Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani had a rather special fanboy moment when he met the man who inspired one of Bollywood’s most memorable song sequences in his film.
Advani met Hollywood actor Richard Gere at the 15th edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival 2026 and showed him the ‘Pretty Woman’ sequence from his 2003 film Kal Ho Naa Ho, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta.
Sharing the moment on Instagram, an evidently excited Advani wrote, “Huge huge fan boy moment. Showed @richardgere #PrettyWoman from #KalHoNaa”.
He added, “(wait for his reaction) Icing on the cake.”
In the video, Gere can be seen watching the song with a smile, chuckling throughout before breaking into laughter towards the end. Clearly amused by the Bollywood rendition, he appeared to enjoy the unexpected tribute to his film.
Advani is also heard telling the Hollywood actor that he had met Barbara and secured the rights to the song.
Gere starred alongside Julia Roberts in the 1990 romantic comedy Pretty Woman, directed by Garry Marshall. He played Edward Lewis, a wealthy businessman who meets Vivian Ward, played by Roberts, a sex worker in Hollywood. What begins as a transactional arrangement, with Vivian accompanying Edward to business events, gradually blossoms into an unlikely romance.
The film became a global box-office success and played a huge role in cementing Roberts’ position as one of Hollywood’s leading stars. Roy Orbison’s Oh, Pretty Woman, which featured prominently in the film, went on to become an enduring musical favourite.
For Kal Ho Naa Ho, filmmaker Karan Johar, who wrote the film, secured the rights to use Orbison’s original track. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy reworked the song for the Bollywood musical sequence, with Ravi “Rags” Khote lending his voice to the Hindi version. The result was a playful desi spin on the Hollywood classic, with Shah Rukh Khan bringing his charm to the screen.
Over the years, fans have repeatedly asked for a sequel to Kal Ho Naa Ho. Earlier this year, during an interview with The`Print, Advani put the speculation to rest, saying a sequel would never happen.
“Kal Ho Naa Ho 2 will never happen. It is difficult to recreate that magic, even for me…It happens only once…I will not make it,” Advani told ThePrint.
(Raunaq Lekhi)