"We didn't speak for a year and a half."
In a Koffee with Karan 8 episode, Karan Johar revealed all about his fallouts with Kajol and Kareena Kapoor.
The two actresses are favourites of Karan.
Kajol starred in multiple films that were directed by the filmmaker.
She was a part of his directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998).
Kajol and Karan also worked together on Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and My Name is Khan (2010).
Meanwhile, Karan oversaw Kareena’s gregarious act as Pooja ‘Poo’ Raichand in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.
However, things were not always smooth between Karan and the popular actresses.
On November 9, 2023, Karan Johar had Sara Ali Khan and Ananya Panday grace his famous couch.
As the conversation turned to industrial friendships and relations, Karan got candid about past issues. He said:
“Strangely, twice in my life, I had differences with two very close friends of mine. One was with Kareena, way back in 2003.
“We didn’t speak for a year and a half and it was over a film. It was over Kal Ho Naa Ho.”
Karan Johar had offered Kareena the female lead role of Naina Catherine Kapoor – a part that ultimately went to Preity Zinta.
Karan added: “It was only when my father was diagnosed with cancer that actually she called me. She was silent, I was silent.
“She was like, ‘I don’t know what to say’. I said, ‘Don’t say anything, I know you’re there’.
“When he passed away, she was in Bangkok and we hadn’t still met. The point she landed from her shoot, she came home.
“We spent all night just chatting and we went back to where we were.”
Karan also delved into his past feud with Kajol.
Relations between the pair had soured when Kajol supported her husband Ajay Devgn when he and Karan fell out.
In his autobiography, An Unsuitable Boy (2017), Karan spoke about how things would never be the same between him and Kajol.
He wrote: “When [Kajol] reacted to the whole situation and put a tweet out saying, ‘Shocked’, that’s when I knew it was completely over for me.
“I wouldn’t like to give a piece of myself to her at all, because she’s killed every bit of emotion I had for her for 25 years.
“I don’t think she deserves me.”
On the show, Karan said:
“I remember messaging Kajol when my babies were born, and I hadn’t spoken to her for two years.”
“I just sent images of Yash and Roohi.”
Karan then met Kajol at her birthday party the following month. He said:
“We hugged, we cried, it was done.”
Incidentally, during a promotional video for future episodes of Koffee with Karan 8, Karan asked Ajay Devgn who his sworn enemy in the industry is.
Ajay replied: “Once upon a time, you.”
Kajol is also set to make an appearance in the show with her cousin Rani Mukerji.
Kareena Kapoor will grace the couch along with Alia Bhatt.
On the work front, Karan Johar is currently enjoying the success of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023).