Love Aaj Kal’ (transl. Love These Days) is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film starring Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone with Rishi Kapoor and Giselli Monteiro in supporting roles. Rahul Khanna and Neetu Singh also appear in cameo appearances. The film is directed by Imtiaz Ali and produced by Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan. The film portrays the feeling of pure love which never changes, although the perspective of realising one’s soulmate has changed over time. It was remade into Telugu as Teen Maar.
Its spiritual successor of the same name, also directed by Ali and starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan in lead roles, was released on 14 February 2020 on Valentine’s Day.
Plot
Jai Vardhan Singh (Saif Ali Khan) and Meera Pandit (Deepika Padukone) 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 Swiss girl named Jo (Florence Brudenell-Bruce), while Meera returns the feelings of her boss, Vikram Joshi (Rahul Khanna). The couple believes they have moved on.
Running simultaneously, but set in the past, is the tale of Veer Singh Panesar (Rishi Kapoor). 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 Kaur (Giselle Monteiro). 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 that Meera realizes her marriage is a mistake. She tells Vikram the truth and calls Jai, but he tells her about 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
- Saif Ali Khan as Jai Vardhan Singh/Veer Singh Panesar (Double Role)
- Deepika Padukone as Meera Pandit
- Giselli Monteiro as Harleen Kaur (Mona Ghosh Shetty as the Hindi dubbing voice)
- Rishi Kapoor as older Veer Singh Panesar
- Neetu Singh as older Harleen Kaur (special appearance)
- Rahul Khanna as Vikram Joshi
- Florence Brudenell-Bruce as Jo
- Raj Zutshi as Harleen’s father
- Kavi Shastri as Jaat
- Vir Das as Shonty
- Sagar Arya as Jai’s friend
- Mandi Sidhu as Colly
- Sheena Bhattessa as Neha Singh (Jai’s sister)
- Dolly Ahluwalia as Harleen’s Grandmother
- Rajiv Nema as Bangladeshi taxi driver
- Amanda Rosario as Amanda
- Himanshu Solanki
- Ajay Kalyan Singh as Guy in church
Production
The shooting of the film started in May 2008 and took place at the railway station of Patiala, Red Fort, Purana Qila and on the streets of Delhi. Parts were shot in London, San Francisco, and Kolkata. The building used as Golden Gate, Inc., in the film is actually the rotunda of San Jose City Hall. The film wasn’t given a name until January 2009, after shooting was complete.
Release
Marketing
The producers of the film agreed to market 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 the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was that both Khan and Padukone would be in England before the tournament begins, with Saif expected to commentate on matches for Indian television.
Reception
Critical reception
The movie received highly positive reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the movie 4 stars out of 5 saying, “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, likable. 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$6.0 million) in its first week. and ₹164 million (US$2.3 million) in its second week. Love Aaj Kal netted ₹669 million (US$9.4 million) in India. It was declared a super hit by Box Office India, grossing ₹890 million (US$12 million).The film grossed 1.2 billion(₹1.20 billion) worldwide and was one of the highest grossing films of the year
Soundtrack
| Love Aaj Kal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by
Pritam
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| Released |
26 June 2009 (India)
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| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 45:59 | |||
| Label | Eros Music Zee Music |
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| Producer | Pritam | |||
| Pritam chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Bollywood Hungama |   |
| Rediff |  |
The music of Love Aaj Kal was composed by Pritam and Salim-Sulaiman with the former composing songs and latter the score. The lyrics for songs were penned by Irshad Kamil, and the remixes created by DJ Sanj. The album earned Pritam his first IIFA Best Music Director Award.
