‘Still recognised as Anjali from KKHH’

Sana Saeed had a dream debut as a child actor in the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) The film, featuring her as Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji’s on-screen daughter, Anjali Khanna, completes 19 years of its release today. Ask the 29-year-old about the film, and she says, “Oh My God! Time went by too fast, and you’re making me feel very old now!” “The film is on television all year long, every two weeks, in fact. Whatever scene I catch up with, I get to relive those moments all over again. I had grown up watching all these stars — [actors] Shah Rukh, Kajol, Rani and Salman, who are still at the peak of their careers after these 19 years. I remember having a thrill with 30-50 other children on the set. It never felt like work,” she says. Talking about her fondest memories, she says, “I don’t remember everything exactly, but I can still recall the muhurat shot, the set for which was designed like a dentist’s clinic. It wasn’t used in the film, as it got edited out. I was finally able to see it for the first time when it was put on the Internet.” She reveals how it was to work with Karan Johar, who also made his directorial debut with the film. “For the emotional scenes, he would try to mentally put me in a space, telling me ‘What if you didn’t have a mother?’ when my mom was right in front of me!” she adds. She feels that the film is still fresh in everyone’s minds, as people still call her by her screen name in the film, Anjali. She says, “When I reached Las Vegas for my higher studies, an Indian couple, staying in the house next to me, came and said ‘You are that girl from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai!’ I still can’t come to terms with the fact that people remember me as that little girl from the film.”

PHOTO: YOGEN SHAH Actor Sana Saeed in a still from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) Actor Sana Saeed has been a part of several dance reality shows