At the 15th Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF), filmmaker Nikkhil Advani had a captive audience for a piece of his own filmography: Richard Gere. In an Instagram video, Advani can be seen showing Gere the Hindi adaptation of the Hollywood star’s 1990 romantic comedy Pretty Woman, recreated in Advani’s 2003 debut Kal Ho Naa Ho.
Advani did not underplay the occasion. His caption read, “Huge huge fan boy moment. Showed @richardgere #PrettyWoman from #KalHoNaaHo,” followed by “wait for his reaction” and “icing on the cake.” The post tagged Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Karan Johar, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, lyricist Javed Akhtar, choreographer Farah Khan, and the account of the late Roy Orbison.
The chain from Pretty Woman to Kal Ho Naa Ho
The meeting was not a random crossover. Pretty Woman established Gere and Julia Roberts as global stars in 1990, and Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” became one of its most recognisable hooks. More than a decade later, the song travelled into Hindi cinema through a licensed recreation rather than an uncredited lift.
In Kal Ho Naa Ho, Shah Rukh Khan’s Aman dances on top of a taxi and performs a Hindi version of the song while trying to win over his neighbour Naina, played by Preity Zinta. The sequence is now one of the film’s most cited moments.
The adaptation was built on a clear chain of permissions and craft:
- The rights: Karan Johar, who wrote the film, acquired permission to recreate Roy Orbison’s original track.
- The music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy adapted the song for the Hindi soundtrack.
- The voice: Singer Ravi “Rags” Khote performed the Hindi version.
- The performance: Shah Rukh Khan’s playful take made the familiar melody feel local.
Why the moment matters
The episode is a tiny but complete cultural loop. A filmmaker who grew up watching Gere showed the actor how his film was absorbed into Hindi cinema and found a second life. For Bollywood Chronicle readers, it also underlines that Kal Ho Naa Ho’s popularity rests on more than its set pieces.
The film followed Naina, a young woman in New York dealing with family problems and daily pressure. Aman’s arrival brings optimism, and he works to bring Naina closer to her friend Rohit, played by Saif Ali Khan. The reason behind that effort is revealed later: Aman is terminally ill and wants to secure Naina’s future before his time runs out. That emotional weight is one reason the Pretty Woman sequence remains fondly remembered rather than merely funny.
The festival setting
DIFF 2026 is being held in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, from October 29 to November 1. Gere is part of the festival’s board of advisors, which made the meeting possible. The programme also includes a 90-minute conversation between Sudhir Mishra and Advani, a pairing with shared history: Advani began his career in 1996 by writing for Mishra’s Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin.
For readers of Bollywood Chronicle, the takeaway is not just a viral moment but a reminder of how Hindi cinema absorbs influences, secures rights, and returns them to their source decades later as shared memory.
Source: Hindustan Times
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