Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
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Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ("Something Happens") is a 1998 film, the directorial debut of Karan Johar, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukherji. It was seen as a rebuttal to another popular hit, Dil to Pagal Hai, that contended that friendship and love were different. The position of this movie was that love can blossom from friendship. Known for its Ear Worm, hit jodi of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, and being very very sappy.
Rahul and Anjali are BFFs in St Xavier's College. Tina, a transfer student from Oxford, arrives and, due to being very beautiful, catches Rahul's attention. Anjali starts to get jealous and realizes that she is falling in love. But unfortunately for her, Rahul has eyes only for Tina, and she leaves in the middle of the term, unable to take it. Rahul and Tina get married and have a kid. Tina dies after the birth and leaves a set of letters that reveal what happened to the ten-year-old daughter, who then vows to fix up her father with his long-lost best friend.
- Almost Kiss: Happens with Rahul and Tina.
- Bare Your Midriff
- Betty and Veronica: Played straight, with Anjali being Betty and Tina being Veronica.
- Break Up Song: Cue "Tujhe Yaad Na Meri Aayi/ Kissi Se Ab Kya Kehna".
- Ear Worm: The title track is probably the biggest earworm ever, especially for Bollywood fans.
- Fan Service: Lots.
- First Love: Rahul for Anjali and Tina for Rahul
- Gratuitous English: Hoo boy...
- Happy Rain: See Wet Sari Scene for more details.
- High School Rocks: Technically they're supposed to be at a college, but otherwise fits this trope to a T.
- Hot for Teacher: Mrs. Briganza, need I say more?
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Why Anjali leaves Rahul to Tina and why Prem leaves Anjali to Rahul.
- Love Hurts: And how!
- Cue Song Tujhe Yaad Na Meri Aayi, Kissi Se Aab Kya Kehna roughly translated as You did not remember me/ nothing left to say.
- My God, What Have I Done?: More or less the reason Tina wrote the letters to her child: she was present at Anjali's departure and realized that Rahul not only was half in love with Anjali and would have eventually reciprocated her feelings, Tina's presence actually derailed his Love Epiphany and broke their friendship. She tried to down the guilt because she saw herself as the actual winner and never hurt her love rival on purpose, but when she realized that her time with Rahul was limited because she wouldn't survive giving birth, Tina couldn't take it anymore and wrote the whole story to her future child, hoping that her kid could reverse what she herself caused.
- One Steve Limit: Subverted. Tina names her daughter after her former rival, meaning that most synopsis have to differentiate between Adult!Anjali and Child!Anjali.
- Power of Love: The movie ends happily because of this
- Sad Bollywood Wedding: Anjali.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: after having spent the first half of the movie being a tomboy, the second half reintroduces Anjali with this trope.
- Tastes Like Diabetes: YMMV, of course, but those kids are just too cutesy.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Anjali and Tina.
- Train Station Goodbye: When Anjali leaves Rahul to Tina. Includes a Please Don't Leave Me by Rahul.
- Wet Sari Scene: can I say... SRK?
- Also this.
- Why Waste a Wedding?: The end of the film.