Until their public falling out over Kal Ho Naa Ho, Nikkhil Advani, and Karan Johar were good friends.
With his fantastical film Kal Ho Naa Ho, Nikkhil Advani was expected to become famous overnight, but he received little praise for his directing debut. While some people didn’t even realize that Nikkhil, not Karan Johar, was the film’s director, others simply pondered whether KJo ghost-directed it. Following the release of the movie, the two fell out in public, and the filmmaker recently made surprising discoveries about his life as a result.
Advani discussed the course of his career after leaving Dharma Productions in an interview. He served as a physical barrier between others and Karan Johar. He worked with him on Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham before being given control over Kal Ho Naa Ho.
Nikkhil Advani revealed, “Post Kal Ho Naa Ho, I didn’t have work for three years. Nobody wanted to work with me. I left Dharma Productions, and it was a very public fallout. And I didn’t have work for three years, and when I finally started working again post-D-Day, I just wanted to do anything and everything, never be in that position again.”
Kal Ho Naa Ho, which was very dear to Karan Johar, was directed by Nikhil Advani. According to Karan’s book, An Unsuitable Boy, he wishes he had directed the movie. Later, Advani stated in an interview that, “I don’t blame him for regretting it. He wrote it from his heart. But, I think, he underestimated himself, and he thought that he won’t be able to do justice to it. Now when he says that, I feel his pain.”
Karan Johar and he both had egos in 2004, which eventually led to their separation, according to Nikkhil Advani. But after the passing of Yash Johar, they began conversing. In the same interview, the Salaam-E-Ishq director also disclosed that he was good friends with Karan and one of the persons the movie’s creator really trusted until rumors about each other began to circulate.
It’s interesting to note that Nikkhil, a senior in KJo’s school, went on to work with him in numerous Dharma films. He directed Salaam-E-Ishq, Chandni Chowk to China, and Patiala House after quitting Dharma Productions in an effort to establish his identity as the director of Kal Ho Naa Ho. With the release of D-Day, a film starring Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan, he finally found his calling.
Regarding his professional career, Nikkhil most recently received credit for creating Sony Liv’s web series Rocket Boys. He was the producer of Mrs. Chatterjee Vs. Norway, starring Rani Mukerji. His most recent film, Batla House, featured John Abraham.
