Bole Chudiya Song Cost More Than Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham's Budget; Karan Johar Fainted On Set

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is one of Bollywood’s most iconic family dramas, celebrated for its grand scale, emotional storytelling, and unforgettable characters. The movie blends lavish visuals with heartfelt performances by its star-studded cast—Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, and Kareena Kapoor. But did you know that the film’s entire initial budget was spent on the Bole Chudiyaan song?

In a chat with Radio Nasha, Nikkhil Advani 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.”

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, “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.”

“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,” the filmmaker concluded.