Pritam revealed in a 2014 interview that Imtiaz Ali wanted A. R. Rahman to compose the music of the film, but the latter was available only for his next, Rockstar.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Twist” | Neeraj Shridhar, Suzanne D’Mello, Saif Ali Khan (Additional Vocals) | 5:01 |
| 2. | “Chor Bazaari” | Neeraj Shridhar, Sunidhi Chauhan | 4:19 |
| 3. | “Aahun Aahun” | Master Saleem, Neeraj Shridhar, Suzanne D’Mello | 4:45 |
| 4. | “Dooriyaan” | Mohit Chauhan | 5:36 |
| 5. | “Aaj Din Chadheya” | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan | 5:17 |
| 6. | “Thoda Thoda Pyaar” | Sunidhi Chauhan | 4:04 |
| 7. | “Main Kya Hoon” | KK | 5:48 |
| 8. | “Twist” (Remix) | Neeraj Shridhar | 4:04 |
| 9. | “Chor Bazaari” (Remix) | Neeraj Shridhar, Sunidhi Chauhan | 3:50 |
| 10. | “Aahun Aahun” (Remix) | Master Saleem, Neeraj Shridhar, Suzanne D’Mello | 4:36 |
Awards and nominations
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| Totals | 16 | 60 | |||
| References | |||||
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | 27 February 2010 | Best Film | Love Aaj Kal | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Imtiaz Ali | Nominated | |||
| Best Story | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best Dialogue | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actor | Saif Ali Khan | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Deepika Padukone | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Director | Pritam | Nominated | |||
| Best Lyricist | Irshad Kamil (“Aaj Din Chadheya”) | Won | |||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (“Aaj Din Chadheya”) | Nominated | |||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Sunidhi Chauhan (“Chor Bazaari”) | Nominated | |||
| Best Choreography | Bosco–Caesar (“Chor Bazaari”) | Won | |||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 5 June 2010 | Best Film | Love Aaj Kal | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Imtiaz Ali | Nominated | |||
| Best Story | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actor | Saif Ali Khan | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Deepika Padukone | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Rishi Kapoor | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Director | Pritam | Won | |||
| Best Lyricist | Irshad Kamil | Nominated | |||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (“Aaj Din Chadheya”) | Nominated | |||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Sunidhi Chauhan (“Chor Bazaari”) | Nominated | |||
| Best Choreography | Bosco–Caesar | Won | |||
| Best Costume Design | Anaita Shroff Adajania Dolly Ahluwalia |
Won | |||
| Producers Guild Film Awards | 8 January 2010 | Best Film | Love Aaj Kal | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Imtiaz Ali | Nominated | |||
| Best Story | Won | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best Dialogue | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Saif Ali Khan | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress in a Leading Role | Deepika Padukone | Nominated | |||
| Chevrolet Heartbeat of the Nation (Female) | Won | ||||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Rishi Kapoor | Won | |||
| Best Music Director | Pritam | Won | |||
| Best Lyricist | Irshad Kamil (“Twist”) | Nominated | |||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Mohit Chauhan (“Yeh Dooriyaan”) | Won | |||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Sunidhi Chauhan (“Chor Bazaari”) | Nominated | |||
| Best Choreography | Bosco–Caesar | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Anaita Shroff Adajania Dolly Ahluwalia |
Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Teddy Maurya | Nominated | |||
| Screen Awards | 9 January 2010 | Best Film | Love Aaj Kal | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Imtiaz Ali | Nominated | |||
| Best Story | Won | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best Dialogue | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actor | Saif Ali Khan | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Deepika Padukone | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Rishi Kapoor | Won | |||
| Best Female Debut | Giselli Monteiro | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Director | Pritam | Nominated | |||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (“Aaj Din Chadheya”) | Won | |||
| Best Lyricist | Irshad Kamil (“Chor Bazaari”) | Won | |||
| Best Editing | Aarti Bajaj | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound Design | Dileep Subramanian | Nominated | |||
| Stardust Awards | 17 January 2010 | Best Film of the Year | Love Aaj Kal | Nominated | |
| Hottest Film of The Year | Won | ||||
| Dream Director | Imtiaz Ali | Won | |||
| Star of the Year – Male | Saif Ali Khan | Nominated | |||
| Superstar of Tomorrow – Female | Deepika Padukone | Nominated | |||
| Exciting New Face | Giselli Monteiro | Nominated | |||
| New Musical Sensation – Male | Mohit Chauhan (“Yeh Dooriyaan”) | Nominated |
Remakes
The movie was remade in Tollywood in 2011 by the name Teen Maar starring Pawan Kalyan, Trisha Krishnan, and Kriti Kharbanda playing the lead roles.