Karan Johar follows a wonderful annual principle. Before December 31, he tries to make up with whoever he may have had a misunderstanding with in the months gone by, so that bitterness doesn’t spill over into a crisp new year.

It really is the best way to greet every fresh year. And burying differences isn’t really a very alien concept in the emotion-driven film industry.

Few know that Hrithik Roshan has an elder sister, Sunaina, who is divorced and has a 12-year-old schoolgoing daughter. Obviously, Sunaina and her ex-husband who is now married to a TV actress, aren’t exactly the best of friends. But she hasn’t come in the way of her daughter having a healthy equation with her father. In fact, when the former hubby celebrated his daughter’s birthday in his house with his new wife, neighbours at the Yari Road apartment were surprised to find Hrithik Roshan in their midst. The fond star uncle didn’t want to miss his niece’s birthday celebration and he had no problems going over to his former brother-in-law’s place.

An estrangement doesn’t mean war zone any more. And Shabana Azmi was one of the first to recognise that. She has a healthy equation with all her former boyfriends, ex-fiancé Shekhar Kapur included. As a matter of fact, much after the split with Shabana, when Shekhar married Delhi girl Medha (who later divorced him and married Bhajan King Anup Jalota), the couple was most at home at the Azmi house in Juhu. There was no animosity or tension that her former fiancé was bringing his new bride to her house. Shabana even did Masoom with Shekhar after they’d broken off their engagement.

It is this same gracious approach that now finds Shabana sharing an easy relationship with Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani’s children, Farhan and Zoya. One recalls the music release of Dil Chahta Hai when Farhan Akhtar was still an undiscovered talent. Shabana had to be present since it was Farhan’s big day. But when the compere requested Shabana to come on stage, she politely got up from her seat, did a ‘Namaste’ to the audience and refused to go up there. It was Honey Irani’s moment of pride with her son Farhan and Shabana didn’t want the spotlight to swing away from the budding film-maker’s mother.

The film industry in Mumbai abounds with such stories of grace and grown-up sensibilities. It was evident in the year that just went by when Imran Khan had his first premiere (of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa) and who should come along but Aamir Khan’s first wife, Reena Dutta. It was sporting of Reena to turn up for the nephew she’d known as a kid when she was married to Aamir. Although the premiere was hosted by Aamir and present wife Kiran Rao, the actor took special care of Reena, never mind if the camera bulbs were flashing crazily.

That ability to keep bitterness at bay is a quality the Aamir Khan family seems to specialise in. Imran Khan’s parents may be divorced but when his dad flies in from USA, he stays over at their Pali Hill bungalow. Imran not only gets along with his biological dad but also with his step father, actor Zutshi whom his mother married and divorced! In short, Imran has a real dad, a father figure and a doting uncle to give him as much security as any other Pali Hill kid. In this Khan family, a broken relationship does not leave a trail of unpleasant rancour.

Remember the Shirodkar sisters? Sexy siren Shilpa Shirodkar gave up films and lives in London with her husband and a daughter while model-turned-actress Namrata Shirodkar is married to Hyderabad superstar, Mahesh Babu. In the 12 months that just elapsed, Namrata lost two people she was extremely close to. Mom Kunda succumbed to cancer. But in 2008, there was also the tragic death of a robust young man called Deepak Shetty who had drowned in Goa while saving another boy. Not many know that Namrata and Deepak had lived together for years before they split and she got involved with the star from Hyderabad. However, when Deepak died tragically, Namrata and Shilpa met the grieving Shetty family to comfort them. In turn, when their mother Kunda died, Deepak’s father came over to offer his condolences to the Shirodkar sisters. The death of a relationship doesn’t have to mean the end of graciousness and acceptance.

The film industry is replete with such stories. Just the kind of thought we need to start off a spanking new year.

Bharathi S. Pradhan is managing editor, Movie Mag International