Writer/Director: Imtiaz Ali
Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Rishi Kapoor
‘A Captivating Classic’
Few actresses in Bollywood are as beloved as Deepika Padukone. Ever since her rise towards stardom in the 2000’s, Padukone has become one of the best actresses in the Indian industry. Whether it’s star-crossed lovers, teenagers or women facing marriage disaster, Padukone has proven that she has the ability to portray many bold characters. Padukone’s finest strength as an actress is versatility. Through strong ability to portray characters in a variety of genres, Padukone has proven to be an iconic actress in India. She is one of those actresses that has the ability to command every scene through her strong presence. An actress with undeniable charisma, Padukone has become an icon in India. Throughout her career, Padukone has produced several unforgettable movies that are certainly worth watching.
I’m a big fan of Padukone and adore all the movies which she has created in her career. However, “Love Aaj Kal” certainly stands out as her most meaningful movie. Released in 2009, Imtiaz Ali’s movie offered a powerful portrait of breakups between lovers. Packed with breathtaking musical sequences, bold storytelling and phenomenal acting, it’s an extraordinary Bollywood romantic drama. At the centre of it all is a terrific performance by Deepika Padukone, who plays a woman facing breakup tension. Although “Love Aaj Kal” is a riveting romantic drama, it isn’t a flawless film. It’s unevenly paced, lacking the strong momentum of the best films in the romance genre. Nevertheless, it offers engaging entertainment that would satisfy fans of Deepika Padukone.
“Love Aaj Kal” tells the story of a couple that faces breakups which are painful. Saif Ali Khan plays Jai Singh, a businessman that has strong ideals about love. Jai’s dreams come true when he falls in love with Meera (Deepika Padukone), a woman he cares for dearly. Meera is a free-spirited woman that has strong views on romantic relationships. Jai and Meera immediately fall in love with each other, imaging a bright future together. However, Jai’s life forever changes when his career threatens his romantic relationships. Focused on pursuing a competitive career, Jai wonders whether he any longer has any time for romantic affairs. As all the odds are stacked against his favour, Jai questions if he will find love in his future.
Imtiaz Ali has always been fascinated by the romance genre. A brilliant Indian filmmaker, Ali has often made engaging movies about romantic relationships facing disasters. His iconic film “Jab We Met” offered a powerful portrait of lovers forming relationships after meeting on train adventures. With “Love Aaj Kal”, however, Ali directed his first romance drama about breakups. It was the director’s first attempt to capture the lives of lovers in breakups causing adversity but he pulled it off effectively. Using bold cinematography, Ali captures lovers that face breakups that cause adversity. Recalling Robert Benton’s “Kramer vs. Kramer”, Ali successfully uses montages to capture couples that endure a tense breakup. For instance, the montages elevate the ”Yeh Dooriyan” song. During this unforgettable scene, Jai and Meera face grief as they go their separate ways in life following a breakup. Using montages, Ali crafts portraits of breakup that’s engaging. Montages are tricky techniques. As Farhan Akhtar’s “Dil Chahta Hai” proved, montages enhance Bollywood films about friendship. Nevertheless, it works immensely. Through stunning visuals, Ali captures tensions that lovers are facing.
Another admirable aspect of “Love Aaj Kal” that merits appreciation is the production. From a technical perspective, it’s one of the finest Bollywood romantic dramas you will ever see. Ali effectively uses cross-cutting to stage music sequences involving lovers that prove engaging. For instance, cross-cutting elevates the Chor Bazari song. In this memorable song, Jai and Meera share an intimate moment together showcasing their strong bond following their breakups. Using cross-cutting, Ali creates song and dance numbers that prove to be engaging. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. It gives the movie an engaging atmosphere capturing the heavy burden which lovers in breakups bear. Using stunning production, Ali captures the lives of lovers experiencing romantic tension.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “Love Aaj Kal” is a Bollywood romance that is engaging. The film is beautifully written, and effectively uses silence to capture the hardships of couples going through a tense breakup. Emulating Shaad Ali’s “Saathiya”, Ali effectively uses silence to capture lives of lovers reuniting after facing breakups in India. For instance, the silence elevates the reunion scene. During this heartfelt scene, Jai has a reunion with Meera several years after their separation. Through silence, Ali constructs a portrait of breakups audiences can relate to. Silence is a tricky technique to use in film. As Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Omkara” demonstrated, silence enhances Bollywood Shakespeare adaptations. Nevertheless, it works immensely in this movie. Through an engaging screenplay, Ali captures couples which experience breakups with a price to pay.
One appreciates amazing performances.
Deepika Padukone delivers one of her best career performances as Meera. Padukone achieved appreciation portraying romantic heroines in classic Bollywood movies. With “Love Aaj Kal”, however, she took upon her most meaningful role. It isn’t easy to play a woman that faces tense breakups causing marriage tragedy but she succeeds. This is the actress unlike you have ever seen her in the past before: intense, charming and bold in her most heartfelt role. With mesmerizing expressions, she captures angst, grief and romantic spirit of a woman facing breakup tensions. It’s a phenomenal performance by one of the most celebrated actresses that’s working in India today.
While the movie is mainly strong showcase for Deepika Padukone, the supporting cast is also spectacular and deserving of praise. Saif Ali Khan is spectacular, demonstrating the charismatic nature of a man that faces intense breakups that cause disaster. Rishi Kapoor is riveting, capturing authority of a father struggling to care for broken family. Lastly, Rahul Khanna deserves appreciation. As a bachelor, he is unforgettable.
Despite its strong performances, however, “Love Aaj Kal” can’t quite capture romantic relationships which are painful. If there’s a shortcoming to the movie, it lacks engaging pacing. Ali’s choices to integrate flashbacks about old-fashioned lovers into the movie is bold but hinders the pacing. Due toward this faulty technique, scenes focusing on Veer’s romantic relationship in the 1960’s aren’t as engaging as Jai’s love. Therefore, “Love Aaj Kal” is one of those Bollywood movies that not everyone will adore.
Nevertheless, fans of Deepika Padukone will definitely enjoy “Love Aaj Kal” and so would audiences seeking heartfelt entertainment. A remarkable Bollywood romantic drama, it honours an actress that’s beloved in India.
Nearly 20 years following the release of an iconic Bollywood film about a pair of lovers with career responsibilities that experience breakups causing despair, it’s a remarkable reminder of a celebrated Indian actress that has built a successful legacy through ability to portray strong characters in rare movies about which audiences have grown to often care.
4.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 