film that changed his life.
“When Hum Aapke Hai Koun..! finished in that preview theatre and I realised this is what I want to do. I want to be a filmmaker,” he signs off.
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