- Hum Tum (2004) is a romantic comedy directed by Kunal Kohli starring Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji
- Saif and Rani initially did not get along during the shoot, impacting the film's early production phase
- Rani Mukerji was reluctant to do the film’s on-screen kiss, resulting in a notably awkward take
Released 22 years ago, Hum Tum was and remains no ordinary love story. The 2000s defined what filmy romances were meant to be - happily ever afters, two gorgeous leads and rose-tinted glasses that made the world look beautiful as soon as they fell in love.
Hum Tum had all that, and more, thanks to filmmaker Kunal Kohli's quirky touch to the tale of Karan (Saif Ali Khan) and Rhea (Rani Mukerji). It was a classic "will they, won't they" trope that the central characters kept getting pulled into. Inspired by heartwarming rom-coms like When Harry Met Sally, Hum Tum was a fuzzy delight then - and it still is two decades on.
Interestingly, the way Karan and Rhea don't hit it off at the film's start mirrored how Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji began filming. Director Kunal Kohli managed the balancing act, until he gave Saif a playful warning - and what emerged is a timeless love story.
When Kunal Kohli Told Saif Ali Khan To Get Serious
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Kunal Kohli reveals there was simply "zero camaraderie" between Saif and Rani at the start of Hum Tum's schedule.
"They were not particularly fond of each other off-screen. For the first half of the shoot it felt like team Rani and me, and Saif alone. Saif and I didn't like each other and Saif and Rani didn't like each other. Then Saif and I spoke throughout the Amsterdam schedule. I said, 'Listen, this film is very important. If it doesn't work, you will not be a solo hero. You'll only be doing second leads to Shah Rukh Khan like in Kal Ho Naa Ho. So let's make this work.'"
He adds, "After that we got along really well. Then all of us started to get along. But in the beginning Rani and Saif didn't get on, me and Saif didn't get on; me and Rani did. It was just... no."
Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji in Ladki Kyon from Hum Tum
When asked why, Kohli says there was no particular reason - they were "young, bratty people" with attitude.
"Only Rani had come with big hits; Saif and I hadn't. But we still had a lot of attitude."
And Then Came The 'Worst Kiss Of Hindi Cinema'
In the 2000s an on-screen kiss was still a notable event. Though cinema had moved on from metaphorical flower shots, actors still carried inhibitions - and Rani Mukerji was initially reluctant about the kiss in the title track, Saanson Ko.
Kohli recalls that Rani agreed to do one take - then spent it laughing, leaving producer Aditya Chopra bemused when the rushes came in.
"We were shooting that whole night. At first she said she wouldn't do the kiss. Finally she said, 'Okay, I'll do one take.' If you watch the take she's actually laughing; she's lying on her side and moving because she's laughing. When I saw it in the edit I thought, she's laughing. So yeah, it's got to be one of the worst kisses of Hindi cinema."
Rani Mukerji and Saif Ali Khan's onscreen kiss in Hum Tum
Kohli stresses that those rough edges made such films iconic. He cites examples where the imperfections helped titles like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Silsila earn a cherished place in the rom-com canon - something largely lost today.
Rishi Kapoor - As We Knew Him
Rishi Kapoor's off-screen anecdotes are legendary, and his behind-the-scenes stories from Hum Tum are laugh-out-loud material. He won hearts as Karan's charming, estranged father Arjun Kapoor - a glamorous photographer whose parenting, while imperfect, was heartfelt. Their bond shows when Karan heads to Paris for his cartoon characters Hum and Tum.
Kohli says Rishi Kapoor initially dismissed the role. "He didn't want to do the film. He said, 'Take your YRF regulars.' He joked about adding more scenes - I said I'd do it - but he'd just be hanging around. What's the point?"
Kohli explains Rishi Kapoor's ambivalence came as he was transitioning into character roles; the 'hero' in him was still testing the waters. Yet when he appeared on screen, the audience erupted.
"As soon as his first scene crooned Main Shayar Toh Nahin from Bobby, his blockbuster film, the entire theatre erupted. They had no idea Rishi Kapoor was in the film because there was less media then. I called him and told him what had happened," Kohli recalls.
Audiences were also unaware of Abhishek Bachchan's cameo as Rhea's husband - a blink-and-miss appearance. Kohli remembers Abhishek Bachchan phoning him: his father had congratulated him on his first hit film.
Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji in Hum Tum
Kohli praises the supporting cast - Kirron Kher, Abhishek Bachchan, Jimmy Shergill, Isha Koppikar and Rati Agnihotri - whose distinct characters propelled the story of two strong-headed individuals falling in love as fate nudged them together.
Even Allu Arjun Has Been A Fan
Hum Tum has many standout moments. While the comic beats are memorable, the scene where Rhea discovers Karan tried to set her up with his friend Mihir (Jimmy Shergill) is irreplaceable - the bathroom scene.
Sameer (Abhishek Bachchan) dies after his first wedding anniversary with Rhea, prompting her to move to Paris and open a boutique - a retreat that becomes the catalyst for Rhea and Karan's relationship in the second half. Grief and friendship bring the two together.
Rani Mukerji and Saif Ali Khan in Hum Tum
Kohli recounts that Allu Arjun mentioned that scene in an interview, praising the edit and Saif's performance. "He says how the edit is so important and how sometimes an actor has to give more where the scene seems over. Saif, in his frustration, kept going. I didn't cut - I let him perform. Allu Arjun talking about that shot said he would never have got it if I had cut earlier. Saif performed so well because I gave him time to breathe and let his emotions flow."
That's how scenes become immortal.
The Main 'Lead Pair'
And no, it isn't just Saif and Rani - it's the adorable Hum and Tum cartoons Kunal Kohli wove into the script from the start that are etched in our memories.
Hum and Tum sketches
Karan Kapoor is a cartoonist whose comic strip Hum and Tum mirrors the film's narrative. The animated sketches seamlessly elevate the love-hate relationship and the journey from friends to lovers; Hum Tum would feel incomplete without them.
Rani Mukerji and Saif in Gore Gore from Hum Tum
We come full circle with one of the film's central lines: "Hum Tum mein sirf ek hi problem hai, ki tum ke bagair hum adhoore hain." When Karan and Rhea finally embrace at the end, for once everything is right - "Kyunki jab bhi hum dono milte hain, kuch na kuch toh hota hi hai," just not this time.
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