The musical entertainer Tum Bin (2001) re-released yesterday, September 20, in cinemas. The film is memorable for its evergreen music and for the performances by the lead cast, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Sandali Sinha, Himanshu Malik and Raqesh Bapat. Himanshu Malik has a late entry but his character of Abhigyan adds a lot of drama to the narrative. Many viewers felt bad that Pia (Sandali Sinha) didn’t end up marrying Abhigyan. The film also made Himanshu Malik a household name and he is even today fondly remembered and instantly recognized by audiences across the world. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Himanshu Malik spoke about this aspect and a lot more.
EXCLUSIVE: Himanshu Malik ECSTATIC about Tum Bin’s re-release: “I hope it collects Rs. 10 crores; it can, considering how Tumbbad has performed”; raises laughs as he reveals how he gets free meals from fans across the world thanks to the musical
Tum Bin is all set to re-release. How do you feel?
It’s very exciting and poetic justice that our film has got a re-release. When we first released the film in 2001, we didn’t get the box office success tag. That was disappointing as we put a lot of love and effort into it. It did get some audience but it didn’t do the business it deserved to do. Hence, now is the time to correct the wrongs. I have a feeling that it’ll be a very good re-release. I just hope it collects Rs. 10 crores at the box office! And it can, considering how Tumbbad has performed.
Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to director Anubhav Sinha last year and he said Tum Bin arrived a month after Lagaan and Gadar and that the makers struggled to get theatres. Do you feel Tum Bin would have done better business if it had been released a month later?
I don’t think so. When a film doesn’t work, people come up with the notion that it might have worked better if it had been released on a different date. It featured first-time actors and director. With such a film, I feel you have to take a chance with whatever date you get. Also, I am not sure if the makers had enough clout to control the release strategy.
Tum Bin didn’t become a sleeper hit. But over the years, thanks to television, it kept growing and eventually became an icon in itself.
During a Bollywood Hungama exclusive interview with you last year, you said that thanks to Tum Bin, you have got a lot of free drinks and free dinners across the world! Can you please share some funny or interesting stories about this aspect?
There are multiple funny stories. I have been recognized and treated like a star at the unlikeliest of places on the planet. 7-8 years ago, I was biking through Ladakh. I came across a small hut in the middle of nowhere. An old woman there was selling Maggi, water and a few more items. She couldn’t even speak English or Hindi. Yet, when she saw me, she got excited and exclaimed, ‘Tum Bin; Tum Bin!’ (says this in that woman’s accident). I was like, ‘What? How would she know who I am?’! She then said, ‘I like the song; I like the song’! This is the power of cinema; it can touch people across language, culture, religion, etc.
Then, once, I was shooting in a remote village in Norway. Asian food wasn’t available in that place. I was told to go to another remote town where a shop, run by an Afghani, sold kebabs. The moment I walked into his stop, he shouted, ‘Oh, my God! You are from Tum Bin. You are Himanshu’! He refused to take money. I have been recognized even by cabbies in New York. There are umpteen stories like this.
Have people told you to recite the dialogues from Tum Bin?
(Laughs) I have been cornered at parties. 4 days back, I was on a trekking trail in Yamunotri when I bumped into 50 Tamilians, who were all above the age of 60. They also recognized me and they started singing the song of Tum Bin. They also asked me to recite a dialogue. This has happened countless times when people would be like, ‘Say one line, sir’! And I would not remember the dialogues as I haven’t seen the film in 20 years! I used to simply say, ‘Tum Bin jeeya jaaye kaise, kaise jeeya jaaye tum bin’ (smiles).
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Himanshu Malik talks about turning director with Chitrakut; reveals how Tum Bin changed his life: “It’s SHOCKING how many people know about the film and how many free drinks and dinners I have got thanks to Tum Bin”
More Pages: Tumbbad Box Office Collection
, Tumbbad Movie Review
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