sold over 1,900,000 copies in India making it the second best-selling album of the year, marginally behind Dhoom 2. Release Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna's teaser trailer was released along with Fanaa, which released on 26 May 2006. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, with a multi-star cast, premiered on 11 August 2006 and was screened in over 1,200 cinemas worldwide. 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. It was re-rated PG-13 on appeal. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was one of India's possible nominations for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, with films such as Rang De Basanti, Krrish, Omkara and Lage Raho Munna Bhai also in the running. However, the country ultimately chose Rang De Basanti as its pick. Reception Critical reception Critic 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. Adarsh approved in particular of the script and the devices the director incorporated to contrast emotions between scenes, remarking that, "the screenplay balances the two extremes; light moments and dollops of emotions with amazing ease". The individual cast performances were also praised by Adarsh, who commented on the effectiveness of the casting and the interaction of the actors. Rajeev Masand from IBNLive gave the film 4 out of 5 stars praising the screenplay and Johar's direction, saying "Few writers have such solid control over their screenplay as Karan Johar does. Few understand the intricacies of narrative as well as he does. Johar goes from highs to lows, from plateaus to peaks with the ease of a pro. He knows exactly how to turn a seemingly ordinary scene into something special with just that one line of dialogue, or that hint of background music." Derek Elley of Variety also praised the diversity of emotions displayed by the cast, remarking that, "Scripter Shibani Bathija never lets her characters inhabit a secure emotional place for very long, and impediments to happiness come from their own weaknesses rather than social constraints or plot-generated misunderstandings". Elley noted Amitabh Bachchan's performance as an ageing lothario and praised Preity Zinta as "stepping far beyond her makeup". However, Raja Sen of rediff.com was particularly critical