Eighteen years. It’s been 18 years since you and I saw the KJo family drama, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham on the big screen. And it has been 18 years since I fell in love with the movie, the characters, the songs, the locations- basically everything about it! I’ve watched the movie at least 16 times and every time I get goosebumps in the opening scene, cry when DJ realises Rohan is her laddu and dance when Yash Raichand finally accepts his son and his family. But this movie does raise a lot of eyebrows and questions like- why do Raichands live in a castle bigger than Hogwarts, why do they commute only by helicopters, why is Vande Mataram playing in the background when Rohan is London and why is Chandni Chowk bigger than my house?!
But kuch bhi kaho, K3G ka apna hi charm hai. Where else will you find Bharat Halwai, a lady draped in a chiffon saree dancing in a dessert or a teenage boy going through a massive puberty change? The movie hits home, you know. We all have an emotional family that expects us to adhere to their rules even when we are 67! The audience seemed to love this movie as well- they could resonate with this larger than life family drama. I think it is safe to say that K3G has created an impact on its audience. The easiest way to recognize this impact is through weddings. Let me tell you how-
1.The Songs
Source: Make A Gif
A Karan Johar movie without a hundred songs? Impossible! This 3.5 hours long movie had eleven songs. Studies suggest, on an average at least one song is played at every sangeet (I did the studies :p) Also, a sangeet without Bole Chudiyan seems incomplete.
3. The Wardrobe
The film’s costume director, Manish Malhotra surpassed expectations and bowled us over with the entire cast’s costumes! In fact, you can still take some inspiration from Poo’s Bole Chudiyan outfit, the sherwanis, sarees, the lehengas. Speaking of wardrobe, people still believe that black makes them look thin while green makes them look fat!
3. Matchmaking
Poo taught us how to judge men or better, how to ‘pick them up.’ She taught us the rating system and also made sure that we don’t settle for anything below 10. Ladies soon rejected all the rishtas that they got on the basis of Poo’s Rating System. Men under the ‘not applicable category’ were shown the door after eating one samosa.
4. King size Celebrations
All Dharma Production movies have taught us that it’s not a celebration unless its King Size. In Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, 50th birthday celebrations, Diwali, Karva Chauth- all were celebrated with lots of dhoom-dhadaka. Our wedding celebrations have just become bigger and bigger ever since!
For me, the movie made me realize how empty coffers are. But it also made me fall in love with my family a little more.
Thank you K3G, if it weren’t for you, how would I or Star Gold spend our Sundays?