Nikkhil Advani recalls making Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. (Photo: IMDb)
Nikkhil Advani, who began his career with Yash Johar’s production house Dharma Productions, recently reminisced about the late producer and his unmatched passion for filmmaking. Nikkhil, who made his directorial debut with Kal Ho Naa Ho after assisting Karan Johar on Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, recalled an anecdote that perfectly captured Yash’s love for cinema. Speaking about K3G, Nikkhil revealed that the film’s initial budget was pegged at just Rs 3 crore—but that entire amount was spent on filming the song “Bole Chudiyan” alone.
In a conversation with Radio Nasha, Nikkhil said, “These days, people make budgets on spreadsheets. They take nearly two months to finalise them. But when we narrated the script of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham to Yash Johar, he called me to his office and asked me to write the budget. I wrote Rs 3 crore. It was approved, and we were told to begin the film.”
He continued, “Our very first set was for Bole Chudiyan. Karan Johar fainted on set. Kajol had issues with her lehenga and couldn’t dance. There was complete chaos—200 dancers, 300 junior artistes. We even manufactured jhoomars because Karan wanted everything to look grand.”
Recalling Yash Johar’s reaction, Nikkhil added, “That evening, Yash ji made us sit down for a chai break and asked, ‘Didn’t you make a budget for this film?’ I said yes. He asked, ‘How much was it?’ I said, ‘I don’t remember.’ He then pulled out the paper I had given him, read it aloud—‘Rs 3 crore’—and said, ‘The set you’ve created has already cost more than that.’ He tore the paper and told us, ‘Now, you make the film!’”
Nikkhil Advani said he misses that kind of passion every day. “Earlier, there was a nasha to make movies. Yash Johar once had to consider selling his house for his films. Even Yash Chopra—one of the greatest directors—had a phase where everything flopped before Chandni. Where are such people today? We are so consumed by box office numbers now. Those filmmakers would be shocked if they saw what cinema interviews have become.”
Despite this, Nikkhil remains hopeful. “The only people who can take us back to the era of Yash Johar and Yash Chopra are Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra. I’m sure even they miss the madness around filmmaking. We’ve seen Yash ji—there will never be another producer like him. He understood cinema. He would never say no to 400 junior artistes, but he would always ask why they were needed.”
Curated by Shiv Shakti Mishra
