Kuch Kuch Hota Hai Set for Edinburgh Screening to Mark 30 Years

Karan Johar has accepted an invitation to bring Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2028, when the 1998 romance turns 30. The festival wants to mark the anniversary with a screening, and Johar, who directed the film in his first outing behind the camera, has said yes, according to Variety.

The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji. It is one of the best-known Hindi films of its era, and its 2028 screening is planned for the 81st edition of the Edinburgh festival.

Johar received the invitation at a meeting he hosted at the Mumbai offices of Dharma Productions, his production company. Scotland's First Minister, John Swinney, attended, along with David Smith, interim executive director of Screen Scotland, the national agency that supports film and television work in the country.

The link goes back to the shoot. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai filmed at Eilean Donan Castle, a stone fortress on a small island linked to the mainland by a bridge; at Glen Coe, a dramatic valley in the Highlands; at Tantallon Castle, a ruined clifftop fortress on the east coast; and at Inchmahome Priory, a medieval abbey on an island in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. According to Variety, no major Indian production before it had shot as widely across Scotland.

Edinburgh's festival runs each August. The 80th edition is set for 12 to 18 August 2027, a year before the anniversary screening. The 2028 event will be the one that brings the film back to the city, with Johar in attendance.

For Scottish audiences, the news ties a famous Bollywood film to places many of them know well. For fans in India, it means a chance to see the film in a festival setting, with its director present, on the 30th anniversary of its release.

The announcement is about a plan, not a finished event. Dates, programming and ticketing will be set later by the festival.