Hum Tum (2004) or A Jerk Who Grew Up To Be A Man!

This is the story of two very different people who are victims of improbable co-incidences in three different continents over several years who finally give in to their fate and fall in love. In other words, its a run-of-the-mill masala movie with a difference (quite a paradox, that) and I love it! Its the movie I like to watch when I am feeling blue and need a laugh or when I am happy and need to see my happiness reflected on-screen.

 

Rhea (Rani Mukherjee) is your normal feisty, intelligent, attractive, girl-next-door. On her way to the US of A for further studies, she runs into Karan (Saif Khan) who fancies himself a lot and fancies women even more. He never misses an opportunity to impress the ladies. That his efforts meet with indifferent success is completely due to the ladies' bad taste and no fault of his! Rhea is one of a long line of girls who are unappreciative of Karan's seductive appeal. The guy does everything he can to impress her - he double guesses her food orders wrongly, goes through her purse while she sleeps, ogles every thing in skirts, tells her how much he likes mentally undressing women, and even kisses her. Really Rhea - you are hard to please!

Fast forward a few months. Rhea runs into him and his girl friend (yup, there are such deluded women in the universe) in Central Park. Moved by deep pity for this suffering member of her sex, Rhea lets the girl friend know all about the TERRIBLE KISS. Poor Karan looses the only girl delusional enough to love him. (cue violins, please)

Time marches on and a maturer (do guys like this mature?) Karan goes home to India where his Mom - Anju (Rati Agnihotri) - is a wedding planner. He has acquired a "Tom Cruise" hairstyle that even Cruise might envy and begun to make a name as a cartoonist. A cartoonist eh? That explains it - anything less than a Cruise-cut may not look funny enough! Alas, all his charm is wasted on Rhea whose wedding is being co-ordinated by Anju. Karan being the man that he is, doesnt give up easily. He takes her on a long drive where he tries his best to provide scintillating conversation on the back of a truck. The vegetables, also along for the ride, do nothing to cramp his style.

You wait with bated breath as the time for the ceremony approaches. This is where I think a Hindu wedding fails to properly uphold romantic traditions. The priest does NOT ask the assembled guests to state their objections [if any] to the wedding or forever stay silent. Most Bollywood heroes would step up at this point, whether invited to do so by the priest or not, and declare their undying love for the heroine. Karan however, is a hero with a difference. He realises his limitations the moment he sees the groom - Sameer, played by none other than Abhishekh Bachchan (sans his stubble) - and retires gracefully from the arena. Poor Karan makes up for his disappointment by flirting with Rhea's gorgeous Mom, Bobby (Kiron Kher) while Rhea is safely married off to Sameer.

More years go by. Karan, now an established cartoonist, is traveling in France where his famous photographer Dad Arjun Kapoor (Rishi Kapoor) is based. In his travels, he runs into Rhea. Scarred by his previous encounters with the lady, he makes no attempt at seductive charm but sticks to the basics. He learns that Rhea's husband died after a year of their marriage. This is when the charming jerk is replaced by the sensitive, caring, modern-man. He brings her Chinese take-away (for any modern-men reading this - I prefer Thai), sings weird songs to cheer her up and talks her into thinking of re-marrying. Who could resist the appeal of this cute modern-man-with-a-heart-of-gold? Rhea certainly cant but it takes her a while and a few more twists-in-the-tale to understand her feelings. Karan, on the other hand, is inexplicably struck by a bizarre inferiority complex and contends that he isnt good enough for her! (He isnt, but then when did a guy give up because of that!) Do these two people ever realise that they are really made for each other? If you dont know the answer to that you need to watch this movie and if you do know the answer then you may want to re-watch!

Rani is in her element playing Rhea, the self-confident, feisty young girl who grows into a mature self-reliant woman over the course of the movie. She fits the character to a T and you cant help wondering if its not just acting. Saif is superb as the stereotypical [slightly] lecherous, happy-go-lucky boy whose shallow character acquires depth and maturity with age. (If you dont end up half in love with him by the end of the movie you aint got two X chromosomes!) The progress in their relationship from strangers to friends and romantic pair is beautifully done.

Apart from the main story there are several interesting sidelines that are pretty well sketched. Karan's estranged parents (Rishi and Rati together after a looooong time) and their marital discord is beautifully handled. Its always nice to see Rishi Kapoor playing the benevolent father, especially when he chooses to entertain you with Main shaayar to nahin (A poet I am not from his hit debut film Bobby). Rati Agnihotri looks gorgeous - who wouldnt want a Mum like that! Then there is Karan's friend Mihir (played by a rather sorry looking Jimmy Shergill) and his story that includes the delicious Isha Kopikkar. I must make a special mention of my favorite in the movie - Kiron Kher who plays Rhea's mother. Like Hema Malini, she grows more gorgeous with time! She dimples charmingly even as she rebukes Karan "Cruise" Kapoor on their first meeting. She flirts with both father and son yet conveys her deep affection for her daughter and concern for her well-being. And the icing on the cake is Karan's cartoon strip animated as Hum Tum (You Me).

Hum Tum is a light-hearted, fun-filled, romantic comedy that you shouldn't miss on any account!