Watch it Aaj or Watch it Kal.
Everybody’s busy talking about expectations and the hype around Love Aaj Kal. From the maker of Socha Na Tha and Jab We Met, we expect something similarly explosive, with some compelling performances and eventually a feel good entertainer, with boxes full of chocolates and bottles full of wine. Every film stands differently. Expectations and hype is something that kills a movie. We expect Love Aaj Kal to be five on five, and if it turns out 3 on 5, it fails, disappoints and irritates your so called big expectations. We want Love Aaj Kal to be the next Indian cult romance after Jab We Met, but that is not possible, even if Imitiaz Ali decides to deliver it 6 on 5. No painting can ever have the same effect. They could be from the same painter, but with a different message. They could both be about Love, but one could signify heartburn and the other:victorious love.
But we want both the paintings to have the same effect, both of them to deliver nothing but the best, both of them to have the feel good zing in it, and thus Love Aaj Kal falters not with itself, but with our expectations. It’s a movie that could stand strong by itself based on it’s own merit and power, but will take a downfall when people start comparing it to Imtiaz Ali’s former movies.
It’s shattering for a filmmaker to deliver a flop or deliver a mediocre movie, but it turns out that it’s even more shattering for a filmmaker to deliver a blockbuster or an above average movie, as the expectations and unwanted hype kill your next movie. Personally, having seen Socha Na Tha 4 times on the television, it does not count to be my favorites, neither does Jab We Met. None of them were path breaking or heartbreaking, they were simple entertainers, a job Imitaz seems to have mastered.
It’s the execution and the smile I take home after watching it, that’s what I cherish about both of them. That’s what I expected Imtiaz to deliver: a smile. Bang on he succeeds.
Yes, the theater was houseful, people were jamming in to just get to see the film from the first reel, and so was I. There were nervous pangs as I wanted the next two odd hours to be a jovial time, and thus it turns out to be, I did succeed, but not without it’s glaring flaws for me as an audience.
The first half starts, and messages start to flow in, telling me the first half is excellent, and it acts like a steroid, and I start expecting it to be a fun filled first half, and it disappoints me.
As an audience, I love to flow with the film, like a calm river with my eyes closed, but what happens is that there is a certain lack of flow in the narrative, it doesn’t seem to be creamy enough to have you hooked from the first minute. I was on the edge of my seat, but I slowly rested back with my feet on the seat, comforting myself with no immediate jerkers. Everyone around me felt the disconnect, they couldn’t feel for Jai and Meera, or Veer and Harleen. In other words, the narrative was broken for me.
I shamefully agree that we as Indians have become immune to ‘emotional cumshots’ as Dibakar Bannerjee said somewhere, but I feel none of us were yearning for emotional cumshots here, we were all yearning for a more gripping narrative, with fewer abrupt scenes and shots, maybe with longer scenes and more pillow shots, the first half could have been a much more beautiful experience.
You will ask me why beautiful. Imitiaz has the film with it’s heart in the right place, neither is it down there in the cork with under the belt humor, neither is it up there in my throar with suffocating romance, it’s beautifully placed in the heart.
I couldn’t feel for Jai, but the thing is that I could feel for Jehan or Jaman or Jayant, because it is a film that you could instantly relate to, and sometimes think about your own tribulations and trials. It wasn’t about Jai or Meera, but more about you and your respective. The characters do away with very thin layering without going too deep, as that’s what the filmmaker wants, for us to relate to Jai and Meera, not for us to cry over Jai and Meera, but for us to cry over ourselves, and he does his job with sheer but slow magic.
I’m totally against the norm of a first half and a second half, as I feel a film is a film, and there are no 15 reels and then 10 reels, but 25 reels together. We have a habit to keep the first half all loose and jovial, and our stories begin in the second half, with a climax and whatnot, but well many people thought the second half was dragging and people were moaning, but for me, the second half was where the movie picked up.
It’s about taste, and personal taste. After a rather disjointed first half, I was hooked to the edge of my seat in the second half, and I wasn’t disappointed for even a minute. I could start feeling for myself, and slowly the movie becomes very personal, because the message and the filmmaker’s point is eventually brought out. There were no manipulation of emotions, they were plain feelings, something You and I feel everyday, something I feel everyday at the nearby coffee shop, something you feel in your office space everyday. Like when Saif and Deepika talk on the phone, they put the phone on hold, and pretending as if somebody’s at the door. They instead think about what to say next, and what to do next. That’s where Imtiaz Ali touches you.
Such moments make for sheer pleasure and form a connection between you and yourself, and not you and Jai/Meera/Veer/Harleen.
Nothing extraordinary. If you want Saif to jump from the San Francisco towers to save Deepika and live happily ever after, then please don’t waste your money.
The other thing about the latter half that had me hooked was the tale of self destruction and self realization. It was different without any alcohol or drugs. It was sheer heartburn that made his life destructive. It was the insect in him that slowly bit him clean to slowly finish him and that’s where you relate to the character again. Most of us don’t drink and end things for ourselves, but the things in life end it for us
I don’t like giving out the story, it’s everywhere. It’s the message I would write about. Love Aaj or Love Kal, love will certainly be the same always, it’s the different perception with the change in generation. The filmmaker brings out that despite the generation gap and change in views and thoughts, the feelings and the heartburn still remains the same, the yearning still remains the same, maybe even increases.
Everybody’s blabbering about whatnot, and how the story is that, and the excecution is that, but nobody talks about how they felt, and more importantly what the film tries to say. It doesn’t have to be a diehard romantic flick for the idiot in you, it doesn’t have to give you butterflies in your stomach, and the glint in your eyes every time!
