Edited excerpts:A still from Hum Tum.
(Photo: IMDb) A still from Hum Tum.
He agreed but his heart was on Hum Tum.
When Hrithik saw Hum Tum at the trial with Sussane, both of them loved it.
I told Adi let’s work on this because who do we cast for Hum Tum, there was no one.
Twenty years since Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji first popped the big pop culture question: Why are boys and girls not like each other? The gender banter that played out beautifully as two strangers met, parted ways, and eventually fell in love cemented Hum Tum as one of the most important rom-coms of the last two decades. On the film’s 20th anniversary, filmmaker Kunal Kohli revisits the making of the film, which changed the genre’s grammar in Hindi cinema.
Hum Tum, inspired by the iconic 1998 When Harry Met Sally, was in many ways the beginning of the modern-day romantic-comedies, which Bollywood went on to excel throughout the decade. But it wasn’t an easy film to be made, as its fresh outlook and storytelling was considered “too risky”, by Hum Tum’s co-writer Siddharth Anand and the producer, Yash Chopra.
“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!” laughs Kunal Kohli as he recalls making of the film.
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In an interview with Indianexpress.com, the filmmaker talks about the casting challenges Hum Tum went through, from being offered to Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Vivek Oberoi to finally landing on Saif Ali Khan, who surprised everyone, including himself, when he won the National Award for his performance in the film.
Edited excerpts:
A still from Hum Tum. (Photo: IMDb) A still from Hum Tum. (Photo: IMDb)
Hum Tum was a time when YRF was backing a lot of young rom coms. What was your conversation with Aditya Chopra like?
The funny thing is, we had cast for Mujhse Dosti Karoge and Adi said we have Hrithik’s dates after about nine months, so I shouldn’t waste time and write another script in the meanwhile. I already had Hum Tum ready and when he read the script, he called me and said, ‘Let’s not make Mujhse Dosti Karoge, let’s make Hum Tum, which is a new film!’ I said no, everyone has approved it, from Yash Chopra, Rakesh Roshan, Hrithik, Rani, Kareena, after this is a hit, we can make Hum Tum. He agreed but his heart was on Hum Tum.
We made Mujhse Dosti Karoge but it didn’t work as well as we expected it to but the first thing he told me was that he wanted to make Hum Tum. I told him that he was the only one who had liked the subject and after Mujhse Dosti Karoge–which was a safe film– not working, would he still want to make a ‘risky’ Hum Tum’? But he had loved the script!
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Why did you say Adi was the only one who liked the script?
Internally that was the case. 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 show for niche films. 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.
Was it during Mujhse Dosti Karoge that you narrated Hum Tum to Hrithik Roshan?
No. It was after Mujhse Dosti Karoge. He loved the script. He said, ‘I am not confident of the films I am doing right now, I don’t know how many of them will work or what will happen to them, and I don’t know whether I am in the right frame of mind to do this.’ He said to wait for a couple of his films to release and then let’s take a call. But Adi felt it would be too long to wait for two years, see how his films fare and then decide, so he suggested we let this go. Because even Hrithik wasn’t sure if he will do it, he was very honest that he is not sure if he is right for this space.
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When he heard Saif is doing it, he was thrilled and told me that he never thought of him but felt Saif was the right choice. We were releasing on May 28 and two weeks after that Lakshya was releasing. When Hrithik saw Hum Tum at the trial with Sussane, both of them loved it. He said, ‘I would never have been able to do what Saif did. Your film is a superhit.’ Hrithik is a ‘commercial’ guy, he understands that cinema very well. He was like, ‘Your film is a sure shot hit, I am just worried that now my film should do well in front of your film! You have no idea how big your film is going to be!’ It wasn’t just a trial show talk, he was absolutely genuine.
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Did you then approach Aamir Khan?
I don’t remember if we approached him before or after Hrithik. But Aamir was going through his divorce with Reena and told us, ‘I am not even in that frame of mind right now. It is a rom-com, I am not sure, I will give it a miss.’ He wasn’t in that space. So we were like ok no problem. Then Vivek Oberoi was actually doing the film. He had said yes for the film, so he was on, but things didn’t work out and then he wasn’t on. He was doing City of Joy and a lot of other things, so we were just not getting the dates. It just didn’t work out. Then we left that chapter.
And then Saif came on board?
Actually no. I thought I will make something else. I remember there was a subject of a prisoner of war escaping from a camp. I told Adi let’s work on this because who do we cast for Hum Tum, there was no one. Then suddenly he said let’s take Saif, every scene of yours is perfect with him. Within 30 seconds I said he’s perfect. But I also told him I am not sure about the commercial viability, so if he is willing to back it, I am game. But no one in the office was. Before Hum Tum, he had not really given a solo hit.
Then Yash ji said ok sure, do it, but I am giving you only Rs 7.50 crore to make the film, because there is no recovery! He said if you guys can do it within the budget, then great otherwise I am not interested. Even he was not very interested in the script, initially. After every schedule he would call me up and inform me the budget that is left and I would keep a count because I knew he won’t give me a penny more. I finished the film in Rs 7.48 cr.
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Did Yash Chopra like the film?
When he saw it in the edit room, he called me and Adi, who said, ‘Chalo daant suno dad ki!‘ When we went to the room 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. He had even told Adi that if he doesn’t like the film then his name won’t go on it. After he saw the film, he said, ‘I will proudly put my name on it.’
Were you surprised when Saif won the National Award for the film? Because he has said previously that even he was surprised with the news…
We were doing an ad film in Spain. Siddharth was handling the production for me; Saif and I were there. Post that, we went for a holiday. Saif was going to London, when it was announced that he has won the National Award. Saif is like, ‘Should I go?’ I was like are you mad, please go! He said, ‘I am on a holiday in Londo. You think they would give me a ticket from London?’ We laughed and said they will give you a ticket from Mumbai to Delhi, not London to Delhi. Then he said, ‘Yes Ammi and Abbu are also saying that I should go.’
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Where did the animated characters come from?
I wrote it in the original script and Adi found it quite fascinating. I was hoping that he would approve it and was ready to tell him that even if he doesn’t give me a budget to animate it, I will put up the drawings. But he was on board for animation and wanted to complete my vision. The only time there was a cartoonist as a hero was in a black and white film with Guru Dutt or Kishore Kumar, but even then, they were never shown drawing cartoons. I wanted to show him draw cartoons, which are about romance and let it run as a parallel track, a side narrative, like the couple’s being interviewed in When Harry Met Sally. Thank fully Adi backed me on this and the amazing thing is, from my Rs 7.50 cr, Rs 50 lakhs for this animation. So I only had Rs 7 crores to shoot the film.
