Saif Ali Khan was not the first choice for Hum Tum; Kunal Kohli reveals these three stars rejected film

Hum Tum director revealed that before Aditya Chopra suggested Saif Ali Khan for Hum Tum, three stars rejected the film.

Filmmaker Kunal Kohli’s Hum Tum proved to be a turning point in Saif Ali Khan’s career, changing his reputation as a leading man in the industry. However, before Saif came on board, the film was offered to three other actors who turned it down. In an interview with Radio Nasha, the director revealed why Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, and Vivek Oberoi rejected the film and how Saif eventually landed the role. (Also Read: Kunal Kohli on Saif Ali Khan stabbing: Need to be sensitive about his children, attack happened ‘in front of them’)

Saif Ali Khan was not the first choice for Hum Tum.

Why Hrithik Roshan rejected Hum Tum

Kunal explained why Hrithik declined the project, saying, “First, we went to Hrithik. He said, ‘I love the script, it's beautiful, but I don’t think I’ll be able to pull this off. I’m not in the right frame of mind. Can you wait one or two years? Let some of my films release first—after that, I’ll see if I can do this. I know some of my upcoming films are going to flop. I’m just in a bad phase.’ He was very confused. We could see he wasn’t making excuses—he simply didn’t feel confident enough. He wanted a hit film behind him before taking this on.”

Why Aamir Khan and Vivek Oberoi rejected Hum Tum

Kunal went on to explain how, after Aamir and Vivek passed on the film, Saif came into the picture. “At that time, Aamir was going through a breakup and divorce with Reena, so he said, ‘I’m not in the right frame of mind to even hear the script. So I won’t even listen to it.’ Then we approached Vivek. He initially gave us the dates but later cancelled. He then asked for changes to the script, and we thought—let’s just leave it. Then Adi (Aditya Chopra) asked me, ‘Why don’t you think about Saif?’ I imagined him in every frame of the film and thought he’d be fantastic. The rest is history.”

About Hum Tum

The romantic comedy, written and directed by Kunal Kohli, starred Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji in lead roles. The film follows the evolving love story of Karan Kapoor, a cartoonist, and Rhea Prakash, who first meet on a flight. Though they don’t initially connect, fate continues to bring them together, eventually leading to a heartwarming romance.

The film also featured Rishi Kapoor, Kirron Kher, Rati Agnihotri, Jimmy Shergill, and Isha Koppikar in key roles. It became a major commercial success, grossing ₹41.38 crore worldwide at the box office. Now, 21 years later, the film is set to re-release in cinemas on 16 May.