Love Aaj Kal (Ali, 2009)

[sandeep]

Directed by Imtiaz Ali of Jab We Met fame...

Movie Preview:

Love Aaj
London, San Francisco, Delhi - 2009.
Jai and Meera is a modern-day couple in London. They are very happy together but do not believe in tying each other down. So when life pulls them in different directions, they decide to go with the flow. "These Heer-Ranjha, Romeo-Juliet type janam janam ka saath type couples exist only in story books," Jai says. In the real life, we have to be practical.

Love Kal
Delhi, Calcutta - 1965.
Veer Singh is struck by a thunderbolt when he sees Harleen for the first time. Soon after, he stands under a tree and swears that "is janam mein aur har janam mein... yehi meri votti banegi - Harleen Kaur." He travels a thousand kilometers by train to stand under her balcony only to have a glimpse of her face. And yet not speak a word with her.

Love Aaj Kal
Veer does not understand how Jai can treat matters of the heart without passion, like a financial transaction. Jai does not understand how Veer Singh could have been so naive and silly about Harleen in the days of his youth. But as both stories unfold, we realize that the process of relationship might be different in different eras, but the experience of being in love remains the same. So there is the frolic and despair of modern living, the liberation and confusion. And there is the past - the times of innocence and compulsion. And there is distance, and the fondness that increases with distance. Gaps widen between two people, but bridges keep growing too.

[ayaa1977]

I saw the trailer before Kambkkhat Ishq and I liked it a lot. Saif Ali Khan is probably my favorite Khan, even in Kal Ho Naa Ho I thought he was better than Shahroukh Khan, and I say that not as a Shahroukh hater because I like him too. It is released in the first week of August so hopefully I will catch it in Dubai.

[sandeep]

cool! let me know your thoghts... I like the music, especially the song 'chor bazaar'

[sandeep]

This movie deserves every praise for being so direct, real, to the point, contemporary yet old fashioned and romantic at heart. This film may not create the same impact as Jab We Met, as expectations were very low with that movie, and very high with this one, but its an intelligent way of making films with very good songs which help the narrative move along.

What I liked most about this movie is how it captured modern day 'practical' relationships, but yet managed to fit it in a romantic comedy genre. The way the other story was handled seemed inspired from many films, but edited appropriately. Saif Ali Khan did a great job, especially as a Sardar and as a confused modern day lover. Deepika looks great but diction and delivery need to be better. New find Harleen shouldnt dance, and looks nice until she is a shy girl, she looks odd in the dance sequence. A surprise in the end ties up this film wonderfully.

A must watch

4/5

[sulphurhead]

Bland, Boring, and a Big disappointment.

[ayaa1977]

There are conflicting opinions on this film, we have Shariqq, and Sulphurhead disliking it, and Sandeep giving it high praises. I would go see it anyway, because there won't be many alternative, and I bet it would beat my last two Bollywood experiences on the big screen, 8x10 Tasveer which was a complete dog, and Kambakkht Isqh, which was half assed mildly entertaining masala. 

[sandeep]

I can safely say you will like it more than these two movies!

[shariqq]

Love Aaj Kal is an irritating movie. The first half (of the two-act format of most Bollywood movies) of the movie is intended as a mish-mash of events to confuse the audience to get them thinking. The second half was possibly intended to disentangle the scenes, peel them off layer by layer and decipher the movie into a lovely love story that makes you follow your heart to the person you've always meant to be with.

Unfortunately, Imtiaz Ali gets ahead of himself. What I think happenned is, he forgot how to disentangle. He ended up in a mess. He tried harder, and ended up with a marriage knot. Eventually, he cut his way through it all and cell-o-taped it to a quick fix. Oh, what a mess.

Saif Ali Khan is usually likeable, but he is irritating here. The guy doesn't shut-up! If only he shut up and let some of the other chatacters speak, the movie would not have needed to go through the mess it does. Midway through the second-half, you feel like climbing up there and giving him a tight slap. Even the songs are a mess, especially "Twist", which starts like a Brazillian Carnival with an Indian theme in the middle of London.

The leads' families are as distant from them as in Western movies - they live an independent life that just seems so disjointed from reality that you wonder if Indians are already Americanized, or Bollywood just can't seem to get over their fascination with the Western concept of "growing out of your parents' house".

Also, I have a feeling that Rahul Khanna is a born loser. I wish it was Akshaye Khanna in his place. There we'd have an interesting story of him hunting down his partner's ex-lover, or simply just killing her and getting over with. That would be nice.

Saif Ali Khan is now pushing 40. Isn't it high time he stop playing a 28-year old? It's sad really. Ranbir Kapoor or Shahid Kapoor should play these roles. Saif should really really get over his Hum Tum / Salaam | Namaste / Kal Ho Na Ho / Ta Ra Rum Pum roles - basically multiple versions of his own Dil Chahta Hai role.

Also, isn't it time that Bollywood get's over its obsession with Punjab? If 10 movies need to show some ethnicity, 9 of them show Punjab. From a country of 8 major religions and 28 states (+7 Union Territories), that's some disbalance. Really, for a change, show us Assamese. Take us to Orissa or Nagaland or Manipur. Atleast to Gujrat? Don't get me wrong, I love Punjabi culture too, and one of my closest friends is Punjabi. But overkill hai yaar!

<deeeeeeeeep breath>

Ok, now let's wait for Kaminey.

[sandeep]

Good Review Shariq... i like your bit about climbing in it and wanting to give him a slap... he did speak way too much... about him pushing 40, he looks the youngest of the khans, so I guess he is cashing in on that...

[sulphurhead]

Brilliant review, despite the fact  you pretty much summed it up in the first sentence itself

[sandeep]

No rating shariq?

[shariqq]

No rating shariq?

Oh yes, Lemme think.

My Rating --> 1.5/5

[sandeep]

Love Aaj Kal's Harleen is a Brazilian

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Love-Aaj-Kals-Harleen-is-a-Brazilian/articleshow/4847671.cms

[ayaa1977]

I found Love Aaj Kal a sweet Rom-Com, once you get over how annoying Saif's Jay is, who would not shut up, you will find that you actually care about seeing the two leads happily ever after. I don't think that Saif was not appropriate for the role. He plays a 30 something man, and he is a 30 something man. I am now warming up to Deepika Padukone who is getting better in her acting since her wooden debut in Om Shanti Om, although she is too tall to be paired with the majority of Bollywood leading men, I am just saying!

The director Imtiaz Ali injected a good energy to the film, and the Twist number, albeit having no relevance to the plot, was lots of fun, but Dooriyan is the song that I would pick as my favorite track. I loved the San Francisco portion and how Mr. Ali handled it in a 10 minutes montage instead of giving us an additional 30 or 40 minutes of photage. He got to document the state of mind of Jay and its gradual degradation. It was a nice touch and totally unheard of in mainstream Bollywood romantic comedy. I think Love Aaj Kal is a decent film and I give it 4/5.

[safra23]

Sorry I am slow, finally watched this movie on a flight, absolutely borrrrrinnnng movie, less said the better.

My rating --> 1.5/5 (the 1.0 for songs, 0.5 for effort)