Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is a cult movie. Full Stop.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, in short KKHH is a blockbuster coming of age romantic movie, released in 1998. I am sure many of you love it or hate it, but for me, it’s a CULT movie. Ask me how?

Coming from a typical Bengali probashi family, my mother was adamant on my Bengali education. This consisted of Bengali books, poetry, music, only and only Bengali movies at home. I could have been easily a record holder in watching the greatest number of black and white movies as a child growing up in the 90s. This was supplemented by Hollywood children movies. So, the colorful, glamorous glitzy world of Bollywood was restricted to limited viewing of MTV channel and the song shows of Zee TV, under the vigilant eyes of my mother. Any exposure to Hindi movies was considered uchonne jawa. So watching a Hindi movie was like a far-fetched dream, totally unreal and impossible.

But this dream was about to come true in my Christmas vacation of 1998. We were visiting my father’s twin sister, my Choto Pishi in Raipur. Again, being typical Bengalis, we took Boro Din very seriously. No matter what, it had to be a day of picnic (with komla lebu at the end) and some fun activities. While the elders were deciding what to do, I was casually asked by my cousin brother (15 years older to me), if I would like to watch a Hindi movie in a movie hall. I was shocked, even at the question and looked at my mother, who was very busy deciding on the picnic food menu. I embarrassingly told him that I had never watched a full Hindi movie, forget about watching it in a movie hall. Also, as we did not have any movie halls in the remote industrial township where we lived, I didn’t even know what a move hall looked like from outside. My cousin winked at me and said he will do something about it. Finally Christmas Day arrives and after having some fruit cake at breakfast, my cousin furnished a few pink tickets with a grin. While I was clueless about what they were, rest of the family started clapping and asked which movie. He said “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, matinee show” with a big smile. I knew that name too well, thanks to the continuous stream of songs on MTV. I looked at my mother pleadingly, so as not to leave me behind and deprive me of this once in a lifetime golden opportunity. She had to give in as the tickets were already bought for everybody. I put on the best dress that I had brought on the trip, begged and begged for some lipstick and finally felt ready to meet Shah Rukh, Kajol and Rani.

Oh my! What a wonderful place it was inside the hall with numerous rows of red colored seats and a huge screen (absolutely huge to kiddish eyes). When the movie started, initially it was a bit overwhelming with strong screen light and the booming sound, but soon I was lost in the pink dress, orange skirt, electric guitar world of St. Xavier’s College. Nobody had told me Hindi movies could be such a treat to the eyes with its bountiful use of colors. I realized my parents were so wrong in saying that Oxford was a great university (after all Tina left Oxford), when you could find a better one in Mumbai!! And little Anjali, how I wanted to be her, be Rahul and Tina’s daughter and wear neon-colored dresses and matching hairbands all the time.

Now, coming back to the real world, my mother had been having a bad case of allergy for the last few days, so her eyes and nose were constantly itchy and watery. A kind woman who was sitting beside my mother, noticed my mother blowing her nose when Tina died, wiping her eyes when little Anjali was crying for not having a mother and closing her eyes when Rahul was delivering the last emotional speech. The woman felt pity for my mother and could not hold back hugging and assuring her at the end saying “Behen ji, yeh to movie hai, sach me thode hi hai, dil mat bithao”. I swear my mother could have burned the women with her look alone!

And yes, I did dream of the “Koi Mil Gaya” dance scene for many nights to come. In my dream, I was sometimes Tina wearing small and tight skirts, little Anjali with two ponytails and older Anjali flaunting her transparent chiffon sarees.

Now tell me why can’t it be a cult movie?