Karan Johar’s world of cinema comes with glossy touches of glamour and dreamy landscapes. Every individual who aspires to be an actor wants to be a part of a Karan Johar film to experience the true-blue magic of Hindi cinema. Fashion is an inherent ingredient in these films. For most, it may come across as just a hint of allure that has become the signature mark in his films, but look closely and you will find how seamlessly he blends his complex and humane characters with the curation of these ensembles. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna had it all – a star cast, good looks in abundance, a story by the ace director that always manages to make you shed both happy and sad tears, and at the end of it all – a marvellous wardrobe by couturier Manish Malhotra that went on to become instances of attires that lent more gravitas to the popularity of Bollywood fashion across generations.
Here’s looking at how the four lead characters were dressed appropriately for their onscreen characters in the film:
Shah Rukh Khan
We might be very used to seeing Shah Rukh Khan in classic fits off the screen. You will usually see a lot of suits and casual tees with denim but nothing ever swaying away from comfort and what looks quite ordinary to the common folks. But in a Karan Johar film, everything gets levelled up and as a fashion trailblazer himself, one might say Karan Johar focuses on attention to detail when it comes to the costumes in his films.
Shah Rukh Khan is seen using a lot of scarves with every look he sports in the film. Mostly a palette of dark colour and muted tones coupled with contrasting stoles.
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There’s a particular segment in the film where Shah Rukh’s character Dev is seen spending more and more time with Rani Mukerji’s character Maya, we see him sporting a horde of casuals throughout that phase – graphic tees, hoodies, corduroy coats, a hint of colour here and there with denim shirts – can be considered as a representative of the blossoming of new love and a new beginning. Some classic suits are also seen on most of the formal occasions, rounding up SRK a.k.a. Dev Saran’s brooding persona with fluctuating moods.
Rani Mukerji
It’s interesting to see the classic silhouettes sported by Rani Mukerji whose character Maya is burdened with a deluge of obligations and emotions. Out of a sense of responsibility, she marries her childhood friend Rishi who she has grown up with and whose father has always taken care of her. But to the world outside, Rani’s character Maya is just perfect. She’s beautiful, right from her wedding attire in the first scene to the very end – we see Rani sporting a lot of sarees – from pastels to golden hues to pristine whites.
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A classic touch of Karan Johar, the song Tumhi Dekho Naa till date is a favourite because of the series of chiffon sarees sported by Rani with her signature halter neck blouses. With her character arc bending more towards maturity and growth. While the first half of the film sees her sporting leather tops, vividly-hued coats varying from olive green to bubblegum pink.
As a woman in her 30s, she looks classy in pencil skirts paired with bright tops and stole seems to be a part of her accessories repeatedly. In the latter part of the film, she is seen sporting more of a winter wardrobe with long overcoats, sweaters, and shawls mostly in the nude and dark shade range.
Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta brings in her vivacious energy effortlessly to sync with her onscreen personality – Riya Saran. Playful in her approach combined with a fiery nature, she works in a fashion magazine and needless to say, is glamorous at her best.
SEE ALSO: Preity Zinta shares gratitude for completing 23 years in the industry
She is seen in all the trends that skyrocketed at that point – leather jackets, lacy tops, fun mini skirts, cut-out dresses, sequined gowns – ring a bell? Her character demanded her to have that style sense of her own, confidence was the key and it reflected abundantly in the way she carried herself.
Clothes with a visual language of their own adding to the tale being told did complete justice to what Preity’s character demanded and it started multiple trends thereon.
Abhishek Bachchan
What’s fun about Abhishek Bachchan’s wardrobe in the film is the amalgamation of casual and fancy. It’s the range that you can sport on an everyday basis and can make for a perfect turn-up at parties too. Working in an event management company, he gets the best of both worlds one would say.
There are plenty of appearances of beaming tints in everything she wears. Be it an eye-catching red scarf he wore with a classic black and white tuxedo in the song Rock N Roll Soniye or the blue turtleneck tee he layered with a jacket. Lots of prints, oversized coats, and jazzy jackets come into the mix that are in perfect tandem with his happy-go-lucky character in the film.
Towards the latter part of the film, he is seen in more calming colours like beige, brown and white – again veering his onscreen persona towards a point in the story where he faces unforeseen circumstances and has to face all the troubles that descend in paradise with his partner.
A Karan Johar film comes packed with emotions, drama and fashion trends that become the talk of the town. He has always been known to make his cast look exceptionally well on the celluloid and he always has. Be it his iconic style statements from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham or the slightly more evolved looks in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, he never disappoints. As the film completes 17 years, here’s glancing back at one of the most stylish outings on the celluloid by the biggest stars out there. To date, these pieces are referred to as examples of how you marry your characters to how they look on the outside solely by the process of costuming, and the craze for it only keeps increasing.
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