Hum tum (2004)

हम तुम

I have been told that this sweet romantic comedy lifts many elements from When Harry Met Sally.  I have not seen that film, so for me Hum tum ("me and you")  stands on its own as a cute and entertaining timepass.

Hum tum spans seven years in the lives of Karan Kapoor (Saif Ali Khan) and Riya Prakash (Rani Mukherjee).  (The subtitles rendered her name as "Rhea," but the film's characters were so clearly saying "Riya" that I cannot make myself adopt the odd westernized spelling.)  Karan draws a comic strip about the timeless battle of the sexes; Riya is a fashion student and later, as the film jaunts first the US and then to Paris, a designer and boutique owner.  Karan and Riya first meet on an airplane and instantly drive one another crazy; during the course of the film they meet and fight, and meet and fight several times over.  A number of obstacles interfere with the development of their relationship - geography, for one, and Riya's marriage for another - but the main stumbling-block on their road to destiny is Karan himself, who has all the poise and maturity of his arrested adolescence.  As a result for much of the film Riya does not take him very seriously, even when it is apparent to the audience that he is crazy about her.  Eventually, though, Riya and Karan learn to communicate with one another, and accept that they were made for each other. 

For a romantic comedy to work, it needs the audience to buy into the romance.  Because the resolution of a film like Hum tum is a foregone conclusion, the audience has not only to like the characters, but to have a rooting interest in their winding up together.  Hum tum's romance achieves this because whatever their initial attraction on first meeting, Karan and Riya grow and change over the seven-year span of the film, and their love is ultimately based on the very solid foundation of friendship that develops between them.  They are not merely two kids who met while traveling; they have weathered responsibility and loss.  Karan, who comes into the romance with more to prove - he's a breezy, arrogant player at the film's beginning - steps up for Riya when she really needs a good friend.  This makes the film's denouement satisfying,  as the romance grows along with the characters, and it can be genuinely believed that they have a future together.

With its modern characters and international settings, Hum tum is of the recent breed of Bollywood films that perhaps appeal more to young middle class urbanites (and Indians living abroad) than to other sectors of the Indian movie-going public.  A device that becomes available as a result of this - and that helps make Hum tum a more grown-up love story than, say, Dilwale dulhania le jayenge - is that of sex.  Sex is not rampant or gratuitous in the film, but Riya and Karan do have a sexual encounter at a key point in their relationship, and their respective (and perhaps anti-stereotypical) reactions to it make for the most interesting portion of the film.  Riya, who has been married, sees it as an elevation of their relationship, an affirmative step that they have taken from friendship and into couple-hood, and one that she is glowingly happy about.  Karan reacts with shame and horror, fearing that he's taken advantage of Riya and crossed an unforgiveable line.  The misunderstanding poignantly illustrates that love and connection is not sufficient, without clear communication, to foster a healthy relationship.

A weakness in Hum tum is its pedestrian and completely unmemorable music, which interferes with the story more than it should (and far more than well-done music often does in very good Bollywood films). Also interrupting the stories are short animated sequences featuring the bickering of Karan's cartoon characters "Hum" and "Tum;" these are cute enough, but don't add very much that couldn't have been conveyed in live action by Karan and Riya themselves.  These are not a serious drawbacks, though, as the film is on balance funny and entertaining, its characters appealing and sweet. 

 

Comments

[Beth]

I could not agree more about the soundtrack. It's so unmemorable. Whenever I re-watch bits of this movie I am disappointed all over again. On the up side, Hum Tum was released on my 30th birthday, which I like to think of as auspicious.

[yves]

I loved that film... which I watched in my "débuts" of BW craze, but I could hardly remember the story until I read your comments again. Did they actually have sex? Well, that was GONE for me!
I think for me this film was mostly SAK's; I loved his charm, his offcenteredness, and well there was Rani...

[Smithie09]

What an excellent review Carla! You really highlighted all the things I love about this film (and if you forced me to admit it, all the things I disliked).

For me, Karan is at the center of it all. He's immature, impulsive, arrogant, and forward but inspite of that, still completely idealistic and sweet. He's such a realistic character, (he's an exact replica of my friend Ross) I just can't help but love Karan. While I understand your reaction to the cartoon segments (I had a similar reaction the first time I watched the film), after multiple viewings, I found the cartoons to be extremely important to the development of Karan's character. Karan is most successful in his Hum Tum fantasy world, where everything (and everyone) works according to the plan that he draws out. When he tries to apply these same techniques in the real world, he invariably messes up despite the best of intentions. This highlights both his immaturity and his idealism, his good and bad traits. It is only when Hum Tum and reality merge, when Tum is gone and Hum matures, that Karan is ready for Riya. This probably could have been done without the cartoons...but I think they added something.

The music blows. Nuff said.

I hope you don't mind me sticking my two cents in here Carla, but I have such a strong reaction to this film that I always feel compelled to push it. This is probably my favorite movie (though I have a hard time committing). I just smile and smile throughout the entire thing...I can't control it!!

[Meera]

Hi Carla

thanks again for a good review. Like Yves and Smithie I liked Hum Tum very much. In fact this is one of the movies I regret not seeing on the big screen. I only saw the DVD.

I really liked Saif and Rani's acting. I liked one song ie sason ko sason mein dhalney do zara.

I think the cartoons actually were well integrated in the story and tell us something about Saif's character in the movie

cheers

[carla]

Thanks for the comments, everyone. Smithie and Meera, I think you have a good point about the cartoon - if I watch the film again, I'll pay closer attention to it and thinking about what it reflects about Karan's growth.

This is possibly the best Bollywood pure romance I've seen other than *Cheeni kum* - what I mean by "pure romance" is one in which the story is entirely about how a couple that you know is going to end up together actually ends up together. At the moment I certainly can't think of a pure romance I've enjoyed more. On reflection I'm tempted to bump it up from the "timepass" category to the "good films" category; if the music were better I'd do it in a moment.

[AKshay Shah]

Superb review here:-)! The only thing I disagree on here is the music, I quiet liked Jatin-Lalit's lilting tunes here!

A.Shah

http://aakshayshah.blogspot.com/

[Jan]

Thanks Carla for the review! Even when i have seen the movies you review, i enjoy so much reading your reviews. I never really thought of the sex in Hum Tum that way, i didn't see it from the married vs single guy reaction to sex. I saw sex as just Rani wanting to take the relationship forward into something serious beyond friendship and Saif mistakenly believing Rani just wants Saif as a friend and him seeing the sex as a result of Saif once again screwing up. So he is ashamed of it. But it makes perfect sense your interpretation aswell.

I have seen this movie heaps of times, but i still haven't liked the songs other then Hum Tum, Mere Dil Vich and Ladki Kyon. Even then it took a couple of watches to like them.

Anyway i love reading your reviews, keep it up!

[carla]

Jan: Thanks for the kind comments! I think your interpretation is the same as mine; perhaps I just didn't explain myself clearly. I didn't mean it as a married vs. single reaction; I only pointed out that Riya had been married so it would be clear that there is no virginity baggage in the mix along with whatever else is going on.

[akshayefan]

Hi Carla,

I love Hum Tum even though it is rip off of When Harry Met Sally. It's a great movie. Watched it ten times.

[Advait]

I really enjoyed this movie.. One thing that resonated a lot with me was Saif's character in the earlier part of the movie which I could really identify with as I was a few years ago..

Agree regarding the music I thought it was quite disappointing as well..

Have you had the oppurtunity to watch 'Paineeta' Carla? One of my favourite movies of the last few years and I think one of Saifs best movies as well, woul love to read your views on it.