Bollywood in Review: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Something is Happening): An All Time Blockbuster

Tagline: You know you're in LOVE when...

Banner - Dharma Productions - Yash Johar
Direction, Story, Screenplay & Dialogue - Karan Johar

Cast
Shah Rukh Khan (Rahul Khanna)
Kajol (Anjali Sharma)
Rani Mukherji (Tina Malhotra)
Anupam Kher (Principal Malhotra)
Salman Khan (Aman Mehra)
Archana Puran Singh (Miss Briganza)
Reema Lagoo (Mrs. Sharma)
Sane Saeed (Young Anjali Khanna)
Farida Jalal (Mrs. Khanna)
Johny Lever (Col. Almeida the camp manager)
Himani Shivpuri (Rifat Bi)
Parzun Dastur (Silent Child)
Neelam the VJ (Herself)
Chetan Motiwalla (Hippie - Lead Singer)

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai introduces us to Rahul and Anjali while they are in St. Xavier's College. They are the best of friends, especially enjoying each other's company in competition on the basketball court. Romantic feelings between them are dormant, until the principal's daughter Tina comes from London and joins their little group. Overtime, Anjali seeing how much Rahul likes Tina's style. Starting to feel left out, she tries to change her tomboyish ways and emulate Tina.

At the same time Rahul realizes he is falling for Tina, Anjali's feelings for Rahul surface. They meet in the rain to tell each other how they feel. Rahul goes first, oblivious to the fact that his best friend has fallen in love with him and he dashes her dreams to pieces. While he goes to tell Tina his intentions, Anjali realizes her love story will never be completed and she leaves college to go home, without telling Rahul.

One of the most poignant scenes of the film is showcased as Rahul finds out Anjali has left and rushes to the train station with Tina to find her. Even though he is in love with Tina, feelings for Anjali that he never knew existed well up within him. Yet in the confusion, he doesn't understand that they are feelings of love for his best friend. Tina now realizes that she has come between the two friends.

Rahul and Tina get married and have a baby girl. Complications with the birth leave Tina only a few hours to live and she makes Rahul promise to call the baby Anjali. This scene and the next few that follow are heart wrenching.

Knowing how much Rahul needs someone, Tina writes a series of eight letters to her daughter in the hopes that by the time she reads the last one (only one can be read at each of her birthdays) herself, she'll be old enough to get Anjali and Rahul together if at all possible. This part of the story is actually seen at the very beginning of the film and then we go back in time to understand the whole plot.

With the help of her grandmother (Rahul's mother), who has been trying to get her son to remarry and her grandfather (Tina's father) they find out that Anjali works at a summer camp and the fun begins.

While Rahul is away on a business trip, little Anjali and her grandmother go to the camp, even though Rahul was against the idea without even knowing the reason behind it. The two Anjalis befriend each other without the older Anjali having a clue whose daughter the younger is or what she is up to.

Little Anjali calls her father from camp and tells him she's sick and needs him to come and get her. Another powerful scene is Rahul and Anjali's reunion after eight years. During the slightly unnerving conversation, they find out that not only did Rahul never get remarried, but also that Anjali never married at all.

Over the next few days Rahul's mother, Col. Almeida and little Anjali try to encourage a relationship between Rahul and Anjali. A match up on the basketball court almost ruins everything, as the competitive emotions come flooding back. Anjali takes Rahul on and it's like their college days all over again. It really isn't until after the game that both realize that "something is happening" as the romantic feelings begin to surface.

One would think, "this is perfect", but is it really? It would seem so, until Anjali's fiancée Aman decides to surprise her by showing up at the camp unannounced. Now, it's Rahul's dreams that are dashed to pieces, along with those of little Anjali's. Not being able to get a handle on the situation, Anjali leaves the camp that night with Aman, after saying goodbye to everyone but Rahul, or so she thinks.

Rahul, his mom and little Anjali leave the camp heartbroken. Not wanting to lose Anjali a second time, they, along with Tina's father go to Anjali's house to talk to her. Unfortunately, they walk right in on the wedding day preparations, as Anjali changed the date so they could get married as soon as possible, despite what her mother tells her about marriage in their heart-to-heart talk when she arrives home.

Another unforgettable scene between Rahul and Anjali comes just before the ceremony, where he confesses his love for her. As the tears are streaming down his face, he watches in agony as Anjali comes down the stairs in tears as well, to marry Aman. Seeing the love in her eyes through her tears, Aman makes the ultimate sacrifice and walks her not to their wedding mandap, but to Rahul. Aman looks to Anjali and says, "I always wanted to see that love in your eyes…that I have in mine. Today, I have seen it, but it's not for me. How can I come between this love that was never mine in the first place. Go…"
And with those parting words, we watch the two best friends become lifetime partners.