15/02/2020
by
Love aaj Kal (2020) is a reboot of the Box office Hit Love aaj kal (2009). Director, producer and screenwriter Imitiaz Ali portrays two love stories from widely different eras facing widely different obstacles, just like the previous one but with a twist.
The unwelcomed trailer didn't set a good stage for the movie but It’s Imitiaz Ali, the director who has given this industry films like Highway Rockstar, Jab We Met. You can't help but have high expectations from the movie.
I had tears in my eyes by the end of the movie, not because the story hit me in the right place, but because I yawned so hard. Due to lack of character development, cringy dialogues, messy script, weak acting, crap remakes of old song and a really confusing start, the film loses its audience in the first 30 minutes and by the interval you can't help but wonder how long this suffering would take to end.
The film picks up pace in second half (thanks to strong acting by Randeep Hooda and Arushi Sharma) and takes hits on crucial conflicts that everyone is facing nowadays. Unfortunately, it is too late as you feel disconnected from the characters and don't feel yourself rooting for them.
Story - Story being told in flashbacks of 1990s seems more interesting than the current ongoing story of Veer (Kartik Aaryan) and Zoe (Sara Ali Khan). The movie ignores the depth of Veer's character leaving him as a passive character in his own story and audience ends up confused and unmoved as the story keeps sprinting ahead.
Dialogues- The scenes of Zoe and Veer are terrible and the dialogues make them unbearable beyond extent.
Direction- The film definitely has the Imitiaz touch to it as the characters conflict between career and love, trying to find balance between both just like in his previous films. By successfully capturing essence of cities, cinematography is at par with other Imtitiaz movies.
The films offers nothing new in terms of methods storytelling. This movie had a lot of potential with a story line offering a fresh perspective of love into our modern lives which failed to be delivered through the film.
Verdict- Its heavily disappointing to receive a film like this from a such a renowned film-maker of our Era. I guess we'll have to wait even longer for movies which take us to an unforgettable emotional journey to be crafted by Imitiaz Ali, like he used to.
Love Aaj Kal (2020) brings injustice to the iconic Love Aaj Kal by its existence. This is exactly what happens when you attempt to overdo an already 'perfect dish'.
Rating- 1.5 / 5
*** Review contributed by Saurabh Shukla