Tag: Deepika Padukone

Love Aaj Kal: How practical we can be to handle what we call Love?


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.

  1. Many things they don’t like, but still like to be with. Like Black Coffee of Jai.
  2. Friends tell them whether they are pair and indeed only friends define that its love. They just accept.
  3. Jai’s best aim to reach Golden Gate and Meera’s best intrest Fresco; No common interest.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

  6. 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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Bachna Ae Haseeno : When we come to know that she is the one

Yashraj Productions … many expectations … similar look and feel, which had keeping Yashraj’s on the top of chart in all those years. Are they back on track? That’s what was in my mind, when I went to watch this movie. As I watched it on Saturday, just after one day of its release, so was having no clue or pre-set mind before watching the same as I start with all the time. Friday was given in favour of “God Tussi Great Ho” in spite of knowing its limitations as I was not aware that “Bachna Ae Hasino” has been released. Interestingly both the movies were watched by me in PVR. I should confess that I have been away from Picture Halls from long time as I prefer to watch movies at my home, but this time, these were holidays and so….

Like others, I also been impressed with Yashraj Banners in the way, they realize the feeling of love in various ways. Hum Apke Hai Kaun, Dil To Pagal Hai (There is someone for you somewhere), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Love may happen twice), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (Never let it go, if you get your the one) and Bachna Ae Hasino now… All the earlier ones been grand mile stones.. what about this one? Siddharth Anand has given Salaam Namaste and Ta Ra Rum Pum earlier, so sure this one has its share of expectations. Lets see, where is stands…

Title: Bachna Ae Hasino.

Directed and written by: Siddharth Anand.

Produced by: Aditya Chopra, Yash Chopra.

Production banner : Yash Raj Productions.

Music Directors: Vishal Shekhar.

 

Play Back:

1.
Khuda Jaane – KK & Shilpa Rao 2. Lucky Boy – Sunidhi Chauhan, Hard Kaur & Raja Hassan 3. Aahista Aahista – Lucky Ali & Shreya Ghoshal 4. Jogi Mahi – Sukhwinder Singh, Shekhar Ravjiani & Himani Kapoor 5. Small Town Girl – Shankar Mahadevan 6. Khuda Jaane Revisited – KK & Shilpa Rao, Remixed by: Abhijit Nalani 7. Bachna Ae Haseeno * – Kishore Kumar *, Sumit Kumar & Vishal Dadlani Cinematographer: Sunil Patel. Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Minissha Lamba, Deepika Padukone, Kunal Kapoor, Puneet Issar, Patel Junior (Gufi Pental’s son).

 

Every teenager knows about the word “Love”, to realize the things as he/ she heard about. We grew up and according to our maturity levels, we perceive the same in different manners. But sure Love is not always like we see in movies, what we read in books. Few questions always stays in front of us as to-be-answered. Sometime we pass through these questions, sometime we not.

1- What we wants from this feeling “Love”?

2- Could we wait till we get the final one and avoid the pressure of being the “Killer”?

3- Could we ever realize that which one is the final one?

4- What if we never get “The one”?

5- Is being hooked with someone for a while, whose company make you feel nice, wrong?

6- Are we ready to take it as a lifetime contract?

8- Is something like “Love at first sight” exists?

9- When we really get ready to commit from innermost from our heart?

10- Does everyone get, what they called “Love”?

 

“Bachna Ae Hasino” although doesn’t state it in precise words, but there is a hidden note for girls, to access the state of mind as well before falling for someone, before getting hurt. But nothing to discuss about that here as that’s to be accessed by viewer itself.

 

“Bachna Ae Hasino” follows the journey of Raj Sharma (Ranbir Kapoor) from the age of 17 to 30 years. The one meets three different girls at three different stages of his life. What he learns about love with these experiences is what “Bachna Ae Hasino” all about.

 

In 1996, A normal handsome dude in the age of 17, with his go lucky attitude, meets the first girl Mahi (Minissha Lamba), a small town girl from Panjab, in the backdrop of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Mahi has her share of fantasies and out to find her Raj,
while Raj is out with his friends to find foreign chiks like teen age boys. Some luck and some tricks from Raj play to make things go happen in way things happened between Simran and Raj (DDLG) and in this way, Raj succeed to make her fall for him. They share a kiss after Raj reads her a poem, in which he had written about his feelings for her. They have fun together and when Raj drops Mahi at the airport, Mahi opens the page on which Raj had written the poem, only to find it blank. Mahi breaks down in front of Raj, after she sees him talking to his friends about her in cheap ways. Raj leaves her crying and these 10 days leaves Mahi as heart broken forever.

This was all about Teen Age love. A little show off, few little fantasies, curiosity to know what it is, what people call as love. We don’t feel about commitments, unable to posses that level of respect for emotions, commit blunders and later forget it as it was a play. Some of us come to be strong enough to get ahead of these early heartbreaks and for some, it leaves a mark for lifetime.

 

In 2002,
Raj, working as Game Analyst for Microsoft (what more one could be wishing for), is in Mumbai staying in a Live-In Relationship with his Girlfriend Radhika. The second girl, Radhika (Bipasha Basu), hot and glamorous having origin of Ranchi, is here for being a successful model. After having a good time without asking about any commitment, Raj gets transferred to Sydney to work there. He tries to leave Radhika behind and Radhika plans for their engagement sacrificing her own career. Raj never expected to see Radhika asking for marriage even at cost of her own career and get shocked. After his share of efforts (even went up to the extent of presenting himself as impotent), finally Raj took his teen-age attitude and fly to Sydney without even informing Radhika, leaving her waiting under rain on the stairs of Marriage Bureau. This one year live-in-relationship tears apart Radhika to be Shreya; the big successful name.