“But you see Jab We Met was incomparable yaar!”
Then go and watch Jab We Met again, why come for Love Aaj Kal!
“ But you see, Socha Na Tha was so different yaar”
Imitiaz Ali is not paid to make Socha Na Tha or Jab We Met again and again for you, if you so wish, please buy their respective videos and watch them, but please don’t kill a movie because of your ‘expectations’.
Mind you, many of such people have not seen any of the former movies!
I was talking to someone, and she said
“Kaminey will be exciting, it’s made by Bharadwaj, after all from the maker of Omkara”
“ You liked Omkara?” I said
“ I havn’t seen it, but heard it’s awesome”
Fuck what you hear, and go and watch it.
Let the movie stand by itself made by a debutante Imitiaz, and then view the film, and then cherish the pleasure. To each his own I say.
The performances are always a big question. Saif Ali Khan is getting stereotyped, totally! It’s his third film after Hum Tum and Salaam Namaste where he plays such a character, against marriages, against believing in love, and cracking random jokes. Saif as the punjabi doesn’t click, it’s Imtiaz as the Punjabi that clicks, with the right dialogues and the right lingo that he captures.
He is certainly not brilliant, but is suitable for the character, but again a fresher face would have made it more fun. His performance in the second half is still app laudable.
Deepika Padukone is a huge letdown in terms of performance and the dialogue delivery. If Kangna Ranaut needs a diction teacher, then so does Deepika Padukone.. She talks without any flow and without any emotion, almost hitting your earbuds!
But no doubt, she is extremely screen friendly, and her screen presence is undoubtedly beautiful, and hopefully with time, she will improve. She falls flat in this one.
The girl who played Harleen Kaur is the perfect placid sardarni and plays her part effectively.
Rishi Kapoor had a lot of scope, his character could have been layered differently, and he would be on a different planet, stealing the show. But he doesn’t.
The music is lilting and thanfully none of them look forced, but make you clap along with it, they’r a lot of fun. Aahun Aahun wasn’t the only good song as others say, the other songs act like brilliant background music for the film. Technically, the movie is very crisp, and Aarti Bajaj has hands made of scissors with a very pacy and to the point film. The cinematography is top notch and thus it excels too, though I didn’t have to look too deep into the camera work and stuff, it didn’t demand to much of all that jazz.
Finally, Love Aaj Kal is released. We are stubborn enough not to buy a Jab We Met DVD for 100 bucks, but rather pay 200 bucks for Love Aaj Kal and then expect Jab We Met. We Indians are Ziddi people at heart.
But as I said, it is nothing of sheer magic on screen, it is not path breaking, it is certainly not Jab We Met, but the competent director manages to do what he always does: bring a smile on my face with some subtle execution. It’s a film that takes time to grow on you, but however it is also a film that slowly and very slowly sneaks into you, and touches your heart, that too very softly.
P.S- These were not my two cents. These were my 250 bucks, thus I have full right to feel what I did about the film, and hope you do so too here.
***
Tags: "jab we met", Ali, deepika, expectations, imtiaz, LAK review, Love Aaj Kal, romance, saif, socha na tha
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
“Fuck what you hear, and go and watch it.”
Very true! Everyone’s going to have their own individual reactions and takes on the movie.
“We are stubborn enough not to buy a Jab We Met DVD for 100 bucks, but rather pay 200 bucks for Love Aaj Kal and then expect Jab We Met. We Indians are Ziddi people at heart.”
Very right.
I am surprised to see one of the most crisply written and balanced review starving for comment and discussion, whereas other shit reviews are running as ‘hot’. We Indians are somewhat retards.
If this is the state of PFC, then I am probably right not posting my review here. Anyway there’s a deluge of LAK reviews.
Handabhai- we probably have had almost the same feeling, but expressed it different way. Would love to see you comment on my review.
Jehan, Your review is heartfelt man. I am so glad you didnt nitpick. Havent seen the movie so cant comment much but Good effort.
The Best Review I have ome aross!!in the whole Internet World MAN, its like someone has given words to your own thoughts i completely agree with your review bro LIKE FATHER LIKE SON….keep writing MAN!! i liked the movie as i totally got myself off from ImMus! earlier work while watching it.
Jehan,
I like the way you write. The immature posts will always rule the roost. Don’t be bothered too much about it. I like the reasons and the empathy that you bring in your posts. Haven’t seen the movie, but have a feeling that the immature you might be wrong!
True Kenny.
I’m happy that you liked the movie and my review, and hope not to dissappoint you :D
Thanks Uh. Just starting to read your review, and will surely comment
Thanks Neeraj, but first catch the movie as soon as you can and let me know your reaction. But take your time, and wash off all the expectations.
Thanks alot Sid
Tanul yaar, catch it as soon as you can, and hopefully you will like LAK!!
Tanul will have to wait for it to be put up on the internet by a bootlegger. Oh but wait- it did get released in USA! Uh oh. Now what?
Aarti ji,
I see you have a lot to talk and discuss. I also see you are bubbling with enegy and enthusiasm. I also know that at one time you complain about being lost in linguistic knots and at the same time you are willing to be a gate keeper too. How about discussing all this over a cup of coffee?
(comment partially deleted= editor)
Veer drinks his black tea from the same cup that Harleen had brought to him in Kolkata through the movie. m not sure about the last scene though…was to busy to watch Neetu ji..:P
Tanul, I refuse to be dragged into any kind of ‘verbal’ exchange with you. I decided a while back that you’re not worth spending even an ounce of energy on. Have a great life. Over and out!