There are three reasons why you must catch Love Aaj Kal ASAP – dialogues, performances and music. Imtiaz Ali's tale of love, then and now is a light hearted and refreshing watch. Burnout, commitment phobia, long distance relationships – issues the minus 30-generation can easily identify with, are subtly touched upon thought the movie. Here's a film that actually talks the talk. Like Socha Na Tha and Jab We Met, Imtiaz Ali's third film also rests on a wafer-thin plot. The director uses smart one-liners and life-like situations to take the story forward. Love Aaj Kal is about Jai (Saif Ali Khan) an urban, alpha male who can't understand the meaning of love. His girl friend Meera (Deepika Padukone) also believes in choosing career over romance. After a mutual breakup, Jai meets the grand old Veer (Rishi Kapoor). He narrates his own love story to give Jai a peak into old-fashioned romance. The conflicting approaches to love form the base of Love Aaj Kal.
The narrative runs in multiple timelines – which can get confusing sometimes. Imtiaz Ali uses a clever, non-linear edit pattern to draw parallels between his two stories. Saif Ali Khan is in home turf as Jai. Playing a role similar to Kal Ho Na Ho and Hum Tum, Saif is charming as ever with his wise cracks and mannerisms. However it's in the emotional sequences towards the end, where you realise how much he has matured over the years. Casting him as young Rishi Kapoor, is bit of a cinematic liberty. But it works in the context of the film - even though Khan's Punjabi is not very authentic. You can often sense the metrosexual Saif wanting to break out of the turban. Deepika Padukone is the real surprise. Looking her best ever, Deepika delivers a surprisingly effortless performance. A scene where she checks herself out in the mirror before heading for a date is a gem of a moment. And yes! For the first time we discover that the girl knows how to cry. Rishi Kapoor is spontaneous as the romantic Sardar. Watch out for his surprise in the climax. Imtiaz's dialogues are once again straight out of everyday conversations. The scenes between Rishi and Saif are bound to remind you of the advice your dad gives you about settling down in life. As a technician Imtiaz shows shades of Yash Raj romances. Pritam's stupendous score adds tremendous value to the film, making the proceedings even livelier.
Any minuses? Yes! The second half could have been 20 minutes shorter. Also, while the easy pace of the film works for the theme, it often tends to get slow. This film wastes little time in the boy meets girl part and is quick to get to the point. But the point could have been made in under two hours.
On the face of it a lot of sequences appear shallow. Unlike Jab We Met where the comic portions and dramatic ones were distinctly spelt out, here the emotions are pretty understated. There's a lot of depth in the seeming light hearted portions. It's a multiplex film in the truest sense of the word. Love Aaj Kal is not perfect. But in one of Bollywood's dullest years, this one comes as a refreshing ray of hope. It's bound to bring a smile on your face. Here's a film with both head and heart.Verdict: It's the coolest film of the year
Rating: 4/5
New Delhi: Delhi police on Thursday filed a report in a court on a man`s complaint seeking registration of a criminal case against Bollywood actor John Abraham for allegedly posing indecently in a photograph published in a Hindi daily recently.
An action taken report was submitted on behalf of the Station House Officer of Motinagar police station in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Ashish Aggarwal.The court, however, put the matter for September one for giving complainant C M Dua an opportunity to put forward arguments in the matter.Dua, who runs a NGO, sought registration of a FIR against model-turned-actor Abraham, the publisher and the editor of the daily.The court had on July seven asked the SHO, Motinagar, to file an action taken report in the matter since the complaint alleged commission of cognisable offences under Section 292 and 294 (relating to spread of obscene material) of the IPC.The complainant had alleged that he was appalled to find the magzine supplement of the daily dated June 11 carrying a "nude" photograph of Abraham at the study desk of his children.Dua, through his counsel R Chhabra, had claimed the police had not taken any action on his complaint, prompting him to approach the court.Bureau Report
Deepika Padukone was bitten by the malaria bug, but the actress has resumed shooting. Sajid Khan has a houseful of actors shooting for his Housefull and so with Deepika falling ill, it was going to threaten the schedule out of gear. But according to Sajid Khan, all is well.
Talking to Businessofcinema.com from his shooting location in London, the director said, “Deepika is 90% well and she has resumed shooting.” That certainly brings some relief for the producer, Sajid Nadiadwala who has some of the biggest names in the industry acting in his film.
Akshay Kumar’s dates are precious as he is shooting round the clock. He had given bulk dates for Housefull to Sajid and is expected to be with them till September end. The film unit moves from London to Italy and then for a final week of shooting in Las Vegas.
The other stars in the film are Arjun Rampal, Lara Dutta, Riteish Deshmukh and Jiah Khan.
