16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Yash Chopra didn't want his name on Hum Tum, gave small budget', reveals Kunal Kohli
Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji's 2004 rom-com Hum Tum is all set to re-release in theatres soon. In a recent interview, director Kunal Kohli reflected on the film's modest budget, provided by the late Yash Chopra, and the challenges he faced during its making.
During a conversation with Radio Nasha Official, Kunal shared that contrary to the film's popularity, it didn't receive positive feedback initially. 'Even if I take out Hum Tum's reviews today, we won't even see a single good review. Not even one person gave it a positive review. I was so scared. I didn't even have to courage to call and ask people why they didn't like it,' he said.
The director shared that Yash Chopra gave him a small budget to work on. 'There was nothing, only a fixed budget of Rs 7.5 crores. Yash ji gave a deadline with the budget, saying that as soon as this amount is finished, I will release the film as is. Right after Hum Tum, Saif and Preity's Salaam Namastey was made by YRF, it had a budget of around Rs 8-19 crores,' he said.
Kunal added, 'Mujhse Dosti Karoge was made in Rs 17 crores, Dhoom was Rs 15-16 crores and Veer Zaara had a budget of around Rs 30-35 crores. So, Hum Tum's budget was really small in front of all these, and I had to do a foreign outdoor and Delhi outdoor shoot within that amount.'
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Hum Tum's shooting came with its own set of challenges. 'There was also a Rs 2.5 crore budget allotted for animation. Many people said that don't put animation, story is good, and there's no requirement. But then, we got a new animation studio that did it in Rs 50 lakhs. We came from 3D to 2D, and kept the background static in a few scenes.
However, everything changed when Yash Chopra saw the final cut of Hum Tum. 'Yash ji saw the final output in the editing room and he asked me and Adi to come to his room with him. Adi said that now you have made your film, get ready to get scolded by him. Yash ji said, 'You all were right, I was wrong, this is a beautiful film',' he revealed.
Kunal Kohli continued, 'I started crying. He got up and hugged me. He said that he will proudly put my name on this. He had to mention that because he had a thought process that if he doesn't like the film, he won't put his name on it. He said that I haven't seen such a film ever. Ab chale na chale, upar waale par hai.'
That same year, Kunal Kohli won the Best Director award for Hum Tum—a moment he admitted felt awkward, as he accepted it in front of industry stalwarts, including Yash Chopra, who was also nominated for Veer-Zaara. 'Hum Tum got the best director award in that year, when Yash ji was also nominated for Veer Zaara. I felt a little embarassed, because I was even happy being nominated with such names.'