This was all about love, before getting that level of maturity, which gives you sense of responsibility and you fall for the person, not for beauty or glamour only. Otherwise, we just want to have it for fun and for showing off that we are Killers. We don’t wish to get these days ended, thinking that we have something much more better stored somewhere for us. We just enjoy having fun time and don’t wish to get asked about rights, morality and commitment. We look at the show off side, fun etc. but miss to see the depth of developing relations. Yes, we commit by words, but still run away from real commitments. Sometimes we breakup by words, sometimes by other means or sometimes just run away like Raj chosen this time without even thinking that what the person at other side felt.

 

In 2007, Raj finds another love mate as Gayatri (Deepika Padukone). One day, while romancing in a taxi cab with an Australian girl, whom he has a breakup with 10 seconds later, he meets Gayatri, the driver of the cab, who also works in a super-market as the cashier. She is intellectual, witty and cute enough to charm Raj. She doesn’t believes in institution of marriage or rules of commitment like Raj. He finds her irresistible and this time, after dating a while, he get settled over the fact that she is the one for him and like never before, this time, he decides to ask her for commitment of lifetime. But Gayatri refuses the same and call it an end of their relationship.

 

Heart broken Raj now come to feel the pain, he might have given to Mahi or Radhika and only thing, he decides to do, is to go for correcting his mistakes and here comes The Intermission.

Now, the second half starts and message of film ends here (as of my perspective) and bollywood starts. Was it going to be that easy to just go and say sorry and then get a smile back, saying that “Nothing to worry about that what happened in past, I am fine and forgiven you long back”?

 

Yes, it was not like that. He reaches to Mahi’s place. He meets her husband Joginder Ahaluwalia
(Kunal Kapoor) and two sons. He got shocked to know that how much deep impact, he has left over the innocent girl that she is not comfortable in her love life even after having two kids. He feels the love, Joginder has for Mahi, feels how much big loss, he has given to Joginder and also realize that what he has done is not so small to be forgiven.

 

From this point of time, the Hero emerged from Raj and even after getting threatened by Joginder, he decided to stay and make the things nicer for Mahi. It was so funny to hear from Kunal that “if you came near her again, then it will take another 12 years to get Mahi back to normal”. It was also touchy to hear, when Joginder says he don’t know the words with which Raj like boy impresses girls, but still loves her from inner most of the heart. Raj realizes that Joginder is the one, Mahi was always looking for. Luckily it takes only a few tricks and one meet with Mahi in a wedding and he makes it. I feel thrilled with the moment, when he walks away with the smile after achieving, what he wished for.

 

Now, it comes to Radhika, who is Shreya now; a very successful star of Glamour World. Shreya now seems to became much rude over whole world, but still gives a chance to Raj, by saying that she will hear, if he agrees to be her personal assistant for a while. Raj agrees and then it goes literally like the song “Small Town Girl” says, means he does everything from washing the floor, to dancing on the roads. Finally, Shreya breaks to say that you are total desperate to get forgiven na… She breaks to tell him, what she felt after being left behind like a cheap trash. Her most touchy words for me, when she says “I know, I was never that girl, one boy might be wishing to get on meeting with his mother.” She says, she will never forgive him, she can’t.

Raj realizes that what he has did to Radhika, was like something, no one could forgive and decided to leave from this point. But here, the forgiveness of girls came in and he finds Radhika at the Airport. She forgive him saying that probably, if he has not been like that then she was not that successful ever as she is now. She comes back to be Radhika again and Raj moves back to Sydney again.

 

After reaching Sydney, our lucky dude, come to find that Gayatri loves him and has written many letters to him in this six months period. He meets her and find the cycle of love gets completed.

Movie ends here, but still leaves lots of questions for me …..

1- Was just saying sorry and making things little nicer is enough to pay out for the couple, who lost their 12 years, which were expected to be their sweetest part of life?

2- Was just doing everything desperately to be forgiven, was enough to pay out for the girl, who given up her every desire, her everything to someone and in return, who was left lonely in the world to hear and bear everything?

3- Was just saying sorry was enough to payout for leaving the girl missing you for a total of six months

Raj was lucky to get forgiven, moreover, it was just a movie, but could anyone else be lucky like this …. one can’t be. Thanks for making an effort to make boys realizing the seriousness of relationships.

 

Remarks:

Ranbir: Looks enough cute for the role and it seems like this role was meant for him only.

Minisha: Although I’ll be critical over her looks, but otherwise she looked cute like any teenager.

Bipasha: Hot as per requirements of the role. Given complete justification to the role.

Deepika: Perfect one. She looks innocent, cute and witty at the same time. I don’t think that it was easy for someone else to justify the role in this way.

Sure, I wont be calling this movie, something perfect like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Why? Probably, I wont be able to mention the same precisely, but still misses something, somewhere. But even then, I hope that this is sweet enough to find places in the heart of teens. Nice songs, nice locations and hot-n-cute pairs… what one could wish from a Bollywood Flick.