Two decades ago, Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji’s iconic Hum Tum redefined the romantic-comedy genre in Hindi cinema. Today, on the film’s 20th anniversary, we revisit its journey, from initial doubts to becoming a genre-defining success story. Director Kunal Kohli’s vision for Hum Tum, inspired by When Harry Met Sally, faced initial scepticism. Co-writer Siddharth Anand and producer Yash Chopra found the script “too risky” due to its fresh perspective on relationships.
20 Years of Hum Tum: Director Kunal Kohli recalls Siddharth Anand labelling Saif Ali Khan-Rani Mukerji starrer “a film for Sterling”: “‘Ye picture toh nahi chalne waali,‘ would be the joke”
“Yash ji had even told Aditya Chopra that if he doesn’t like the film then his name won’t go on it because initially, he was not convinced with the script or the casting,” Kunal recalled during an interview with Indian Express. Despite initial reservations, the final product impressed Yash Chopra. “When he saw it in the edit room, he called me and Adi,” says Kohli.
“He said, ‘You both were right, I am wrong. This is a beautiful film and I love it. I broke down and was sobbing, because he had not believed in the script, in the casting,” Kunal added. Hum Tum emerged as a critical and commercial success, paving the way for the modern Bollywood rom-com.
As the conversation progressed further, Kunal also explained how Siddharth Anand used to joke about the film. He said, “Siddharth Anand used to work with me at that time and would joke with me that this is a film for Sterling–a cinema hall in Mumbai, which used to have late night 10.45 PM shows for niche films.”
He continued, “So, he would joke that it is a nice script, but it will work only there as it is not a massy film! ‘Ye picture toh nahi chalne waali,‘ would be the joke, but I thought I made a commercial film with Mujhse Dosti Karoge and it didn’t work, so let me make this now and try.”
Also Read: 18 Years Of Hum Tum EXCLUSIVE: “We had first approached Aamir Khan. At that point, he was going through his divorce; Hrithik Roshan had liked the script but declined as it was a time when he had delivered flops in a row” – Kunal Kohli
More Pages: Hum Tum Box Office Collection
, Hum Tum Movie Review
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