The Film carries a burden of expectations after Imtiaz Ali’s effervescent, joyous and organic soul studded movie “Jab we Met”. And yes Imtiaz has done it again.
A good script, meaningful yet subtle dialogues, coupled with melodious spunky music from Pritam and topped with sheer directorial genius, ‘Love Aaj Kal’ has finally added the much-needed zing to the otherwise hit starved Bollywood.
Unlike the other films that despondently fail to live up to the hubbub surrounding their release, and end up insulting audience’s intelligence with their uninteresting storylines, ’Love Aaj Kal’ is one flick that walks the talk.
The movie is a treat for all those movie bugs that have starving to watch a bollywood flick which is a poignant love story yet wrapped in a soulful trip of joy and exuberance.
Love Aaj Kal is not an easy film to write and execute. Sure, it’s a love story, set up in an era which talks about the complexities of love yesterday and today, surely but it’s not one of those mundane love stories for which Bollywood has always been famous about. Here, the two stories, set in different eras, run parallel, but have a similar end.
To be completely honest, it takes time to grasp the plot, since the past and present run concurrently with each other. If you aren’t attentive, chances are you’d lose the grip on the plot. Also, if you aren’t aware by now that Saif enacts dual roles in the film -- playing his part as also the part of young Rishi Kapoor -- the goings-on would confuse you no end, when the transition occurs.
Kudos to Imtiaz for creating flawless continuity and flow during the transition times in the movie. Though an out an out Gen X film, Imtiaz has beautifully conveyed that love is as complicated an affair today as it was generations ago.
As far as the storyline is considered the plot revolves around Jai (Saif), a happy go lucky man who believes in relationships without love, believes in having affairs only for the sake of having it. The story gives you a twist when he meets Meera Pandit ( Deepika Padokone), who unlike the expectations of audiences to be a simple girl with a wish to find her Mr. Right, falls in a category of a career oriented girl with ambitions of becoming an architect taking a higher stride in life than any relationship or love. As the plot revolves, both of them meet in a discotheque and fall for each other instantly..but remember there is no love..perhaps only attraction. They break up mutually assuming that long distance relationships don’t work.
They move on in their lives with Deepika shifting to India (New Delhi) and Saif shifting to San Francisco in their respective dream jobs. The end up throwing a Break Up party (never heard off) to all their friends citing that they are happily ending up their relationship. But just when Jai is set to move on with his life, he bumps into his old sardar pal Veer (played by Rishi Kapoor). Veer, narrates his own love story to give Jai a sneak preview of Kal ka Love and romance. On hearing Veer’s love story, Jai finally realizes that he is much in love with Meera than he would like to confess.
Both Saif and Deepika come up with their career-best performances in Love Aaj Kal. Saif carries the most difficult parts with remarkable ease and Deepika looks stunning with her captivating performance. Go and watch the movie for fun, and a break from those mundane love stories which have nothing new to offer.