An Ode To The Film That Taught Us To Face Our Fears & Value What We Have Because ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’

Kal Ho Naa Ho clocks 19 years of release!

It’s hard to believe that a film that easily comes in the top 5 of everyone’s favourite movies clocks 19 years of release! Yes, almost two decades. It feels like yesterday when we would fawn over the songs, the Golden Gate bridge, Naina’s eye-wear and her clothes and Frankie and Sweetu’s antics among other things

Till date, each and every character of this film holds a special place in our hearts. You’d be lying if you say that you don’t cry at the end of the story when SRK is losing the battle of his life. It’s probably this very film that made the concept of bittersweet ending a fad.

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Before Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara taught us to live life to the fullest it was Aman who imparted life lessons with his philosophies and ideologies. It was Rohit who taught us that true love finds a way no matter how hard the hurdles are and it was Naina who taught us that life will throw many curveballs, only resilience and strong will can get you through. Together they taught us that live in the moment for you don’t know there may be no tomorrow.

Interestingly not just the lead cast, even the supporting characters were brilliantly carved. Dara Singh as the chilled out next-door neighbor, Jaya Bachchan played Jennifer, a woman who was herself wronged but tries to do right by everyone, Sweetu who is battling body issues and wants to find true love, Dadi Sushma Seth who is uptight and controlling accompanied by her posse Kammo and Vimmo, the kids Gia and Shiv who add a certain innocence and many more.

The first half of the film provides hearty entertainment, while the second brings with itself some life lessons and harsh realities.

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Sometimes the only way is to let go. You can’t control everything in your life

We are introduced to Naina, a young girl carrying the weight of her entire family after losing her father. She wears the burden all the while not enjoying life or exploring her own interests. Her monotonous life gets a new lease when her next-door neighbour Aman comes into the picture. He teaches her to “haso, jiyo, muskurao, kya pata kal ho naa ho!”

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Loneliness and hopelessness are two real aspects of life which every human being faces at some point in their lives. However, to believe that one would remain trapped under them is utter foolishness. A shift in perspective can make you look at things from a different angle and solve problems in no time. For instance, only when Naina became more receptive towards the people around her, her depressed lonely state changed into a cheerful and happy-go-lucky personality.

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There’s ‘someone for everyone’ might sound cliche but it is true! What only matters is when and where you recognize yours.

Being vulnerable isn’t a weakness. When you open yourself to the world, only then the world will open for you. Naina’s reserved nature made her come across as arrogant and uninviting. When Aman forced her to open up, it was only then that she realised that she had room for love in her life. Embracing your sadness is important but so is finding positivity and opportunities to become happy. Find it in the little and the big things. Joy is infectious and contagious. Therefore, don’t forget the golden rule – “1…2…3…eeee”

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Acceptance is the best key to moving forward. Being stuck in one place will hamper your life’s journey

Life moves on. This is the ugly truth and nothing can change this. Acceptance is vital, only then can a person move forward in his/her journey of life. Naina lost her father and took a long time to motivate herself and her family to lead a happy life without his presence. Just when things started to look up, she found out that her first love Aman is also terminal. She was broken and shattered but this time she healed herself and gave love another chance. In the climax, Preity Zinta says, “Woh mera pehle pyaar tha. Main usse kabhi nahi bhul sakti. Usne mujhe pyaar karna sikhaya – zindagi se, apne aap se, Rohit se. Main usse kabhi bhul nahi sakti”

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Nothing comes easy in this world, not even happiness. Kal Ho Naa Ho taught us to face our fears and value what we have in the most amazing way.

On the film’s 19th anniversary, director Karan Johar shared unseen pictures from the sets. He captioned it as,“An entire lifetime of memories, in a heartbeat! This film gave so much more than just that – it gave me joy, unbreakable bonds, a different lens for story telling and of course – the last film set I could be on with my father. And for that, I will forever be grateful to this film! #19YearsOfKalHoNaaHo.”

 SRK, Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta starrer Kal Ho Naa Ho can be streamed on Netflix.