Sameer Anjaan recalls how Javed Akhtar rejected Karan Johar’s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai over its ‘vulgar’ title: ‘I never found any vulgarity in it’ | Hindi Movie News

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai remains one of Bollywood’s most beloved films, with its songs still resonating with audiences. However, lyricist Sameer Anjaan recently revealed that he was not the first choice to pen the songs for Karan Johar’s directorial debut. In a recent interview with Lallantop, Sameer shared that veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar was initially approached but declined the project due to the film’s title.
“Javed Sahab was supposed to write the songs for this film. However, he quit the movie because he didn’t like the title of the film. He asked Karan Johar to change the title and then only he would work on it, because he liked the story but didn’t like the title at all,” Sameer recalled.
When asked if he saw any issue with the title, Sameer responded, “I never found any vulgarity in it. Main young tha aur mujhe usme kuch vulgar laga hi nahi. Mujhe baad me pta laga ki Javed Saab ka ye khayal tha ki, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai koi title hai?’ Jab mai likhne baitha, tab mai young tha, aur uss pyaar ke ehsaas mai dooba hua tha, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai kab hota hai? Jab aap pyaar mein hote hain.”

Despite replacing Javed Akhtar, Sameer initially tried to incorporate shayari into the lyrics, thinking it would impress Karan Johar. However, Karan had different expectations. “He got angry suddenly, I got the opposite reaction,” Sameer revealed. “He said that I called you because you are young, and this is a story of college-going students. I want the style that you write—absolutely simple.”

The result was timeless melodies like Tum Paas Aaye and Tujhe Yaad Na Meri Aayee, which remain fan favorites. Sameer’s fresh and youthful lyrics played a crucial role in making Kuch Kuch Hota Hai a cult classic.