30 years of Hum: Jumma Chumma and the magic of Big B!

Shilpa Shirodkar shares memories of meeting Amitabh Bachchan for the first time and singer Sudesh Bhosale recalls drinking 25 cups of tea and singing non-stop for 17 hours for Jumma Chumma.

When the cheeky number Jumma chumma de de is played today, 30 years after the release of the film, it still makes the listeners groove. One of the much lauded ensemble cast movies, the Mukul S Anand directorial Hum, released in 1991 and is still remembered not just for the performances, story but also the super-hit songs. The film that starred Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Govinda, Kimi Katkar, Deepa Sahi, Shilpa Shirodkar, Danny Denzongpa, Kader Khan, Anupam Kher and Annu Kapoor. We talk to actor Shilpa Shirodkar and singer Sudesh Bhosale on their experiences and memories of the making the film..

One of the much lauded ensemble cast movies, the Mukul S Anand directorial Hum, released in 1991.

(Left to Right) Deepa Sahi, Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Govinda, baby Sanjana seen in a still from Hum.

Actor Shilpa Shirodkar (played the role of Anita)

I am extremely proud of Hum. Being a part of the film then and now only makes me smile as I had the most pleasant memories while shooting. I was a stark newcomer back then, with no experience. When I signed Hum, it was a dream come true for me, to be a part of such an amazing, and big film. I am an ardent fan of Amitji, so it meant even more to be working with him.

Chi chi (Govinda) was an amazing co-star. He was so accommodating, so nice and never made me feel like a newcomer. He used to rehearse with me as many times as I needed, gave retakes without throwing tantrums, and was just amazing. Kadar Khan saab was the best father on screen. He used to teach me dialogue delivery and support me through my scene readings on set. Honestly, I considered myself very fortunate to be part of this amazing film.

Shilpa Shirodkar

Being a huge Amitji fan, I had never met him and when I was shooting in Fernhill Palace in Ooty for the song Kagaz Kalam Dawat, in the middle of rehearsal, there was a buzz and everyone was distracted. I thought what’s happening and then suddenly, I saw Amitji right in front of me. It was an OMG moment and I froze. All I could see is this tall man in his big-framed sunglasses. I still remember, he was wearing an electric blue winter coat. Being all of 18, I couldn’t believe it. I was shaking, felt cold feet and I was blushing like a teenager in love (laughs). Even today, when I see the song, I tell my family and friends that I met Amitji right before we shot the song.

One of my best memories from this film is the shoot of another superhit song, Sanam Mere Sanam. We shot the song over 19 days in Mauritius and it was my first international outdoor. Shooting on white sand, clear blue waters, an aeroplane, sugarcane fields, speed boats with a dancer like Govinda - what more could a newcomer ask for. Actually, we had no idea that the song would turn out as sizzling as it did. I remember, we had only just four hours to shoot the sequence on the aeroplane, and we were so stressed but thanks to choreographers Chinni Prakash and Rekha ji and our amazing crew, that we could do it. I fell in the yacht while shooting and had to be hospitalised for a week.

This film was super important to me as it was a huge film, with the best team in the industry, and when it was announced, I got such warm reactions. It opens several doors for me and I signed many good films after that. Even today, after 30 years, people still know me for this film and that says a lot.

Sudesh Bhosale sang the superhit song Jumma Chumma.

Singer Sudesh Bhosale

The first time I mimicked Amitji’s voice was for Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) and that set the ball rolling. Later, I sang for Ya Ali in Ajooba (1991) where music composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal experimented with my voice mimicking his. As everyone loved it, they decided to use my voice in Amitji’s style for Hum. We would practice and at Laxmikantji’s house and one day, they called Amitji and I sang right in front of him. He was pleasantly surprised to hear the song in his voice (laughs) and wanted me to record it right then. We recorded the song in Mehboob studios with 70-80 musicians and the session started at 9am and ended at 2 in the night. I was a newbie, scared and nervous and so, I didn’t eat anything lest it affected my voice. I drank 25 cups of chai through the day. My co-singer and senior Kavita Krishnamurthy supported me a lot through it. I want to thank Laxmikantji and Pyarelalji who gave a chance to a new singer that too in Amitji’s voice, which was a big deal. Even today, many people think that it’s Amitji voice. This song changed my life.

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