When Love Aaj Kal 2020 version released at the theatres, there were several factors that couldn't keep pace with the Imtiaz Ali directorial. From the looks of the trailer, it had appeared to be another attempt to make the same film, with the same sequence of event, only to launch the daughter of Saif Ali Khan, who had originally worked in Imtiaz Ali's first film which had released in 2009. That was also the time when coronavirus scare had just started in India, hence a lot of people avoided being together in groups.
The younger generation of Bollywood addicts wanted to get a glimpse of Kartik (Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aaryan.)After all, in her Koffee debut where Sara Ali Khan shared the couch with her father, Saif Ali Khan she had confessed that she would love to date Kartik Aaryan. According to various social media posts, it was Ranveer Singh (Sara's Simmba co-star) who brought the two together. Hence, to this section of fans, Love Aaj Kal was only a chance to witness the young couple fall in love.
The rest of us, who presumed that this was Imtiaz Ali redoing his own work, we couldn't have been more wrong. Here are a few highlights from the film which will strike you.
1990 vs 2020
Much like the 2009 Love Aaj Kal, Sara Ali Khan starrer too runs on two timelines. 2020 love story of Zoe and Veer and 1990 version of Raghu (Randeep Hooda) and Leena (Aarushi Sharma) which happened 30 years ago. (Yes Facebook scrolling millennials! It has been 30 years) We experience a love story which takes place in the 90s where neighbours played a vital role in destroying young love. When annual events were the only chances for the youngster to meet a boy or a girl, unless if you are studying in a co-education school. Due to lack of WhatsApp, SMS, social media, love had a different kind of spark.
A world where stalking is complimentary when done with CONSENT.
Before we begin, this writer strongly feels that stalking is a crime and Bollywood must not encourage it. However, in Love Aaj Kal, the women were well-aware of a boy following them, but they didn't mind at all owing to the fact that they felt safe in their distant presence. Consent is an ambiguous concept. It is vital to know that a 'Yes' to a dinner date, or a drink at the nearby pub, does not mean 'Yes' to sexual advances, or physical approaches. It is vital to keep a safe distance until the woman actually agrees to physically be more comfortable with you.
In one such sequence of the film when Zoe (Sara Ali Khan) dates another guy, he takes her to the most expensive restaurants hoping to get lucky with her. However, when Zoe requests her to drop her home, the angry fellow drops her in the midway. That was the moment when Zoe remembered that Veer (Kartik Aaryan), who immediately came to pick her up and save her from the drunken state.
Raghu and his infidelity, how it affects Zoe
When Raghu (Randeep Hooda) tells Zoe of his fairytale love story with Leena, Zoe is unable to imagine a younger Raghu, hence pictures Veer as young Raghu. Unlike the 2009 film, the 2020 film dared to explore infidelity. The writers should win special credit for not justifying everything that went wrong between Raghu and Leena.
A magnificent Randeep Hooda managed to remain the show-stealer throughout the film. With each of his expressions, he delivered a sense of regret and a misplaced sense of manhood which he later regretted in the phase when he became a wise old cafe owner. That's why when he witnesses Veer and Zoe in the initial stages of their love, he plays the silent cupid only to complete a love story which he (Raghu) should have done with Leena.
