and ‘s film is iconic in many ways. The film was a blockbuster hit in 1998 and was ‘s debut as a director and featured Salman Khan’s cameo. The love saga is still a favourite of many. From the songs to Shah Rukh Khan’s charm, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is etched in hearts of all. Reportedly, the film’s India net collection was around Rs 46 crore back then. It was the highest-grossing film of the year. But did you know that there was one film that outperformed Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998?
This comedy drama released in 1998 was a blockbuster hit in the state of Bihar. So much so that Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’s performance in the state was termed as ‘average’ in comparison to this film.
This major revelation was done by himself. The film is Dulhe Raja. The film starred Raveena Tandon as the leading heroine. Kader Khan, Prem Chopra, Johnny Lever and others made for supporting characters. Dulhe Raja was loved by the masses as it served as a complete entertainment package. It had comedy, romance, drama and more. It so happened that post the release of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Karan Johar got into a conversation with a distributor from Bihar to know about the film’s performance. In a conversation with Komal Nahta, Karan Johar revealed that he greeted the distributor warmly hoping to get a good reply. But what came next left him stunned. “I said, ‘namaste uncle, kaise hai, kaisi chali hai waha?’ I thought he might say ‘blockbuster rahi hai’, but he said, ‘yaha toh average gayi hai,’ Karan recalled.
Karan Johar mentioned that the distributor informed him about the performance of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and said, “Yahan toh Dulhe Raja bahut badi hit hai (Dulhe Raja is a big hit here (Bihar).” This revelation made headlines in .
Dulhe Raja was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 5 crore and it made more than Rs 20 crore at the box office. It made more than three times it budget and became a success story!
