Hum Tum at 20: Kunal Kohli Says Aamir, Hrithik Were Offered Saif's Role First

Filmmaker Kunal Kohli reflects on Hum Tum's casting choices.

Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji-starrer Hum Tum was a hit in the theatres twenty years ago.

(Photo:X)

Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji-starrer Hum Tum was a hit in the theatres twenty years ago. The film is considered as a seminal romantic comedy in Bollywood.

On the film's 20th anniversary, filmmaker Kunal Kohli in an interview with Indian Express reflected on its creation and how Saif was not the first choice for the role.

Kohli went on to talk about how they had approached Hrithik first, although, he was unsure at the time. He said, "He (Hrithik Roshan) 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."

He also added how Aamir was offered the role, "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."

Hum Tum follows the quirky story of two individuals who grow to like each other and eventually fall in love.