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

Tthe cheeky number Jumma Chumma De De, the ensemble cast, dramatic story and superhit music makes the Mukul S Anand directorial Hum, memorable even after 30 years. We talk to actor Shilpa Shirodkar and singer Sudesh Bhosale on their memories of the making the film..

ACTOR SHILPA SHIRODKAR (PLAYED THE ROLE OF ANITA)

I am extremely proud of Hum and had the most pleasant memories on shooting. I was a stark newcomer and signing Hum was a dream come true. Chi chi (Govinda) was an amazing co-star, who would rehearse, give retakes without tantrums. Kader Khan saab would teach me dialogue delivery and help with scenes. I feel fortunate to be part of Hum.

Being a huge Amitji fan, I had never met him and when I was shooting for the song Kagaz Kalam Dawat, he came on set and suddenly, was in front of me!! It was an OMG moment and I froze. I remember, he was wearing an electric blue winter coat with bigframed sunglasses. Being all of 18, I (From left) Deepa Sahi, Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Govinda, baby Sanjana seen in a still from Hum. The film also starred Kimi Katkar, Shilpa Shirodkar, Danny Denzongpa, Kader Khan, Anupam Kher and Annu Kapoor couldn’t believe it. I was shaking and was blushing like a teenager in love (laughs).

We shot the superhit song, Sanam Mere Sanam over 19 days in Mauritius and it was fabulous. My first international outdoor, shooting on white sand, clear blue waters, an aeroplane, speed boats with a dancer like Govinda - what more could a newcomer ask for? We didn’t know it would turn out as sizzling as it did. This film opened several doors for me in

the industry and even today, people know me for Hum, which says a lot.

SINGER SUDESH BHOSALE

As music composers Laxmikantpyarelal had experimented with my voice mimicking Amitji’s in Ya Ali (Ajooba; 1991) and everyone loved it, so they decided that I would sing in Amitji’s style for Hum. We practiced at Laxmikantji’s house and one day, I sang in front of Amitji who was pleasantly surprised to hear the song in his voice (laughs). I recorded the song in Mehboob studios with 70-80 musicians. The session lasted for 17 hours. 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. Even today, many people think that Amitji sung the song. Jumma Chumma changed my life.

(From left) Shilpa Shirodkar; Amitabh Bachchan in a still from the superhit song Jumma Chumma De De; singer Sudesh Bhosale