Love aaj kal

Since seeing the promos for weeks on end, I have been dying to watch this movie.

So, last night I did the unthinkable. Went for a movie with my friends before getting first-hand feedback on the movie. I usually wait for a couple of weeks, decide (based on my friends’ reports) whether a movie is worth watching before plunging right in.

Well, here are my thoughts on the movie. Love aaj kal is precisely what the title claimes it to be. A love story set in today’s times (Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone), and a love-story set in the 1960s (Saif Ali Khan and an unknown actress). Yes, Saif has a double-role in this film! Love in today’s times is more practical and less romantic, while the romances of yesteryears were an all-or-nothing affair.

This movie is very tough to review, primarily because I liked the concept so much. But, in actuality, the movie falls flat so badly. The romance between Saif and Deepika is not meant to be romantic but still there was absolutely no zing at all. I found it very difficult to even believe that Saif was in love with Deepika.

What do you think of a guy who wishes his lady-love “All the Best” when she is getting married to another man? Forget about romance, it does not even sound like he loves her. Imtiaz Ali expects us to believe that this is how people love these days? How sad for the poor girls who have to put up with such commitment-phobic, selfish guys!

His final turnaround, where he admits his love for Deepika ends up sounding really fake. I was gunning for her to reject this pathetic proposal. But alas! of course, she says yes 🙁

The love story set in the 1960s is slightly more watchable. However, still nothing much happens except for Saif mooning over the heroine in the train station and while she is standing in the balcony.

And, that’s where the movie finally falls short! It is extremely boring, apart from a couple of breezy dialogues, absolutely nothing happens. The music is pretty good but still not good enough to save the movie.

In short, this movie is not even a patch on Jab we Met (Imtiaz Ali’s previous blockbuster). Save your money and watch it on DVD when it comes out. That too, rent the DVD, don’t buy it!

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17 Comments

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  1. says: Prema

    Hi Nish,

    I wasn’t too impressed with the movie clippings on TV. However, I was planning to drag Granny to see the film. Thanks for your movie review.

    Btw, the role of Harleen Kaur was played by a Brazilian girl, Giselle Monteiro.

    1. says: Nish

      Good, you didn’t go…I know neither of you would have liked it that much. Wait till it comes on TV

  2. says: Aamir

    Hi guys… I think u r being to harsh on Imi…and i think Times at last after many years gave a good rating to a good movie… LAK was nothing less than a breath of fresh air…i think it should find its name right up there with the best contemporary Indian romantic movies…
    yes there were some cliches here and there but then u never minded them , because it was so suave, and well packaged…
    Please read my review,..which i admit is too full of adulation for the movie,because of the awe for LAK .. http://mysticglances.blogspot.com/

    1. says: Nish

      I must admit that I may have been a bit too harsh on the movie. I guess I just didn’t “get” it. There was just too much of talk (and not very scintillating at that). It just was not my kind of movie

  3. says: Shehrazad

    Well, you’ve said it all!

    The movie wouldn’t have struck people so pathetic had it

    1. Not been given 4-5 star ratings
    2. Not been Imtiaz’s next after Jab We Met.

    1. says: Nish

      Exactly, O think my expectations were way too high! Next up, I am planning to see Kaminay, but this time I am deliberately lowering my expectations of the movie

  4. says: Nish

    Hi Amrit,

    Ya, I didn’t like this movie that much. I liked Deepika’s character and the way she played it. I just did not like Saif at all, he was behaving so stupidly, I thought.

    Do you really think that is the actual Shobha De? I had a doubt, then thought no, it’s not possible. Maybe, I should send her a mail and confirm 🙂

    Thanks for the feedback on the new look. I love playing around with the look and feel of my blog. Once I made this change, I wondered whether it was looking too serious, but I love it for it’s neat look.

    So, I guess for now, the new look stays 🙂

  5. says: Amrit

    Hey Nishi..seems you dint like this movie at all. 🙂

    To me it was okay types..but definitely a one time watch. I liked Deepika’s role in this movie…a strong character she played. Yeah..the first half was dragging. I loved the songs.

    But yes..I was expecting a lot from this movie..esp coz its Imtiaz Ali. Have you watched his first movie “Socha Na Tha”?

    And I can see the second comment is from Shobha De! I mean Shobha De!! 🙂

  6. says: Nish

    Good, I saved you the money…but seriously, this easily must be one of the most boring Hindi films I”ve ever seen

  7. says: Shobha De

    I am not in the best of moods… I have just come home after enduring two hours of unadulterated tedium in the form of ‘Love Aaj Kal.’ Right now, I’m in no mood to feel sorry for Saif… I’m feeling sorrier for myself. I haven’t been this bored for a long, long time. Much as I like Saif, there is something called too much of a good thing . Saif is in every damn frame! His monologues are embarrassing, and I got the distinct feeling if he could have played Deepika’s role as well, he probably would have! He plays the jawan Rishi Kapoor ( the best moments in the film), and he pretty much plays himself for 120 minutes. There is no story as such, no fun stuff either. The item numbers are stale and borrowed. Plus, there is a truly ghastly New Year’s eve sequence which redefines ‘tacky’. What else??? Rishi Kapoor is the sole saving grace in an otherwise pointless movie. The anonymous young girl who plays the young Neetu Singh is refreshingly natural, likeable and way better than Deepika, whose make up is most unfortunate! Howcome the film has received a four star rating?? What’s there to like??? If it’s a hit, Saif will have the last laugh, of course. But come on, Imtiaz Ali – much more was expected from you after the sizzle, crackle and zing of ‘Jab We Met.’

    1. says: Nish

      Exactly! I am sure now that reviewers are paid good money to provide good reviews of movies. How else to explain the 4-star rating by TOI. I have totally lost all faith in their reviews!

      Btw, found out that the anonymous young girl is actually a foreigner called Giselle Monteiro. No wonder, she had so few dialogues in the movie 🙂 … but admit she looked lovely and did her job well!

  8. says: Deepa

    Good one 🙂

    Thankfully you told me, I won’t spend my time on this, in the theatre.
    🙂

    Deepa

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