Published By: Sayan Paul

'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa' Turns 31: Why It's Bollywood's Finest On One-Sided Love

31 years on, 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa' still makes us laugh, cry, and everything in between.

Around 30 minutes into 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa', we get a musical number, where Sunil is having kind of a date with Anna at the carnival ball. The song is "Ae Kash Ke Hum Hosh Mein Aab Aaye Na Paaye", which translates to "I wish that I may never come back to my senses." And that sums up everything about the film, particularly its idea of unrequited love. Sunil has managed to be with Anna, but only through manipulations. Deep down, he knows that he is doing it all wrong and that it's not real. But he is so madly in love that he prefers to cling to the illusion, desperate for it to last forever. But it doesn't. As soon as the song ends, his manipulations get caught, and he is thrown back into the reality that he has been avoiding all this time. No matter how hard he tries, Anna doesn't love him back. But does it mean he shouldn't have tried? Not at all. When you are in love, you should give it your all. You fight for it, and as they say, "Everything is fair in love and war". But you can't force it. If you don't win at the end, you must let it go. It's a failure, yes, but definitely not the end of life. It simply means that this wasn’t meant for you, but who knows... something even better could be waiting for you just around the corner. As Shah Rukh Khan himself put it, "Sometimes, you lose the moment, but win everything else."

Over the years, Bollywood has given us several films on one-sided love. But Kundan Shah's 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa', starring Shah Rukh Khan as the lead, is the best of all. Why? On the film's 31st anniversary, let's understand that.

The Protagonist - Flawed, Imperfect, Yet Beautiful

Unlike the usual heroes in Bollywood films, Sunil - played by Shah Rukh Khan - in 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa' is full of flaws. And that's exactly what makes him so relatable. He fails at almost everything - from academics to love life to music to even impressing his father. He lies, manipulates, and often makes terrible decisions, and yet is beautiful because all he seeks is just love.

Sunil is quite different. He is not like Devdas or Kabir Singh who would go into self-destruction when their love is not reciprocated. He isn't obsessive like Rahul in 'Darr' (also played by Shah Rukh Khan) either, who believes in the "Tum Mera Nahi, To Kisika Nahi" philosophy. And obviously, he isn't as mature as Sid in 'Dil Chahta Hai' who would quietly step back. He is Sunil, who fails at love, and yet keeps trying.

(Credit: Film History Pics)

Even in the end, when Anna and Chris are getting married, the ring goes missing. And for a moment, Sunil hopes that maybe, just maybe, this is his last chance - maybe luck is finally on his side. Thus, it's not really Sunil's failures that define him - his resilience does.

A Love Triangle Without A Villain

Undoubtedly, one of the significant aspects of 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa' is how it treats its love triangle between Sunil, Anna, and Chris. The usual norm in Bollywood films is that the guy the girl likes is shown as a villain, someone you are meant to hate. But this film portrays a love triangle without villainizing anyone.

Chris, played by Deepak Tijori, is richer than both Anna and Sunil (a usual trope, yes), but he is not arrogant and never treats others as inferiors. He isn't like Suhas in '3 Idiots' or Rahul in 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani', who are so unlovable that you root against them. Chris loves Anna genuinely, and in fact, has every quality that a girl likes in their partner - kind, loyal, and compassionate. There’s a subtle difference between Chris and someone like Vanraj in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' as well - you like Vanraj, but you still don’t want him to get the girl. With Chris, it’s different. You want Sunil to win, but at the same time, you don’t want Chris to lose either.

Chris in 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa' is treated with the dignity that he deserves. This makes Sunil's unrequited love more complicated, but more humane.

One-Sided Love - Neither A Glorification Nor A Tragedy

'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa' neither glorifies one-sided love nor turns it into a tragedy. The film - and there's no other way to put it - simply makes peace with it.

Take 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', for instance, where Tahir (played by Shah Rukh Khan) talks about unrequited love as something powerful and poetic - "Ek tarfa pyar ki taqat hi kuch aur hoti hai, auron ke rishton ki tarah yeh do logon mein nahi bat'ti... sirf mera haq hai ispe." But Sunil doesn't really enjoy being in a one-sided love; it hurts him. He is not like Prem in 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani', who would sing "Kaise Bataaye Kyun Tumko Chahein" and then happily sacrifice his love with a smile. He tries hard and does every manipulation that he can - but when it doesn't work in the end, he has to accept reality and move on. It’s not that he will walk away from Anna’s life - his love is still there, but in a way where he chooses to be happy for her. And that’s how the film never becomes a tragedy.

(Credit: Film History Pics)

With this, director Kundan Shah gives us a message that love can never be forced. You should fight for it, and even if you fail, you should make peace with your failure. However, just when you think that you have failed in life, a new hope will emerge and magically fix everything.

(Credit: SonyMusicIndiaVEVO)

As they say, destiny always plans something better for you. When Juhi Chawla appears in the final scene, there's a hint that maybe this time, things will be different for Sunil.  Because no matter the struggle, it will always end on a happy note. If it’s not happy, then it’s not the end.