50 Years Of Kabhi Kabhie: Before It Became A Classic, Yash Chopra's Timeless Love Saga Was Nearly Written Off

Hyderabad: In the age of right swipe, Kabhi Kabhie serves a masterclass in old-school romance, leaving us with the thought that love can change form but never fade. Released in the late '70s, Kabhi Kabhie turns 50 today. The film remains one of the most revered romantic dramas by Yash Chopra, the man who introduced romance to Hindi cinema in its full glory. Headlined by Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, and Rakhee Gulzar, Kabhie Kabhie was anything but the usual commercial potboiler of the era. It was an experiment by Chopra in the romantic genre with the biggest star cast possible. Apart from being one of the highest-grossing films of the year, Kabhie Kabhie also enjoyed a glorious 37-week run in metros, a feat unheard of back then. Given what it achieved and the status it enjoys in the history of Indian cinema, in retrospect, it is hard to believe that Chopra was once told that Kabhi Kabhie lacks merit to work with Indian audience.

The idea of making Kabhi Kabhie struck Chopra while he was working on Daag, his debut production under Yash Raj Films after parting ways from BR Films. In his over five-decade-long career, the filmmaker delivered blockbuster hits like Deewaar, Silsila, Chandni, Dil To Pagal Hai, Darr, and more. However, the Dadasaheb Phalke awardee always maintained that he had the most cherished memories of making Kabhie Kabhie and that it remained his favourite. But the film was not easy to make, as he was swimming against the tide of Hindi cinema’s Angry Young Man era ushered in by the writing duo Salim–Javed.

The beginning was difficult for Chopra. He had written Kabhie Kabhi with Rakhee in mind. But the hazel-eyed beauty had stepped away from the spotlight after marrying Gulzar. She told Yash Chopra that Gulzar might not be happy if she returned to work. The crew was a few days from leaving for a 30- to 40-day schedule in Kashmir. Trying his luck, Chopra went to Gulzar, who lived in the same vicinity in Bandra, and told him that he could not imagine anyone else but Rakhee playing Pooja in the film. Gulzar, being a filmmaker and poet himself, understood where Chopra was coming from and approved of Rakhee taking on the part.

Chopra in an interview once described Kabhi Kabhie shooting experience as something that could never be relived, and how he was amused to learn that the set of his film was fondly called a honeymoon camp. Rakhee was newly married, as were Amitabh-Jaya, and Waheeda Rehman. Even the romance between Neetu Singh and Rishi Kapoor is said to have blossomed on the sets of the film. Naturally, there was a certain romantic energy flowing through the unit.

The real trouble for Chopra began when the film went into post-production. Kabhi Kabhie opens with romance budding between Rakhee’s Pooja and Bachchan’s Amit, with poetry bringing them together. However, the opening was very different from what eventually made it to the final cut.

Chopra had originally envisioned Rakhee and Shashi Kapoor’s characters taking the saat phere while a teary-eyed Amitabh looks on from a distance. Memories of moments spent with Rakhee would come back to him as she marries another man. The intercutting of shots was considered too “art-house,” and Chopra was told that the beginning is a nosedive. While working on the background score at Rajkamal Studio, financier Gulshan Rai of Trimurti Films watched a trial and remarked, "Yash, this picture won’t work." According to him, except for the music, everything else was working against the film.

YRF head honcho and his wife, Pamela, who is credited with the story of Kabhi Kabhie, were perplexed after Rai's observations. However, Mangesh Desai, the re-recordist and a close friend of Chopra, encouraged him, suggesting that the film would work with a slight change in the beginning. The audience, he felt, needed to witness the love between Rakhee and Amitabh before experiencing their separation. Chopra paid heed. The team went to Srinagar and shot Amitabh and Rakhee’s love sequences over two and a half days in the Valley.

For many, melody comes first while composing music. For Yash Chopra, it was always poetry first. His love for poetry has always been evident in the music of his films, and Kabhie Kabhie was no exception. Composer Khayyam was the obvious choice for a film about a poet and captures the pain of lost love. The sound of Khayyam's music stood apart from RD Burman-dominated trendy beats. The lyrics were penned by Sahir Ludhianvi, who had a reputation for never revisiting a song once written. Chopra brought him on board because of his own deep love for poetry. Even the title, Kabhi Kabhie, was borrowed from Faiz Ahmad Faiz's pen.

Interestingly, when the film was released, Chopra was panned, and a few critics even suggested that he should hang up the director's hat and go to the Himalayas. Defying pre-release negative feedback and a slow start, the film to everyone's surprise found its audience and picked up at the ticket windows. Chopra once amusingly recounted that financier Gulshan Rai, who had predicted the film wouldn't work, left for Lonavala to overcome the shock.

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