'I got so stressed...': Karan Johar cried on day one of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai because of Salman Khan

Long before Karan Johar became one of Hindi cinema’s most noted director-producer, he was a nervous first-time director stepping onto a massive film set. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, now a timeless romantic classic, marked his debut behind the camera. While the film went on to redefine love stories for a generation, its very first day of shooting came with unexpected emotional chaos. Years later, Karan has revealed how working with Salman Khan on that day left him overwhelmed and in tears.

Karan Johar began his directorial journey with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in lead roles, with Salman Khan and Rani Mukerji playing pivotal supporting characters. Despite growing up around films, the pressure of directing such a star-studded project hit him hard once the cameras were about to roll.

Speaking on Manyavar’s YouTube channel, Karan shared that it was his first time working with Salman Khan, who was already one of the biggest stars in the country. The scale of the set and the responsibility on his shoulders made him extremely anxious. On Salman’s first day on set, Karan walked into the actor’s vanity van and found him dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans.



Salman, confident and relaxed, suggested that arriving for the sequence in casual wear could bring a new kind of swag to the character, even joking about a groom showing up in jeans. While the idea sounded exciting, it completely rattled the debut director. Karan explained that the thought of deviating from the planned look on such an important day sent him into a spiral of stress.

He recalled that the pressure became so intense that he broke down and started crying right there inside Salman Khan’s vanity van. Seeing the young director so overwhelmed made Salman visibly uncomfortable. Wanting to ease the situation, he quickly agreed to stick to the original costume and wear the suit as planned.

About Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

That emotional moment ended up shaping the shoot of Karan Johar’s first-ever sangeet song sequence as a director. Released in 1998, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is a Hindi-language romantic comedy drama that marked Karan Johar’s directorial debut. Written and directed by Johar, the film brought together Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol for their fourth on-screen collaboration. Rani Mukerji appeared in a key supporting role, while Salman Khan featured in an extended special appearance. The film also introduced Sana Saeed in her first acting role. A massive commercial success in India and overseas, it became the year’s highest-grossing Indian film. Critics praised the performances, especially Kajol’s, while the soundtrack topped music charts.