[5] Set largely in New York City, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna follows the story of Dev and Maya, who fall in love with each other, despite being married to different people.

Dev is a successful soccer player who lives in New York City with his wife Rhea, his son Arjun, and his mother Kamaljit.

Four years later, Dev, who now walks with a limp, is short-tempered and embittered because of his inability to play soccer; Rhea's successful career as a fashion magazine editor makes him feel inferior to her.

After Sam's death, Dev and Maya decide they must end their relationship and go back to their spouses, but first, they must tell them the truth about their extramarital affair because neither of them will be able to move on in the shadow of lies.

[11] The film was directed and written by Karan Johar who collaborated with Shibani Bathija to write the screenplay, and the dialogues were penned by Niranjan Iyengar.

[14] Karan Johar initially wanted to cast Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukherji and Ajay Devgn in the lead roles of Dev, Maya, Rhea and Rishi respectively.

[17] Amitabh Bachchan and Kirron Kher were later cast as Samarjit (Rishi's father) and Kamaljit (Dev's mother) respectively.

Arjun Rampal and John Abraham also made guest appearances in the film as Rhea's boss, and a DJ in the song "Where's The Party Tonight?"

[19][20] Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is set in New York City, while many of the scenes were filmed in East Hartford and New Haven in Connecticut.

[21] In an interview, Johar stated that the filming for the song "Tumhi Dekho Naa" was done at multiple locations and ended up being extremely time-consuming.

However, due to the low temperatures, the raindrops produced by the rain machines started freezing in mid-air, thus posing a risk of physical harm to the actors.

The film shows the characters of Dev and Maya sharing dysfunctional relationships with their respective spouses Rhea and Rishi, and in turn indulge in an extra-marital affair.

On a deeper level, the film also explores themes such as meeting someone's soulmate after marriage, how complications in love can affect families, and the consequences of marrying a wrong person.

[23] In an interview, director Karan Johar stated that he got the idea behind the film when he saw a married couple in London break up on amicable terms.

The break-up, and Richard Linklater's romantic drama Before Sunset (2004), made him want to explore deeper dynamics of love, marriage and relationships which is where he came up with the plot of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.

[12] A similar theme was explored in films such as Yash Chopra's Silsila (1981), Mahesh Bhatt's Arth (1982) and Mike Nichols' Closer (2004), in addition to Johar's later production, Gehraiyaan (2022) directed by Shakun Batra.

[24] The music and background score of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, while the lyrics were penned by Javed Akhtar.

[31] Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, with a ensemble star cast, premiered on 11 August 2006 and was screened in over 1,200 cinemas worldwide.

[6] According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) originally gave the film an R rating because of language and some sexual content.

[35] Taran Adarsh from Indiafm.com described the subject matter as a delicate one which could have easily been disastrous and praised the way in which director Karan Johar boldly constructed the film, citing it as his finest work to date.

I walked out of the hall feeling my cheeks for stubble, wondering if my clothes are suddenly dated and my hair's turned grey.

Critics such as Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times emphasized the larger-than-life nature of the film, remarking that, "It is full of big Bollywood stars and out-sized everything: the rainstorms are a little rainier than real life; the wind machines are cranked up an extra notch; the close-ups get closer and linger longer than usual; the coincidences that drive the plot are a little more numerous and unlikely than normal screenwriting allows".

[39] He praised the humor in the script and the director's comic timing in certain scenes such as the children's soccer match, the bed store, and at the ballet show.

[40] Elley noted Amitabh Bachchan's performance as an ageing lothario and praised Preity Zinta as "stepping far beyond her makeup".

[40] Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna saw a record opening at many cities in India and generated ₹60 crore in the first week itself, although it is currently Johar's lowest-grossing film according to net collections, even if unadjusted for inflation.

In the US, one factor contributing to its success was the fact it debuted in 64 theatres, unusually high for a Bollywood film in cities with lower Indian populations such as Miami, Tampa, and Raleigh as well.

[46] A recipient of several accolades, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna led the 52nd Filmfare Awards with 23 nominations and won Best Supporting Actor (Abhishek Bachchan).