Even 22 years since the release of Kundan Shah’s romantic drama Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, it’s difficult to forget the innocent love story between the leads — Sunil and Anna — played by Shah Rukh Khan and Suchitra Krishnamoothi, respectively.
Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Shah Rukh Khan, and Sadiya Siddiqui in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa.Even 22 years since the release of Kundan Shah’s romantic drama Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, it’s difficult to forget the innocent love story between the leads — Sunil and Anna — played by Shah Rukh Khan and Suchitra Krishnamoothi, respectively. Fans of the movie would also remember Sadiya Siddiqui, who played SRK’s sister Nikki in the film. Now, Sadiya has revealed that while she ended up playing the sister, she was too much in love with Shah Rukh and wanted to play his love interest instead. Why Sadiya Siddiqui refused to play Shah Rukh Khan’s sister “When I was called for the film, I was already drowning in love for Shah Rukh Khan,” said Sadiya. “It was complete love. I wouldn’t even see anyone else. I loved him, and I still love him,” she added, laughing. Kundan Shah spotted her as a child actor in the 1993 Doordarshan show Humrahi, where she played a bubbly child bride called Angoori. So, he offered her the role of Shah Rukh’s sister, which Sadiya refused initially.When Kundan asked her the reason, Sadiya responded frankly, “Because I don’t have those feelings for him. And in my eyes, you’ll see the real feelings, and that wouldn’t work. I was surprised I had the courage to say that so directly to him. So, he started laughing,” Sadiya Siddiqui told Siddharth Kannan. When she expressed her desire to play Anna instead, Kundan told her she was too young to play the part. “The next day, I picked out my best dress. I did makeup and curled my hair. I was looking like a cartoon, a little girl trying to look older. He laughed and said, ‘No, you’ll play the sister.’ He didn’t give me a choice of not doing the role,” recalled Sadiya. “It was very difficult, but see, I’m a good actor. I had different feelings for him in my heart, but my eyes would tell a different story. My eyes would say he’s my brother,” she added, laughing. Sadiya Siddiqui’s encounters with Shah Rukh Khan Sadiya Siddiqui claimed that she’s never expressed her feelings for Shah Rukh Khan. “I’m sure he knows. But he was so caring on the set. There was a scene where I was chasing him on the beach in a dream sequence. It was very hot on the beach. After our shot, Kundan said he wanted a couple of more only with Shah Rukh. When Shah Rukh came back, he asked me, ‘Why are you sitting in the sun? Go, sit in the car and have some water,'” recalled the actor. She added that she was “too shy” to ask for Shah Rukh’s phone number. “After many years, for some dubbing, I’d gone to the studio of Prime Focus. I saw Shah Rukh standing there. I thought he wouldn’t remember me. He said, ‘Sadiya?’ I said, ‘You remember me?’ He said, ‘Of course, I remember you.’ He hugged me, and I hugged him back. I wouldn’t miss that chance,” recalled Sadiya. “He was drinking Diet Coke. I said something that I regretted later, ‘You’re still drinking so much Diet Coke? You’re still smoking so much?’ He was just laughing because I was his sister. But I was feeling something else. It was really nice he remembered me,” she added. Also Read: Manoj Bajpayee on love story with wife Shabana, why she’s never visited his film setStory continues below this ad Sadiya Siddiqui’s next encounter with Shah Rukh Khan was when she went to meet a filmmaker. “I wanted to use the washroom, but the public washroom was very bad. There was another washroom in the makeup room, but I was told Shah Rukh was there. I went in when he was eating. He said, ‘Hiiii! How are you? You want to eat?’ I said, ‘No, I’ve eaten. I wanted to use the washroom.’ He said, ‘Yes, please go.’ This is many years of meeting him. So, that’s Shah Rukh Khan,” said Sadiya.
Micro Drama Qabool Hai copies Pakistan Show Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum (Photos: Kuku TV / Instagram, Hania Aamir Fanpage / X) Sanaya Irani and Mohit Sehgal’s latest vertical micro-drama, Qabool Hai, was recently released on Kuku TV. Soon after the show’s clips surfaced on social media, the micro-drama landed in controversy. Internet users have accused the show of being copied from Hania Aamir and Fahad Mustafa’s superhit Pakistani TV Drama Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum. The audience has been highlighting the striking similarities in the shows and questioning this mere coincidence. Sanaya Irani and Mohit Sehgal’s micro-drama copies Hania Aamir-Fahad Mustafa’s hit Pakistani show Ever since Qabool Hai released, viewers have been drawing parallels between the show and Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum. In fact, many have also made reels pointing out the similarities between the two shows. Criticizing the Indian micro drama for copying a hit show from Pakistan, one of the users wrote on X, “India is really running out of original content now started copying Pakistani drama storylines too. Qabool Hai is a total copy-paste of Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum: a jobless husband and an ambitious, hardworking wife carrying the household. Money can’t buy creativity!! Chapa factory at its finest!!!”Also Read: Hania Aamir’s Kabhi Mai Kabhi Tum co-star says cast members didn’t let her on stage: ‘I thought they were friends, that’s not true’ India is really running out of original content now started copying Pakistani drama storylines too. Qubool Hai is total copy paste of Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum a jobless husband and an ambitious hardworking wife carrying the household. Money cant buy creativity!! Chapa factory at… pic.twitter.com/QUS8PG93Ec — H.K (@HVoiccee) June 16, 2026 Another user wrote on Instagram, “This looks like a very low budget and cheap copy of KMKT…Even the Bangladeshi drama industry made a good copy of KMKT.” One of the netizens commented, “Not just the song; they tried so hard to copy the drama aesthetics and dialogue delivery as well.” A third user wrote, “Indian TV has run out of ideas or lost viewers to PK dramas. So they decided to cash in on the market and make a duplicate. It’ll never be the same.” From the aesthetics to the central premise, dialogues, and even the performances in Sanaya and Mohit’s drama Qabool Hai are being heavily criticised on social media. A section of the fans have also jumped in defending Qabool Hai, pointing out how Pakistani films are usually copied from Bollywood, citing Dhurandhar and Mera Lyari’s example. Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum’s global success Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum released in 2024 and instantly became a global hit. The show found a huge fan base in India today; it was the emotional storytelling and the chemistry between Sharjeena and Mustafa (Hania and Fahad’s characters) that resonated with the audiences. Talking about the show’s success in 2024, Fahad Mustafa had told Dawn.com, “I’ve become this household name. Everybody knows me. The name Fahad Mustafa is a thing now. Other actors even complain about people calling them by my name. But the real achievement for me was people remembering me as Mustafa, the character from Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum. That’s the mark of a strong character and storytelling.” In another interview to ARY News in 2024, Fahad Mustafa had said, “I am one of Allah’s favorite people. I received major success at 20, repeated it in my 30s, and here I am again in my 40s with another achievement.” Talking about the show’s success, Hania Aamir had told Faridoon Shahriyar, “I feel extremely blessed to receive so much love from everyone. People have been too kind; now a lot of people call Sharjeena instead of Hania, and I respond to it too.” While the debate over Qabool Hai being copied is blowing up, Sanaya Irani, Mohit Sehgal, and the makers of the micro-drama are yet to respond to it. © IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd Nawaz Javed Kochra is a seasoned entertainment journa
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