Karan Johar’s first directorial venture, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, holds a special position in Bollywood’s history, hailed as an iconic film since its release in 1998. Over time, however, the movie faced criticism for perpetuating toxic masculinity and regressive notions concerning female representation, sparking debates about its underlying themes.

Acknowledging the film’s problematic elements, Karan Johar openly addressed its flaws, citing an impactful critique from veteran actress Shabana Azmi. At the Indian Film Festival in Melbourne in 2019, Johar recalled Azmi’s candid reaction upon watching the film. She expressed disappointment regarding its on-screen portrayal, labelling KKHH as “the most politically incorrect film.” Azmi particularly raised concerns about the stereotypical link between a girl’s beauty and the length of her hair. Karan humbly accepted her viewpoint, admitting, “I know you’re right,” in response to her passionate critique.

Reflecting on the casting process, Johar shared an anecdote about pitching the film to Shah Rukh Khan without a script, relying solely on a scene to captivate the actor’s interest. Despite initial refusals from prominent actresses like Tabu, Urmila Matondkar, and Aishwarya Rai, Karan reminisced about Rani Mukerji’s eventual casting after  a recommendation from Aditya Chopra.

The Karnataka government has not given any order to end the ban on wearing the hijab in educational institutions, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday, a day after media reports claimed the hijab ban has been removed.

The ban by the previous BJP government on wearing the hijab had triggered protests.

At an event in Mysuru yesterday, Siddaramaiah had said women can wear the hijab if they want. The comment led to speculation that the Chief Minister had ordered to scrap the ban.

However, Siddaramaiah told reporters today the Karnataka government has not formally issued any order to allow wearing the hijab in educational institutions.

“We have not done it yet (allowing hijab). One person asked me a question, and I replied to that. Yes, the government is considering to end the ban. But the matter will be discussed with government officers first,” Siddaramaiah told reporters today.

The plan to end the hijab ban was already on the Congress’s agenda before the election in May this year, when the party defeated the BJP under former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

While Siddaramaiah has attacked the BJP over allegedly dividing people based on what they wear and caste, the BJP has called the Congress’s policy “appeasement politics”.

In the hijab case, the Supreme Court had delivered a split verdict on whether the government has the authority to make rules on what to wear. The court had said it would consider setting up a three-judge bench to take the matter forward.

“When the matter is pending in the Supreme Court, the Chief Minister does not even take that into consideration and decides to please the minorities, while eyeing the Lok Sabha election,” Mr Bommai said.

The Hijab row began in December 2021 when six girls in Udupi’s Government PU College were denied permission to wear the scarf in classrooms. It has now become another political issue ahead of the 2024 general election.

With the Assembly polls behind them, both of India’s biggest political parties have turned their focus to the all-important Lok Sabha elections, which are due in less than four months. This was borne out by two key meetings held by the BJP and the Congress on Saturday, which also reflected the very different positions the parties find themselves in.

While the two-day BJP meeting of national office-bearers, which ended on Saturday, saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorting workers to gear up for the campaign and the party setting a target of getting 35 crore votes in the 2024 elections, the Congress meeting was focused on working out seat-sharing with allies from the INDIA bloc, which was formed to take on the ruling party.

‘Mission Mode’

During the BJP meeting of national office bearers and state presidents, which began on Friday, PM Modi asked workers and prepare for the Lok Sabha elections in mission mode. Sources said the Prime Minister also set the party a target of winning 35 crore votes in the 2024 elections, against the 22.9 crore it managed to get in 2019.

The BJP meet, according to the sources, also focused on the Ram Temple consecration on January 22. It was decided that workers would be asked to give out as much information on the Ram Temple as possible on social media platforms and hold discussions on it. They will also be instructed to arrange for live telecast of the consecration ceremony in their respective areas on January 22 and organise visits to Ayodhya after the consecration for people from every state. 

“To achieve the increase in votes, a strategy was formulated to reach 7 crore beneficiaries of various government schemes,” a source said. 

PM Modi will address the youth across the country in January and it has been decided to run a campaign to connect with women, youth, farmers and the poor. 

Workers will also be asked to stay in touch with every voter at the booth level and visit their homes and meet them. One of the key issues they have been asked to discuss is India’s growing power on the global stage, the sources said.

Alliance Panel Meet

The National Alliance Committee of the Congress held its first meeting on Saturday. The five-member panel was formed earlier this week to discuss seat-sharing and alliances with other political parties from the INDIA bloc for the 2024 elections. Mukul Wasnik is the convenor and the other members are Union minister Salman Khurshid, former chief ministers Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel, and Mohan Prakash.

After the meeting, Mr Wasnik said, “We will first speak to the state units. We will decide on a  seat-sharing formula soon. There is no deadline set for this. But we will decide as soon as possible,” he said.

The Congress has been criticised by some INDIA allies after its defeats in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh elections, who have also said that the party should be more accommodating in seat-sharing conversations.