Karan Johar has spoken about his rifts with Shah Rukh Khan and irreparable relationship with Kajol in his soon-to-launched book An Unsuitable Boy. Now, his rift with best friend Kareena Kapoor Khan has come to fore.
Kajol can never come back to my life: Karan Johar in An Unsuitable Boy
However, Johar and Kareena had their differences when the latter offered her Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003).
"My first problem was with Kareena. She asked for too much money and we had some kind of a fallout at that time. Mujhse Dosti Karoge! had just released, directed by Kunal Kohli. She said, 'Aditya Chopra's assistant Kunal Kohli has made this flop, so Karan Johar's assistant, Nikhil Advani is not to be trusted either'," Johar writes.
The early 2000s was a phase when Kareena struggled to make her mark. Her career only changed when she did Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met (2007).
Elaborating about it, Johar added, "The weekend of Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'s release, I offered her Kal Ho Naa Ho, and she asked for the same money that Shah Rukh Khan was getting. I said, 'Sorry'."
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The filmmaker was hurt and he tried negotiating with Kareena, but the actress did not answer his call. Johar then went on to sign Preity Zinta, and he didn’t speak to Kareena for a year.
"We were releasing Kal Ho Naa Ho in November. We had shot the film in June, July, August and in September I had to shoot the songs, make the promos and so on. So I had to head back, while my father continued the treatment in New York. That was the time Kareena Kapoor called me. It was August. We had not spoken for nine months. She called and said, 'I heard about Yash uncle.' She got really emotional on the phone, and she said, 'I love you and I am so sorry I haven't been in touch. Don't worry'."
Kareena has since gone on to work with Johar in several projects like Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012), Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (2013), Kurbaan (2009).