Claim: Saif Ali Khan was employed in a drama with many characters.

Kal Ho Naa Ho -LRB- English : Tomorrow May Never Come -RRB- , abbreviated as KHNH , is a 2003 Indian romantic drama , directed by debutant director Nikkhil Advani . The film was written by Niranjan Iyengar and Karan Johar and produced by Yash Johar and Karan Johar under their Dharma Productions banner . The soundtrack for the film was composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy , with lyrics written by Javed Akhtar .   The film features Jaya Bachchan as Jennifer `` Jenny '' Kapur , Shahrukh Khan as Aman Mathur , Saif Ali Khan as Rohit Patel , and Preity Zinta as Naina Catherine Kapur . It also features Lilette Dubey , Reema Lagoo , Sushma Seth and Delnaaz Paul in supporting roles . The film narrates the story of a pessimistic uptight student , Naina Kapur , who falls in love with her neighbour , Aman Mathur , a terminally ill patient who tries to play matchmaker for Naina and her friend , Rohit Patel .   Kal Ho Naa Ho was promoted with the tag-line `` A Story of a Lifetime ... In a Heartbeat '' . The movie was produced on a budget of 280 million . It was released on 28 November 2003 to largely positive critical reviews . Additionally , it was screened at the Valenciennes , Era New Horizons , Marrakech International and Helsinki Film Festival .   The film was a commercial success and emerged as the second highest-grossing film domestically , and the highest-grossing film in overseas and worldwide that year . When adjusted for inflation , its total net gross in India is . The following year , Kal Ho Naa Ho won two National Film Awards and eight Filmfare Awards . The film was paid homage by the German Embassy in India by releasing a short 8 minute video named Lebe jetzt . The film was remade in Telugu as Chakram .