Aamir Khan REJECTED ‘Hum Tum’ due to divorce, Hrithik Roshan and Vivek Oberoi turned it down – Director Kunal Kohli reveals how the role landed to Saif Ali Khan

In 2004, ‘Hum Tum’ turned out to be a game-changer for Saif Ali Khan, showing that he could carry a film as the solo lead. But not many know that before Saif came on board, the romantic comedy was offered to other big stars – including Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Vivek Oberoi. Director Kunal Kohli recently looked back on the casting journey and shared how things finally fell into place.Hrithik was the first choiceKunal Kohli, who had earlier directed ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge’, revealed in a chat with Radio Nasha that Hrithik Roshan was his first choice for the lead role in ‘Hum Tum’. He said that Hrithik “genuinely liked the script” but was going through a rough patch in his career.“He said, ‘I have a few films coming up which, I know, will flop, so I am in a bad place right now’,” Kunal recalled. At the time, Hrithik had delivered a string of flops like ‘Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage’, ‘Na Tum Jaano Na Hum’ and ‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon’. ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ had not yet been released, so Hrithik was looking for a fresh start himself.According to Kunal, Hrithik told him he would need to wait a couple of years until he had a hit behind him. But that wasn’t an option.Aamir didn’t even listen to the scriptAfter Hrithik, the script was offered to Aamir Khan. “Aamir was going through his divorce with Reena so he said, ‘Yaar, I am not in a frame on mind to even hear the script, so I won’t even listen to it’,” Kunal said.Vivek Oberoi walked in and outWith Aamir out, the role was offered to Vivek Oberoi, who had just started gaining popularity with his roles in ‘Company’ and ‘Saathiya’. Things looked good initially. Kunal said, “At first, he allotted his dates, then he cancelled them and then he asked us to make some changes, then something else happened, then we were like, let it be.” After multiple rounds of back and forth, the team decided to move on from Vivek as well.Saif wasn’t the obvious choiceIt was Aditya Chopra who suggested Saif Ali Khan for the lead role. Until then, Saif hadn’t delivered a hit as a solo hero, so the idea took Kunal by surprise. “I quickly visualised him in every scene and I felt he would be fantastic in it. Saif had not done a solo hero hit film. But Adi (Aditya Chopra) said, ‘I am confident’,” Kunal shared. And he was right. Saif turned out to be the perfect fit for the character, and when Hrithik later attended the trial show, he too felt Saif was the “right choice”. ‘Hum Tum’ not only became a hit at the box office, but also helped Saif step out of his supporting-actor image and claim his place as a solo star. It paved the way for him to do more lead roles in the future.Now, years later, the film is getting a theatrical re-release on 16 May, reminding fans of the charming love story that could have looked very different if things had gone according to the original plan.