Hum-Tum (2004)

Directed by: Kunal Kohli | 142 minutes | romance, musical | Actors: Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Rishi Kapoor, Kiron Kher, Abhishek Bachchan, Jimmy Shergill, Isha Koppikar, Shenaz Treasurywala, Rati Agnihotri

“When Karan met Rhea…” might have been a better title than “Hum Tum” (“you and me”), as the film “borrows” more than a few things from the now-classic romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally” ( 1989) by director Rob Reiner, starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. Just like in that film, it is about a pair where there is no love at first sight (at least not from both sides) and the two encounter each other over a period of many years and deepen their relationship, to eventually find out that they were made for each other after all.

It is a mature and quite innovative path that is taken here for a Bollywood film. A love story without direct consumption, without real love triangles, and despite the final sweet, romantic story, the love theme is treated remarkably subdued, and almost without melodrama. It would only be nice if dubbed movies like this were the opening shot for more original, own productions, rather than copying Hollywood structures and narratives becoming the norm. Of course, inspirations are sometimes unavoidable and there is nothing wrong with scenes, or entire films, that serve as homage, but when various dialogue and scene “set-ups” are taken almost literally, this detracts from the autonomy of the film.

Fortunately, this doesn’t happen so often in ‘Hum Tum’ that it ruins the movie, but sometimes it is a bit of a distraction. For example, in a scene late in the film where a kind of double date takes place and the participants run off with the wrong partner. The pair then get married and thank Rhea and Karan in the same confrontational way as in Rob Reiner’s film. Also the motto: “men and women cannot be friends, because sex (here translates with love) always intervenes” is stated several times literally. And the day after the love between Rhea and Karan is finally consummated, the characters have practically the same internal dialogues as in ‘When Harry Met Sally…’.

But it would be foolish to talk only about the similarities with the “original” if the film in its own right has enough value in it to be captivating. A nice dimension of the whole love dilemma, in addition to the true fact that love is a growth process, is that questions are eventually raised about the (arranged) marriage. A good argument is made for the (Indian) independent woman, who can actually manage just fine on her own and does not necessarily have to have a man (married to her) by her side. Fun in a light-hearted way is the scene during Rhea’s engagement party, in which Rhea and Karan each make a plea for and against the marriage. According to Karan, marriage destroys the passion and romance between a man and a woman, and gives examples of the great (unmarried) loves in history (such as Romeo and Juliet). Rhea states that a marriage can be very romantic, the ultimate culmination, and cites the Taj Mahal as an example, which was built as a gift of love (within a marriage).

What is funny for Dutch viewers is that during the trips the pair makes, to Amsterdam, Paris, New York, images of the Netherlands (usually Amsterdam) are always shown, simply preceded with the name of the intended city, or alternated with an iconic image like the Eiffel Tower. The extras are also just Dutch. According to the film, we are actually in Paris, but we hear the people speaking French, with a striking Dutch accent. And the Central Park is just Vondelpark. On the one hand, this distracts somewhat from the story, but on the other it is also a source of entertainment.

The two lead actors are well cast. Saif Ali Khan is funny as a smooth, smooth talker who thinks he can wind Rhea around for a while, but is (initially) deceived, and the student-like Rhea is well portrayed by the ever reliable Rani Mukerjee. Especially the scenes between the two in the first hour of the film are very catchy and smooth. Later, the more intimate scenes between the two stand out, such as a moment when the two pretend they are just getting acquainted for an arranged marriage (with each other).

It’s a shame that there are so many city changes, and that the middle and the end are stretched a bit too long, causing the viewer’s attention to slacken a bit. Fortunately, Kiron Kher, as Rhea’s mother, always manages to save the film from destruction. Her interactions with her daughter, as well as those with Karan. Her inclusion immediately brings some spice and humor to the film.

The songs are generally quite nice, but not really special, except for a track or two (like for example a crucial song towards the end, in the rain). The animated cutscenes are sometimes a nice change, but also often a somewhat annoying filling, which actually adds little.

In the end, ‘Hum Tum’ manages to score just a satisfactory due to (mainly) the good cast and the mature theme.