Kal Ho Naa Ho

About the film

Kal Ho Naa Ho (transl. Tomorrow may never come, pronounced [kəl ɦoː naː ɦoː]), also abbreviated as KHNH, is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy drama film directed by debutant Nikkhil Advani, written by Karan Johar and Niranjan Iyengar, and produced by Yash Johar under Dharma Productions. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Preity Zinta, with Jaya Bachchan, Sushma Seth, Reema Lagoo, Lillete Dubey, and Delnaaz Irani in supporting roles. Set in New York City, the story follows Naina Catherine Kapur (Zinta) who gradually falls for her visiting neighbour Aman Mathur (Shah Rukh Khan), but a secret prevents Aman from reciprocating his feelings, causing him to set Naina up with her best friend, Rohit Patel (Saif Ali Khan).

Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy composed the original soundtrack and background score in their first collaboration with Johar, with lyrics written by Javed Akhtar. Anil Mehta, Manish Malhotra, and Sharmishta Roy were the cinematographer, costume designer and art director, respectively. Principal photography took place in Toronto, New York City, and Mumbai from January to October 2003. Filming was stalled for around six months due to Shah Rukh Khan's illness. The soundtrack was released on 27 September 2003 to positive reviews; the title song, "It's The Time To Disco", "Kuch To Hua Hai", and "Pretty Woman" were particularly well-received.

Kal Ho Naa Ho was released on 28 November 2003 with the promotional tagline, "A Story of a Lifetime ... In a Heartbeat". The film received acclaim from critics who praised its story, screenplay, direction, soundtrack, cinematography, and its cast performances. The film was a huge commercial success grossing ₹860.9 million (US$18.8 million), and was the highest grossing Hindi film and highest-grossing Indian film of the year. The film explores non-resident Indians, inter-caste marriage, and homosexuality through innuendo and homosocial bonding. It won two National Film Awards, eight Filmfare Awards, thirteen International Indian Film Academy Awards, six Producers Guild Film Awards, three Screen Awards, and two Zee Cine Awards in 2004.

Cast and crew

The film features Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Sushma Seth among others in its principal cast.

Key details