Hum Tum

Hum Tum follows the encounters of two people who run into each other on several occasions under circumstances ranging from friendly to hostile to loving. Along many years and countless run-ins, the two despise each other, befriend each other, and fall in love with each other.

The storyline is a bit formulaic and quite predictable, and it drag on and on in some parts. And the jumping "three years later" "six years later" is a bit much, it's also quite plausible that they meet at different places, after a long time and at right time like that.

The acting is fantastic; Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukhurjee did a solid job in the lead roles, they brought both energy and charisma in their performance. They portray the different lifes their characters find themselves in a convincing manner. The supporting characters are okay, Kirron Kher did a good as the goofy but supportive mother of Rhea, Rishi Kapoor as the somewhat estranged father is well-acted but I'm not a fan of the character, there's something off about him and I find him somewhat unlikable.

The soundtrack is amazing, very catchy songs, especially the one with the film's title - Hum Tum. the production design is top-notch, some exotic locations and beautiful sceneries, some rain and snow here and there to add more dramatic effect.

The cinematography is excellent; some good camera angles and panning during tense or emotional moments like the scene where after they fight in the bar, the camera tilts downward and slowly moves back as she walks out of his life, and creating distance between them, both figuratively and literally.

The animation that comes in unannounced at times is frustrating, and I'm not sure why they even spent money on it. The character design is awful, they look like something straight out of Ben 10. I'd have preferred if they left it out but still it was fun.

All in all, Hum Tum is a beautiful, emotional charged love story, with some likable performances and good production value. I had a good time watching it.

I enjoyed Hum Tum. To no one's surprise, Saif and Rani did a superb job. I don't think anyone has better comic timing than Saif. He's a natural actor. Rani has always worked really hard. Songs were great. I especially liked the Mere Dil Vich Hum Tum track and the title song. Like all other Yash Raj films, this movie has a very fresh feeling. I was rather delighted to see all the guest appearances. I was completely unaware of that. I really am not a fan of Rishi Kapoor. I don't know why, but I find him really irritating. He just doesn't seem that convincing to me. The cartoons got really irritating. It's weird, in the middle of a real-people movie, to all of a sudden start watching cartoon characters. Thankfully, the cartoons died down a bit in the second half. It's also a bit annoying how the film spans over nine years. Every half hour it says "3 years later," "1 year later," "4 years later." Being a Yash Raj film, my expectations for this movie were super-duper high, but I still liked it. It's a fun-filled romantic comedy.

The storyline is inspired from When Harry Met Sally, but the indianised version with a few foreign cities thrown in is a good entertainer. Karan, a cartoonist, meets Rhea on a flight to New York. They get well acquainted during a 6 hour stop over in Amsterdam. They have a fall out and they end up going their separate ways once they get to New York. Their chance meetings over then next few years and how their friendship develops gradually over time and how they end up falling in love without even realizing it forms the gist of the story. Saif Ali Khan fits Karan's role perfectly and Rani makes a wonderful Rhea. Even the supporting cat has done a great job. The use of the cartoon characters Hum and Tum in the story narrative adds some color to the movie. It is a welcome change from the cop flicks that have dominated the Indian screen in 2004. All in all, a wonderful movie, worth watching at least once on the big screen.

on the surface, everyone's condemning it for its 'inspired' storyline. but then, even Shakespeare picked up stories from the common database. i am not comparing it to his work.. you could point a finger at its not so original storyline, but credit is due where it is due. the movie is refreshing in the treatment it gives the girl-guy thing. it incorporates a cartoon strip = animation smoothly. and, not only does the movie manage to stay restrained almost throughout without following the general "second half" drag, it also deals with more than just the "cover story" or theme.

at its base is this endearingly constant bickering and loving relationship between karan and rhea. but go a little deeper and you see the sub plots of the rishi kapoor-rati agnihotri marriage-that-didn't-work, and the lonely kirron kher. kunal kohli deals with the theme of loneliness, and puts his point forward subtly in their stories. no one can live alone. and finding a way to make relationships work - is in our hands after all - as rati says towards the end - god might not give us a second chance, but we have to find it for ourselves.

the movie is realistic enough - contrary to what some of the obtuse commentors have posted already. and definitely a complete whole structure. minor glitches notwithstanding, it's a delightfully entertaining and heartwarming movie.

The writers have done a remarkably good job with the story. Taking an outline of "When Harry Met Sally" and weaving a whole new story (and mind you, likable) was really tough and they have succeeded. Saif has definitely matured as an actor and improved his comic timing. He, as Karan, is one of the big factors, who has contributed to the likability of this movie. The other factor is the female lead Rhea (played by Rani Mukherji), who adds to the fun as well as the sensitive side of the movie. Rishi Kapoor and Rati Agnihotri's (Arjun and Anju Kapoor of the movie) bit of tit-bit was not at all needed. However, the good part is, the director did a good job containing that sub-plot in its small shell and not interfering the main storyline. The main hindrance to the movie were not the songs (as one would typically expect from a Bollywood/IFI movie) but small snippets of animation. I felt that was really unimportant. A good recommendation on similar lines would be the Korean movie "My Sassy Girl" (Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo). However, unlike "My Sassy Girl" this film is a bit predictable (nothing compares to that huge twist of "My Sassy Girl" that ends the movie) and lacks heavily in subtleness of emotion. If you are new to Bollywood/IFI (Indian Film Industry), this might be a good place to star off with. The same applies to people who wish to introduce someone to Bollywood/IFI. Overall, this film is highly enjoyable. Highly Recommended.