Karan Johar reveals why he and Kareena Kapoor Khan didn’t talk for almost a year

Karan Johar’s autobiography ‘An unsuitable Boy’ has become a ground of surprising revelations. For ones who have already grabbed a copy of it, it might come as no surprise. But for most of us, the internet is unveiling secrets everyday!

Just when we were still getting along with his candid confessions on how he is subjected to immense abuse for his sexuality, Karan has opened up on his alleged fallout with Kareena Kapoor Khan.

And well, this time it doesn’t remain ‘alleged’ anymore. Karan as well revealed the reason.

It so happened that Preity Zinta’s character in ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ was earlier offered to Kareena but she asked the same amount Shah Rukh Khan was being paid. This irked Karan and they didn’t talk for about a year.

“My first problem was with Kareena. She asked for too much money and we had some kind of a fallout at that time. ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge!’ had just released, directed by Kunal Kohli. She said, ‘Aditya Chopra’s assistant Kunal Kohli has made this flop, so Karan Johar’s assistant, Nikhil Advani is not to be trusted either’. The weekend of Mujhse Dosti Karoge’s release, I offered her Kal Ho Naa Ho, and she asked for the same money that Shah Rukh Khan was getting. I said, ‘Sorry’. I was very hurt. I told my father, ‘Leave that negotiation room’ and I called her. She didn’t take my call, and I said, ‘We’re not taking her.’ And we signed Preity Zinta instead. Kareena and I didn’t speak to each other for almost a year. For a year, we looked through each other at parties. It was very idiotic. She was a kid; she’s a decade younger than me,” Karan writes.

They reconciled after Yash Johar fell seriously ill and started undergoing treatment in new York.

“We were releasing ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ in November. We had shot the film in June, July, August and in September I had to shoot the songs, make the promos and so on. So I had to head back, while my father continued the treatment in New York. That was the time Kareena Kapoor called me. It was August. We had not spoken for nine months. She called and said, ‘I heard about Yash uncle.’ She got really emotional on the phone, and she said, ‘I love you and I am so sorry I haven’t been in touch. Don’t worry,” the director-producer adds.

Well, we are glad they’re back to being friends!

Ranjini Maitra

Journalist. Writer. Reader. Enthu cutlet. Mood-swing machine. Day dreamer. Sandwiched between ‘live life fully’ and ‘lose some weight’. Mantra of life: Love and love more.