Hum Tum

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.

Watching it for guess a 10th time, knowing all the gigs,situations,laughs but wait, I was still able to smile, enjoy the offering & got my endorphins released in dollops!!! Hope that is self explanatory!!! A movie that excelled in every department but mostly will be remembered in times to come , of the mesmerizing chemistry between the lead pair.. I never expected saif to have pulled off that role of a lifetime but surprisingly he races off faster than anticipated … Be it his comic timing, his emotional outburst or the best part i.e. that lovely on screen pairing with talented rani, the guy just rocks!! He does deserve all the accolades that come in his way.. But the star of the show is I guess none other than rani & the director kunal kohli & the guy above.. A great director is one who is able to ooze out award winning performances from his caste & here , he excels .. Though the movie's theme is heavily inspired from another cult classic "when Harry Met Sally" , but mind you, the comparison ends there.. Kunal kohli with his beautiful smart direction, witty dialogs laced with right amount of humor & emotions delivers a fine piece of art, a movie which you cant miss surely… Ooooh, how could I forget her, she is such a fine actress , a rock-solid performer who has been behind some great movies already.. Watch her match step by step with her co-star, her looks, her persona, emotions, anger, gosh she has got everything in the book… She is the beat of the movie…. Rishi sir in his extended appearance leaves an undeniable presence , look for his comic timing.. & the ever dependable Mrs. Kher, as always makes every role just hers only… But all this wont have been possible without a script & even though it does sag down a bit in the middle but boy, it does give the actors lots to enact, loaded with twists.., with unmatched wordly wise dialogs, .. Captured astonishingly well.. the movie also has to its credit those cartoons that pop up at regular intervals & are kinda good, say quite many things… The beautiful hummable music by the talented duo, but to date, unrewarded with a single filmfare award.. Alkaji just woo you with that singing of that title track.. And my personal favorite is that arranged marriage scene, beautifully acted upon… It ain't a fare to be missed….. A must watch.. 9/10

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.

After seeing Hum Tum here are my opinions on the film. Story: Obviously not original, but the writers have handled the subject well and the result is a refreshing romantic, comedy. Acting: Saif Ali Khan is brilliant, no other actor would have been able to enact the role of Karan Kapoor as well as how Saif has done it. His humor and comic timing is perfect. And with this film he has proved that he can do solo hero films as well. Rani Mukherjee has shown once again that she is one of the finest actresses today, her pairing with Saif is flawless. Kiron Kher is First Rate as Rani's mother, . Rati Agnihotri is adequate and Rishi Kapoor is fine in a small role. Although the screenplay is good in the first half, during the second half and towards the climax the film drags and is very much predictable towards the end. I don't think the cartoon characters helped the proceedings in anyway. The cinematography is awesome, and the music is great, especially the title track, Chak De and Ladki Kyon. And they have been shot well too. On the whole a good film, with wonderful performances and great music. I give it 8.5/10

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.