Nikkhil Advani on his ‘very public fallout’ with with Karan Johar: ‘I didn’t have work for 3 years’

Director Nikkhil Advani, who made his debut with Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan, has spoken about his ‘very public fallout’ with Karan Johar. Nikkhil recalled that when he left Karan’s Dharma Productions after Kal Ho Naa Ho, ‘nobody wanted to work’ with him. The filmmaker added he ‘didn’t have work for three years’. Also read: As Kal Ho Naa Ho turns 19, Karan Johar shares Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta’s unseen pics from sets

Karan Johar had written the story and screenplay of Kal Ho Naa Ho directed by Nikkhil Advani. It was produced by Yash Johar and was his last film before his death in 2004. Nikkhil was part of Dharma Productions for many years, and had seen the release of films such as Duplicate and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, both of which came out in 1998.

On leaving Dharma Productions

“Post Kal Ho Naa Ho, I didn’t have work for three years. Nobody wanted to work with me. I left Dharma Productions and it was a very public fallout. And I didn’t have work for three years and when I finally started working again post D-Day, I just wanted to do anything and everything, never be in that position again,” Nikkhil recalled in a recent episode of The Streaming Show podcast.

What Nikkhil Advani said earlier about Karan

In a 2013 interview with The Times of India, Nikkhil had spoken about his changed equation with Karan, someone he had ‘gone to school’ with.

He also said Dharma Productions was ‘his home’ at one point, adding, “Too many people were telling both of us (him and Karan) things about each other. We both had egos that time in 2004. After I directed Kal Ho Naa Ho, the relation between assistant director and director became that of two directors who both made superhit films. We have never sat down and asked each other what went wrong, but when Yash uncle passed away, we started talking to each other again.”

About Kal Ho Naa Ho

Along with Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan, Kal Ho Naa Ho also starred Jaya Bachchan, Sushma Seth, Reema Lagoo, Lillete Dubey, Delnaaz Paul and Sonali Bendre. It was the highest grossing Hindi films of 2003, and won two National Film Awards – one for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for Best Music Direction and another for Sonu Nigam for the Best Male Playback Singer.

Nikkhil Advani’s projects

He has directed films such as Batla House, Delhi Safari, Salaam-E-Ishq, Patiala House and Chandni Chowk To China. He has produced shows such as Rocket Boys featuring Jim Sarbh and Ishwak Singh. He recently also backed Rani Mukerji’s Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.