Modern love is a film for tomorrow
By Rama Gaind
In addition to acting the lead in the latest Bollywood film to hit Canberra – ‘Love Aaj Kal’ – Saif Ali Khan also co-produces it for director Imtiaz Ali.
The winning formula pits modern love, with the aid of mobiles, internet and SMS, against old-fashioned romance where commitment, restraint and respect were the underlying factors for affection. This film is anything other than the perennial formulaic tale where the story and a message takes precedence.
Shorter than most Indian films, Ali keeps a tight reign on the pace over two hours as the present seamlessly intertwines with the past.
At the start, there’s a fast fling between the progressive couple – Jai (Saif) and Meera (Deepika Padukone) – who have a zest for living in London without any emotional baggage. Fast-forward and you see their liaison blossoming, but like-minded and faithful as they are their relationship cannot bear the weight of legal bonding.
Instead, they call it quits when professional opportunities draw them elsewhere. Jai and Meera are the young lovers of today (Aaj).
This is the cue for Veer Singh’s (Rishi Kapoor) entry as his past is the Kal (meaning tomorrow) of the title. A successful entrepreneur, Veer is mindful of his past options and chooses to show Jai the craziness of his ways.
Amazed by current easy-going trends, Veer recalls the hardships he had to endure to win his love Harleen. He’s quick to point out – to a disbelieving Jai – that in his day when it came to pursuing relationships, there were no compulsions, choices and options. That’s what’s called a generation gap!
In a double role, Saif is fine as the young Veer, but flawed as Jai, even though he displays some charisma. While Deepika shows style, work needs to done on her voice modulation. Rishi is excellent as the mature Veer.
Irshad Kamil’s lyrics are set to music by Pritam and the songs are finely woven into the screenplay. One of them is a stand-out: ‘Twist’ featuring a snake charmer’s tune maybe inconsequential, but it is catchy.
Director Ali has pulled off his second success: ‘Jab We Met’ has been succeeded with an oddly appealing movie made up of flawed characters whose practicality tends to hinder their understanding of love. Here’s one filmmaker who knows how and when to push the scenes without delivering extensive sermons.
