हम

This was a childhood favourite of mine. This was the second in the trilogy of the late Mukul Anand- Amitabh Bachan collaborations, the first being Agneepath and the third being Khuda Gawah. In my opinion this was the best in the trilogy. Amitabh was extraordinary whilst Govinda and Rajnikanth provided good support as his younger brothers.

The songs were chart-busters and I still listen to them. The lyrics were penned by Anand Bakshi and the music directors were Laxmikant- Pyarelal My favourites were either Jhomma Chumma or Ek Doosre se. Anupum Kher was OK but Danny was great as Bhaktawar. The action was superb, especially in the end scene where Anupum Kher and Amitabh are fighting in the helicopter.

HUM or "US"redefined the notion of entertainment in indian cinema by introducing sophisticated use of camera framing and an exploration of the use of irony in the guise of farce .Most villains in Mukul Anand's films are caricatures and in this respect "HUM" introduces this specificity in this talented director's cinema. The rhythmic song and dance number "JOOMA CHUMMA DE DE "got packed houses dancing literally from India to USA.This film also brought to a cinema art et essai director his first feeling of what a popular film director's reputation meant .

I remember when this film had come out in India all the hype that was going around in the UK and when the film finally reached the UK for days the local cinema's were all sold out, and when you could finally find a time that was suitable tickets were being sold at £25, what a bloody rip off, credit to the cinema owners though, they knew where and when to make their money.

Finally got to see it, when the local video shop had it, and by complete and utter fluke my parents and I happened to turn up to see what film we could rent out, and there sat 'HUM' literally just arrived. So as I sat down finally with my drinks and snacks for the cinema atmosphere, i went into the film with an open mind trying to forget about all the reviews I heard prior to watching this film.

I can honestly say that I enjoyed the film from start to finish. The film had me tensed up, on the edge of your seat sort of drama with light relief between scenes, is what you require from a film. The film writers had finally (to me anyway) made a story line which captivated it audiences perfectly. Each character had it's own story, but the director made sure this was not detailed too much as this would have prolonged a film unnecessarily, the character of Bakhtawar is fantastically portrayed by Danny Denzongpa who is a total class act anyway. The songs were fantastic, and the club battle between Vijay / Kumar against Captain Attack with the batman theme playing in the background is a great great scene. Rajnikant when he's miming with the cigarette in his mouth is mesmerising! Utter Class.

Overall a film definitely worth watching for all the family, mainly for it's originality. Possibly my favourite 'bollywood' film of all time.

Late Filmmaker Mukul S. Anand was A Visionary. Just take a look at his handling over any film he's made. Be it 'Agneepath', 'Main Balwaan' & 'Hum', he has his own vision, which in every manner, is stylish. 'Hum' is one of his best works.

'Hum' is well-written, well-acted & marvelously directed by the late genius. Anand has his stamp all-over the film & emerges a big winner. I loved the film, more so, for the execution Anand has given to this story. Sure, The Screenplay is entertaining, but Anand's work in here stands out! A Special Mention for the fantastic Music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.

Performance-Wise: Amitabh Bachchan is in his element. Rajinikanth is pretty decent. Govinda is terrific, as always. Kimi Katkar is proficient. Deepa Sahi is fair. Shilpa Shirodkar is passable. Danny is simply spell-binding, while Anupam Kher shows a menacing side of his. Kader Khan is dependable.

On the whole, 'Hum' demands a viewing, thanks to the high-class execution given by Anand.

Hum review :

I have an interesting personal anecdote to share about Hum. The much hyped and most eagerly awaited film of 1991 was to come on February 1, 1991. As a school kid, I had saved nearly three months of pocket money for its FDFS viewing. The grand day finally arrived and I was in front of Gaiety cinema, Bandra for the matinee show. It was obviously 'Housefull' and the obnoxious blackwallah demanded Rs. 500 for one ticket, an unheard of amount in 1991. Even today, this amount makes for an IMAX viewing in a premium multiplex so you can well imagine my shock!!! Returned back disappointed and finally watched Hum the same week on VHS.

The film was special for Amitabh Bachchan fans primarily for two reasons :

One, for having him in his much loved angry young man personna in first half and then playing his age in second half where the family scenes are the most endearing part.

Second, ofcourse the Jumma Chumma number which had Bachchan sizzle the screen with hottie Kimi Katkar playing the girl named Friday.

Of the cast, Rajinikanth, Govinda, Deepa Sahi, Shilpa Shirodkar - all lend able support. I particularly love Govinda and Shilpa hot up the Mauritius beach in "Sanam Mere Sanam" song. But overall, Hum was a complete Bachchan show. Tiger was a ferocious character who doesn't forget his punches even after he ages.

One of Bachchan's best roles in 90s, Hum took the box office by storm even ignoring a certain trade analyst who was hell bent on calling it a flop. After all, yeh public hai...yeh sab janti hai.

Completing 100 days run at prestigious Metro cinema (Mumbai), it emerged one of the biggest hits of the year and won Amitabh Bachchan his third Filmfare Best actor award. Rightfully!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni