Kareena Kapoor Khan on rejecting Karan Johar’s ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ |

Kareena Kapoor Khan, known for her unabashed attitude, once found herself in an alleged pay dispute with Karan Johar, a situation that led to her rejecting the film “Kal Ho Naa Ho” and sparked controversy around her feeling of being cheated. After the success of “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham” (K3G), Kareena was slated to star in “Kal Ho Naa Ho.” However, her rumored demand for a salary equivalent to Shah Rukh Khan’s became a point of contention.Unwilling to compromise, Kareena allegedly avoided Karan Johar‘s calls and opted to work on Sooraj Barjatya’s “Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon.”

In a candid 2003 interview with Rediff, Kareena Kapoor Khan shared her side of the story, revealing her disappointment and feeling of being cheated. She disclosed, “Everyone thinks I am out of the film because I quoted a hefty fee. That isn’t the entire truth. I did K3G for practically nothing. Karan’s father, Yashji (Yash Johar), who is a wonderful human being, had promised me and my mother a certain remuneration for my next film for the Johars.”

Expressing her dissatisfaction, Kareena questioned the logic behind the reduced payment, stating, “When Yashji came to me for Nikkhil Advani’s film, he said he could only pay me half of what he agreed on. The argument was they didn’t have that much money. But do you know how much they made on K3G? It is a mind-boggling sum. I couldn’t understand their logic. Despite her frustration, Kareena clarified that her relationship with Karan Johar remained intact, asserting, “Nothing of the sort. It’s just that he decided to cast someone else for a film to be directed by Nikkhil Advani for his production house. What happened was most unfortunate. No one knows the real story.”

Eventually, after a few months, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Karan Johar reconciled, and today they share a strong friendship.