The Edinburgh Film Festival will mark the 30th anniversary of “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” with a dedicated Bollywood celebration at its 2028 edition, festival organizers have confirmed. The event will honor director Karan Johar’s 1998 romance-drama-comedy, a film that became a defining entry in Hindi-language popular cinema and remains a reference point for a generation of viewers.

Released on October 16, 1998, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” runs 185 minutes and blends romance, drama and comedy around a story of love, loss and a child’s determination to repair her father’s past. Its plot follows an eight-year-old girl who, carrying out her mother’s final wish, sets out to reunite her father with the college best friend who once loved him.

The film’s cast is led by Shah Rukh Khan as Rahul Khanna, Kajol as Anjali Sharma and Rani Mukerji as Tina Malhotra. Sana Saeed plays Anjali Khanna, Farida Jalal appears as Mrs. Khanna, Salman Khan features as Aman Mehra, Johny Lever plays Col. Almeida and Archana Puran Singh portrays Ms. Briganza. The ensemble has remained closely associated with the movie’s enduring appeal.

A Milestone in Hindi-Language Popular Cinema

The Edinburgh tribute places “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” within a wider conversation about how Hindi-language films traveled internationally in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Johar’s movie arrived at a moment when Bollywood productions were reaching expanding diaspora audiences and gaining broader visibility at international festivals and in mainstream cultural coverage.

Its selection for an anniversary event at a major festival underlines how the film has moved beyond its original release context. For Edinburgh audiences, the celebration offers a chance to revisit a title whose songs, dialogue and central performances have become touchstones in Indian popular culture.

The film’s TMDb rating stands at 7.471 out of 10, reflecting continued audience engagement decades after its debut. That figure is not a measure of critical consensus, but it illustrates the movie’s persistence in viewer memory and in ongoing streaming and retrospective programming.

A Story Built on Family and Second Chances

At its core, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” hinges on the relationship between Rahul and Anjali, first as college friends and later as adults separated by choices and circumstance. Tina’s final wish, carried out by her young daughter, sets the film’s second half in motion and gives the narrative its emotional engine.

The movie’s mix of humor and melodrama has made it a frequent subject of retrospective analysis. Johny Lever’s comic turn as Col. Almeida and Archana Puran Singh’s Ms. Briganza supply lighter notes, while Farida Jalal’s Mrs. Khanna anchors the family scenes. Salman Khan’s appearance as Aman Mehra adds a further strand to the romantic triangle that shapes the later story.

Edinburgh’s event is expected to draw both longtime admirers and viewers encountering the film for the first time. Anniversary screenings of popular Hindi titles have become a regular feature of festival programming in recent years, as institutions look to connect archival interest with contemporary audience enthusiasm.

Festival Positioning and What Comes Next

The 2028 Edinburgh edition will use the “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” celebration as part of a broader Bollywood focus, according to the announcement. Further details about the format of the event, including whether it will include a screening, panel discussion or both, have not been disclosed.

For the festival, the choice is a statement about the scope of its cinema programming. Edinburgh has long balanced arthouse discoveries with popular retrospectives, and a Bollywood anniversary event fits that dual mandate. It also acknowledges the global reach of Hindi-language filmmaking without treating it as a novelty.

The film’s director, cast and creative team remain central to how the anniversary will be framed. Johar’s direction and the chemistry among the leads are likely to feature prominently in any retrospective discussion. The movie’s runtime of 185 minutes places it firmly in the tradition of expansive Hindi-language entertainments, with multiple narrative turns and musical sequences.

No guest list or ticketing information has been released. Hollywood Buzz News will update this story as the festival confirms additional programming for its 2028 edition.

Source: Hollywood Reporter