"Tum Bin" stars Himanshu Malik and Raquesh Bapat have fond memories of their successful debut film which has re-released in theatres.

The Anubhav Sinha-directed romance drama revolves around a young woman, Pia (Sandali Sinha), who falls in love with a businessman Shekhar Malhotra (Priyanshu Chatterjee), who accidentally kills her fiance (Raqesh Bapat). In the film, Malik plays the role of Abhigyan, a wealthy Canadian industrialist, who is also in love with Pia.

The re-release of "Tum Bin" has stirred up nostalgic memories for Bapat, particularly the fond recollection of the movie's promotional activities.

"It's like deja vu. It’s like this is all happening again after 23 years,” Bapat told PTI.

"It was a difficult time for us because we knew that ‘Tum Bin’ was a success and we were not so well versed with the system or the industry. I waited for work to come to me, and then I started looking for work, looking for people and pitching myself, we didn’t have the experience of pitching ourselves too well,” Malik told PTI.

The actor then went on to star in films such as “Khawhish” opposite Mallika Sherawat, Irrfan Khan-starrer “Rog”, and “LOC Kargil” helmed by J P Dutta but they didn't do well at the box office.

"It was a very different time, there were not so many films, there was no social media, and there was no fan following. We were definitely at the cusp of triggering into a bigger career. But we all still had a good run. We were part of a fair number of films and we enjoyed a certain kind of fan following that we still have. We did not know the business hacks which were our failure,” he said.

Bapat said the fame that they attained with the movie helped shape his career and life.

“Life always works out somewhere or the other. The experience that we gathered from ‘Tum Bin’ gave us a lot of fame, it gave us our first debut hit, and it was a good start in life in general.

"The barometer is not just acting, but just overall how you flourish in life, with this wisdom, with this kind of mistake that you made while using those films or not choosing those films. There’s only learning,” the actor, who later appeared in films like “Dil Vil Pyar Vyar”, “Heroine”, and the reality show “Bigg Boss 15”, said Malik, as an outsider in the industry, recalled his enthusiasm for entering the world of showbiz despite initial reluctance from his sisters.

"We came from nowhere and we were a part of the business and we are part of hit films, which was also a great achievement in itself. It (career) could have gone better but it didn't.

"At the same time, we all have had a happy life which makes us feel proud about it. My sisters were reluctant to let me come to Mumbai and do all this, what they called 'taamjaam'. To date, she will have people say to her, ‘You are the sister of the ‘Tum Bin’ actor’. It’s a small thing but it was fun for her,” he added.

Bapat's encounter with the Bachchan family during a trial show of “Tum Bin” holds a special place in his heart, reflecting the profound influence of the movie on his family.

Bachchan’s “Aks” was also released on the same day as “Tum Bin”.

"Amit ji, Jaya ji, Abhishek, and everybody came out, and their screening had happened first and we were waiting for them to come out. We didn’t know who was inside, they came out, and my family is not from the industry, so seeing Amitabh Bachchan was a great thing.

"Jaya ji saw me and she said, ‘You are Bapat boy right, you are in ‘Tum Bin’, I’ve been telling my husband and son to look at you’. It was a reward for me...”

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