- By Swati Singh
- Thu, 28 May 2026 06:38 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Filmmaker Kunal Kohli recently revisited the making of his beloved romantic drama Hum Tum, which completed 22 years since its release. The film, starring Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji, went on to become one of the most memorable love stories of the 2000s, with audiences especially praising the effortless chemistry between its lead pair. However, Kunal made a surprising revelation about the actors’ off-screen dynamic during the shoot.
In a conversation with NDTV, Kohli said, "They were not particularly fond of each other off-screen. For the first half of the shoot it felt like team Rani and me, and Saif alone. Saif and I didn't like each other and Saif and Rani didn't like each other. Then Saif and I spoke throughout the Amsterdam schedule. I said, 'Listen, this film is very important. If it doesn't work, you will not be a solo hero. You'll only be doing second leads to Shah Rukh Khan like in Kal Ho Naa Ho. So let's make this work.'"
Kunal further recalled how Rani refused to do kissing scene during Saanson Ko Saanson Mein. "We were shooting that whole night. At first she said she wouldn't do the kiss. Finally she said, 'Okay, I'll do one take.' If you watch the take she's actually laughing; she's lying on her side and moving because she's laughing. When I saw it in the edit I thought, she's laughing. So yeah, it's got to be one of the worst kisses of Hindi cinema," he further added.
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About Hum Tum: Produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films, Hum Tum featured Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji alongside Rishi Kapoor, Kirron Kher, Rati Agnihotri and Jimmy Shergill. The film drew inspiration from the Hollywood classic When Harry Met Sally.
While Rani was already a top star then, Hum Tum became a game-changer for Saif Ali Khan. His performance won him his first National Award and also gave Bollywood one of its earliest 'metrosexual' heroes.