Filmmaker Karan Johar took a heartfelt trip down memory lane, recounting his first-ever visit to the Cannes film festival in 2002. In a recent interview with Galatta Plus, Karan opened up about how Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G) was once in contention for a Cannes premiere and how that journey became a cherished memory with his late father, veteran producer Yash Johar.Karan revealed that Cannes organisers had initially approached him for a gala premiere of K3G. “They came to me around October-November 2001. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was scheduled to release in December 2001. For me to make that Cannes red carpet meant delaying my film by about seven months. I couldn’t afford that,” he said. The slot was eventually taken by Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas, which saw Aishwarya Rai’s grand international debut and Shah Rukh Khan on the Cannes red carpet.Yash Johar set up a booth at Cannes, sold the film for $5000Despite the missed opportunity, Karan and his father still made their way to Cannes and set up a booth at the festival’s film market. “My father opened a store at the Cannes market with K3G and he stood alone. We were there for 10 days and my dad told me, ‘Son, you go watch movies, I am here.’” Karan recalled watching several films and even attending the Devdas screening. “I got soaked into the glamour of Cannes.”
The most memorable part, however, was his father’s single sale at the market. “He sold our movie to Stephen, he was a very kind gentleman, for $5,000 for Europe. I was like, ‘Why Papa? Why $5,000?’ He said, ‘Kya pata kuch ho jaaye…’ but that was the only sale we made in those 10 days.”Years later, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham would go on to become a cult classic overseas. “My father passed away in 2004 but what he didn’t see was the impact K3G began in Europe. The film was renamed La Famille indienne in French. Shah Rukh became a massive star in Germany, and all his movies started releasing after that. K3G kind of began the journey,” Karan said.
