Kunal Kohli Reveals Why Hrithik Roshan Turned Down Hum Tum And Why Yash Chopra Didn't Want To Make The Film!

Hum Tum was a romantic comedy that struck the right chord with audience when it released in 2012, and subtly took a jibe at typical things that men and women do. As the film completed 13 years of its release on May 28, director Kunal Kohli travels down the memory lane and recalls why actor Hrithik Roshan turned down the character of Karan Kapoor, which was eventually played by actor Saif Ali Khan.

“I always wanted to work with Rani [Mukerji] and we shared a great equation but it’s a little funny how Saif was finalised for the film,” says Kunal, adding, “Saif wasn’t the first choice and we went to a lot of actors but no one was interested in taking up the character. In fact, we had gone to Hrithik (Roshan) with it and he said no because he was a little uncomfortable doing it. Couple of his films had not worked during that time and he was not sure if he wanted to do a comedy genre. However, when Hrithik came for the screening of the film before its release, he told me that it’s a sure shot hit film. He said that he couldn’t have done what Saif had done in the film,” recalls Kunal, who had previously worked with Hrithik in the 2002 film Mujhse Dosti Karoge, which did not do well.

Hum Tum is said to be loosely based on Hollywood film When Harry Met Sally but Kunal reveals that they intended to make it an official remake, but the idea was rejected by the studios.

“We approached the studio, which had the rights of the Hollywood film [When Harry Met Sally]. When we sent our script to them, they said that it has to be at least 70 percent similar to be an official remake. According to them, we were not, so they rejected the remake concept. We actually wanted to make it an official remake,” says Kunal.

The film was produced under Aditya Chopra’s banner but strangely, late filmmaker Yash Chopra, his father, did not have faith in the story initially.

“Yashji was not very sure about the film but Aditya [Chopra] was very confident. It became a bit awkward that Yashji did not even want to make the film but Adi was keen. So, it was kind of a father-son issue. Adi said that he really believed in the film, and it put more pressure on me because there was a son going against his father’s wish, just for my script,” recalls Kunal.

The filmmaker adds, “Finally when we made the film and showed it to Yashji, he called me and said that ‘you are right and I was wrong. It was a beautiful film and I am proud to put my name on it’.”