Love Aaj Kal

Plot

Jai and Meera are a modern-day couple living in London. They are happy with each other, but do not believe in tying each other down so when career beckons, they have a mutual break-up, but remain friends. Meera goes to India, while Jai stays in London, hoping to be called to San Francisco, where working at the Golden Gate Inc. is his dream job. Jai begins to date a blonde named Jo, while Meera returns the feelings of her boss, Vikram. The couple believes they have moved on.

Running simultaneously, but set in the past, is the tale of Veer Singh. A great believer of love, the Sikh narrates his love story to Jai to try to convince him not to let Meera go from his life. He explains how he fell for a girl named Harleen. Jai ridicules Veer, who vowed to marry Harleen before he had even gotten to talk to her. But, on Veer's insistence, he agrees to pay Meera a surprise visit in India. Meera is stunned, and the two lie to both Jo and Vikram to spend time with each other. They realize how much they still like each other's company. Jai and Jo break up as Jai is unable to reciprocate the deeper feelings that Jo longs for. On the day Jai is to leave, Vikram proposes to Meera. She meets Jai secretly, who tells her she should make a decision. Angry, Meera tells him to leave her life or else she will never be able to really move on. Parallel to this, we find that Harleen has told Veer she was engaged without being told, and he must leave her.

Jai is called to his dream job in San Francisco the same day Meera realizes her marriage is a mistake. She tells Vikram the truth and calls Jai, but he tells her about the Golden Gate. Realizing he is going to San Francisco, she tells him nothing. Meanwhile, Veer declares his intentions of marrying Harleen but is badly beaten by her family.

Jai begins to lose interest in his "dream job," finding that he is not as happy as he thought he would be. He is beaten by some thugs when, while being mugged, he refuses to give them a picture of Meera. He then realizes he still loves her, and goes back to India. He finds Vikram, who informs him that Meera left him. In the past, Veer travels to Harleen's house on the day of her wedding, and convinces her mother that Harleen can only be happy with him. Harleen's mother lets Veer secretly sneak out with her daughter, and the two marry happily. In the present, Jai and Meera have a heart-touching reunion.

Cast

Production

The shooting of the film started on May 2008 and took place in the railway station of Patiala, Red Fort, Purana Qila and on the streets of Delhi. Parts have been shot in London, San Francisco, and Kolkata. The building used as Golden Gate, Inc. in the film is actually the City of San Jose City Hall, commonly known as the Rotunda. The film wasn't given a name until January 2009, after shooting was complete.

Marketing

The producers of the film inked marketing tie-ups with 2009 ICC World Twenty20, Shoppers Stop and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance. The apparel worn by the lead cast is exclusively available at Shoppers Stop. With Bajaj Allianz they have a tie up to share the special moments where they could win a chance to meet Saif Ali Khan, the protagonist and the producer of the movie. The tie up with ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2009 was that both Deepika and Saif will be in England before the tournament begins, with Saif expected to commentate on matches for Indian television.

Critical reception

The movie received a positive to mixed reception from critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the movie 4 stars out of 5, saying that "On the whole, Love Aaj Kal is for the young and romantic at heart. Sure, it's not perfect, but the terrific performances, melodious music and stirring emotional moments more than compensate for the hiccups." Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India gave the movie 4 stars in a scale of 5, concluding that "Go watch it for its GenNow feel and its ekdum modern appeal." Sonia Chopra of Sify gave the movie 3.5 stars out of 5, commenting that "With lilting music and characters you'll love, Imtiaz Ali brings out one of the most romantic films in recent times. It's a love story of the aam junta, with a delicious contemporary edge. Go get your fill." Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express gave the movie 3 stars in a scale of 5, noting that "It's hard not to warm up to a film which is, at its core, likeable. I just wish I could have liked it more." Aniruddha Guha of DNA India gave the movie 3 stars out of 5, writing that "Though Love Aaj Kal may not quite be the film you expect it to be, it does not leave you feeling disappointed either. Watch it without too many expectations and you will come back smiling. And if you have wanted to ask someone out for a while, this film is the perfect ice-breaker." Raja Sen of Rediff gave the movie 2.5 stars in a scale of 5, stating that "Love Aaj Kal is a harmless, watchable film – sad, because it could have been truly special. It has its moments in the first half, while the second half is an over-melodramatic drag." Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave the movie 2 stars out of 5, pointing that "The film in the end is ordinary stuff, watchable but never memorable like the director's previous efforts, the far superior Socha Na Tha and Jab We Met. I'm going with two out of five and an average rating for Love Aaj Kal. It's like that plump mango you bite into only to discover it's not ripe yet. Watch it nevertheless for the sharp dialogue and some clever humor."

Box office

Love Aaj Kal netted ₹428.7 million (US$6.7 million) in its first week. and ₹163.9 million (US$2.6 million) in its second week. Love Aaj Kal netted ₹668.9 million (US$10 million) in India. It was declared a super hit by Box Office India, grossing ₹89 crore (US$14 million).

Soundtrack

The music of Love Aaj Kal is composed by Pritam with lyrics penned by Irshad Kamil. The album earned Pritam his first IIFA Best Music Director Award.

Remakes

Love Aaj Kal remake rights were sold for ₹4 crore (US$620,000) to remake it in Telugu and Tamil. Its rights were bought by Pawan Kalyan, Ganesh Bandla.