Starring Shahrukh Khan and Suchitra Krishnamoorthy, Kundan Shah’s Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa completes 30 years and has attained cult status over the years.
“Hero” is defined as a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. In cinema, a hero is generally the central character. He is righteous, he is courageous, he will fight every evil and will always take a stand for what is right, he plays every role of life perfectly.
But, 30 years ago a movie released which redefined the meaning of being a hero. Starring Shahrukh Khan and Suchitra Krishnamoorthy and directed by Kundan Shah, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is a coming-of-age romantic comedy which broke the stereotype of how a conventional hero needs to be and has attained the cult status over the years.
Set in Goa, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is the story of a young boy named Sunil who is a musician and is madly in love with a girl named Anna. Much to his chagrin Anna is in love with another guy named Chris who is the lead vocalist of their music band. Sunil makes desperate efforts to win over Anna and even tries creating misunderstanding between her and Chris but all his attempts fail.
Sunil, is nothing like a conventional Bollywood hero. He is flawed and imperfect, he is not interested in studies and has failed in exams, he is a compulsive liar and manipulates the situation sometimes to get what he wants, he doesn’t hide his emotions and cries when he is hurt. At the same time Sunil is courageous enough to own up to his mistakes, follows his passion for music, doesn’t give up on his feelings for Anna despite the fact that she doesn’t love him back.
Each and every character of Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is penned beautifully making it a perfect ensemble cast. From Father Braganza to whom Sunil confesses after he makes some mistake, to Imran lead drummer of the band, to Anna’s father Albert who is a confectioner and a diabetic but loves eating sweets, to Nikki who is Sunil ‘s younger sister and also his confidant and cheer leader, Sunil’s father Vinayak a mechanic by profession who disapproves of his passion for music and wants him to get better in his academics. We all perhaps know someone who is like Anna or Nikki or Vinayak or Albert. And Sunil indeed is the most endearing and relatable character ever written for a Bollywood film as there’s a Sunil in everyone of us. We dream and want to chase our dreams, we make mistakes and learn from them, we are all imperfect and flawed and that’s what makes Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa a delight to watch even today as it does reminds us of our adolescence.
Before Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Khan did many movies where he played the anti-hero and one-sided lover, but in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa we see Sunil redeeming himself. Understanding that love cannot be forced and you have to let it go. In most of his interviews, Shahrukh Khan has admitted that Sunil is one of his most favourite characters. And without a doubt, every SRK fan feels the same way for Sunil as Don Anthony Gomez does.
Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa won the Filmfare best film (critics) and best actor (critics) award in 1994. Besides the story and performances, the film was well appreciated for it’s meaningful and melodious music as well. From the opening credit song Deewana Dil Deewana to the dreamy Ae Kaash Ke Hum to the peppy number Anna Mere pyar ko, to the emotional Woh Toh Hai Albela each song of the album blends seamlessly with the story.
Sunil reminds us that we need not be perfect and it is completely ok to be a loser sometimes as everyone is “hero” of their own story!
You can watch Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa on Netflix:
https://www.netflix.com/in/title/80157083?s=a&trkid=13747225&trg=cp&vlang=en&clip=81639480