We use all the logic to explain things and try to be ‘in all the way composed’, controlled and logical, but the Almighty-Love remains unexplained and defines its way as “No Reason Reasoning”, no matters how much literatures have been spend on it or how much we might have learned from our experiences or other’s stories. The time has got just another more realistic expression: The discovery of Love in present context.
Love Aaj Kal
When his girlfriend asks: “Do you love me”, Jai, the protagonist of Love Aaj Kal, played by Saif Ali Khan, replies: “Love, who knows what that is?” So, are we? Do we really know what Love is and why we fall in? Let’s read something about a movie, which I am going to call The Best Romantic Movie ever seen by me till now. Not because, it’s emotional, not because it’s modern, not because it’s practical, but because its real, very very real. You will regret, as much you delay watching the same. Mind my words, I have never used such praise.
Title: Love Aaj Kal
Release Date: 31st July 2009
Banner: Eros International
Producer: Saif Ali Khan , Dinesh Vijan , Sunil Lulla
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Giselle Monteiro, Shweta Gulati, Neetu Singh, Rishi Kapoor, Rahul Khanna, Vir Das.
Story Writer: Imtiaz Ali
Music Director: Preetam
Lyrics: Irshad Kamil
Words of mouth, disappointments on getting All-Booked Status after reaching Multiplexes (that too in Delhi, where you can’t find enough good hospital but Multiplexes always nearby), I was sure that Love Aaj Kal was going to bang, after all today’s stars Saif and Deepika were looking fantastic in all posters and there was no recent good movie since Dev D, I guess. Film Industry and even the movie goers should have got a sigh of relief with this release, which is sure going to get a reasonable place in all time good romantic movies. The special thing, I noticed was a glimpse of Jab We Met, in the song “Chor Bazari” and a little googling given me the obvious connection, when got to know the name of writer/ director Imtiyaz Ali.
Imtiyaz Ali; it will be the next name after Anurag Kashyap, I will be waiting for watching out. His first movie was Socha Na Tha; A couple, who didn’t thought that they are made for each other, the second one was Jab We Met; discovering the commitment of love and now Love Aaj Kal.
Perhaps he knows to pick the best and then get the best from them. The common link between all these movies was the crisp-n-short dialogues and use of bold modern language mixed with traditional cultural hints still scattered between this All-New-Generation. He seems to be in process of silently creating an era like once Yash Chopra created.
Coming over movie, Jai and Meera; a modern age couple meets in London, the first meet clicks enough to share the first romantic kiss and the days pass on figuring out if they are, like, together. That entails mugs of black coffee and lots of smart chatter, and eventually, a parting of ways, because they can’t quite get a handle on their feelings. Meera has to India and Jai to US and both of them feel that they are now ahead of the best time they had and now the long distance relationship will only suck. A perfect and logical mutual decision; breaking up with a Breakup Party (Interesting thing na? it was in the movie as well.)
As small para, I have taken here about telling their initial story, the same course of events happened in the same quicker way on the screen; just 15 mins and all above part of story is over, can you believe? Still given a glimpse of many little things as mentioned below.
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Many things they don’t like, but still like to be with. Like Black Coffee of Jai.
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Friends tell them whether they are pair and indeed only friends define that its love. They just accept.
- Jai’s best aim to reach Golden Gate and Meera’s best intrest Fresco; No common interest.
- Level of understanding and way of giving space; Boy could expect the girl being understanding that dropping her to home in not the only way to show care.
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Common irritation of boys on being girls sometimes too much choosy and concuss while shopping. *That was most interesting point in a way mentioning many things, which were not on screen.
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The loss of interest in being committed/ answerable but still coming out in a mutual and outstandingly relaxed and pleasant way for keeping all the good memories intact.
It was nice, but was not the best part of the movie. Movie just started growing up from here and get mixed with another piece of story narrated by now old Veer (Rishi Kapoor), his old age love Harleen and the context of the same with story of Jai and Meera.
Jai feels himself out of sync with Veer’s philosophy of Love, where he traveled hundreds of miles for just a sight of his love Harleen. He was also out of sync with Veer’s complaints over their mutual “perfectly logical and practical decision”. Laughs over Veer that how one could has a Pratigya of having the same girl for next many lives, when he might have not even talked to her for just once till now. But Veer along with changing things in Jai and Meera’s life in later days, slowly steps in to mentor this adolescent love story of Jai and Meera.
Will not mention much about the part of Veera and Harleen’s story as the same is most beautiful part of the movie and it would be preferable to watch yourself. But the same part really reminded me of many beautiful moments, which each of us might have passed through once and this ‘once’ will remain the same. Will never be back.
Jai and Meera could be even this much frank that could control even a fraction of jealousy and suggest their ‘past partner’ to be involved with someone else after breakup, but still the feeling gets its place slowly in, when we know that the other one could take interest in someone else in ‘much more way’.
It was really touching to me, when Meera asks Jai about her pairing with her boss and going out for dinner and Jai started feeling the pain even when try hard to ignore. What option we have to answer, when she asks you in the way? You know that your feelings already don’t matter or being ignored or she started feeling in another way, a way; where you are not around/ together. You already were feeling the same and preparing yourself, so that she might be happy in whatever, with whomever, but still… perhaps selfish we are. Why we feel pain? Why we cry? I really could have cried. But the same thing, defective piece, practical tough guy, me 😉
If I proceed further, then it will lengthen the review and more over spoil the entertainment of movie, but still can’t bear the greed of mentioning the expression, which was beautifully shown on screen that how one looses interest in each thing of life without any logical reason even after achieving best things he ever thought. We rule over career, we hang out with friends, we enjoy now days hi-tech life, but it don’t take long that how alone everyone and why we miss someone. I really felt the number “Mai Jo Chahoo Wo Paun”. There are many around us, who were brilliant in their lives earlier and now fading up due to reasons even they don’t know. Could everyone get the mystery solved?
Heads off to Imtiyaz Ali to engrave the expressions so beautifully on the screen.
The two lovely and meaningful dialogues from the movie were:
“It’s very hard to surprise someone after two years.”
“Why its so that how many times, you might have said Bye, but it remained always a due; meeting for the last time.”
Performances:
We call it perfect, when we find everything matching and it was like the same. We couldn’t have imagined the success of movie with such refreshing music of Preetam, we couldn’t have imagined any other smile brightening the screen than Deepika’s (really reminds me someone), Saif’s evolvement as a package, who could really take the whole movie as a Solo now with even taking the part of younger version of Rishi Kapoor and the so beautiful and lovely new girl Giselle Monteiro (Harleen). It’s a real treat to have such performance on screen on friendship day.
Reminding you again, you will regret as much you delay watching it. If have watched then re-watch it and if not, then I apologize for taking your precious time in reading this article. Go and watch it.
Edited on 9th August 2009 again to add the lines given below:
As one of my friend asked me about a few things I missed in the article, so I thought to add up a few points again. First of all, I didn’t introduced that character of “Jo” was played by Florence Brudenell Bruce. Wait, wait, wait!! Who is this Jo? Sorry, I didn’t mentioned anything about. She was the girl, Jai fall for after Meera, while Meera falls for her boss. I really feel sorry about both of them. Jo and Vikram. Specially Vikram; just being confused in what we want, doesn’t give us right to hurt someone in a way that he will never fall in love again and will be asking himself that why he deserved that?
Could have written much about, but … … let’s keep it short. There was a reason that I skipped to write on the same.
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