Nikkhil Advani reflects on his fallout with Karan Johar, feuds with Anil Kapoor, Govinda and John Abraham, struggles after Salaam-E-Ishq failure

Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, who is known for directing the 2003 hit Kal Ho Naa Ho starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan, recently opened up about his past disputes with Karan Johar and other Bollywood icons, including Anil Kapoor, Govinda, and John Abraham. In an interview with Digital Commentary, Advani candidly discussed the emotional and professional challenges he faced after the success of Kal Ho Naa Ho.

Recalling his fallout with Johar, Advani shared that post-Kal Ho Naa Ho, there was "confusion and anger" that led him to leave Dharma Productions. "Some people were saying that I had directed the three biggest hits of Dharma Productions, while a section was arguing that I hadn’t even directed KHNH," he revealed.

Despite the clash, Advani emphasized that their relationship has since healed. "We’ve luckily put everything behind us. We’ve both grown up and can differentiate between films and life," he noted. He further added, "I was very close to his father. It wasn’t a creative clash; it was more of an emotional clash. ‘How could you listen to other people who are saying this about me?’ My whole thing was people aren’t giving me credit for one love story, so I’ll do six love stories."




Advani also opened up about his struggles after the failure of Salaam-E-Ishq at the box office, which left him fearing unemployment. This fear pushed him to take on projects like Chandni Chowk to China.

Discussing his relationships within the industry, Advani praised long-standing collaborations like Ajay Devgn-Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar-Aditya Chopra with Shah Rukh Khan, calling them "inseparable."



In contrast, his own relationships faced turbulence. "Me and John drifted apart for a few years… I didn’t talk to Anil Kapoor for 10 years, I didn’t talk to Govinda for 10 years," he said. Despite this, Advani shared that he and John Abraham have rekindled their friendship. "When John and I meet, we don’t talk about films or the industry. We talk about football, politics, food, animals, fitness," he added.

Nikkhil Advani’s most recent directorial, Vedaa, starring John Abraham, was released in 2024.

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