What’s real and what’s not? What’s perfect and what’s not? There is always something around us, which may teach us about life. Spoiler Alert ahead, for those who didn’t watch Love Aaj Kal 2020. If you don’t wanna watch or have watched it already, then go ahead
So, yeah, I am back, still social distancing from my dog. I am back with something to discuss something some of you may not like. But it doesn’t matter for me, I am just here to share my views. So yeah, let’s get on with it.
I was planning to start with writing this one, just after the day, I posted my previous one. But typing isn’t so easy. If something just hits on our feels, on something we are writing upon, directly or indirectly, it just becomes tough to type. So yeah, I just couldn’t type this one out sooner, along with some other reasons.
I had decided on what I was about to type when tragedy struck. Two legendary actors dying on consecutive days. Irrfan and Rishi Kapoor, both master artists. Both of them leaving this world, so soon. As someone told before, the good doesn’t stay long in this weird world. It is just sad, that they aren’t among us right now. RIP legends.
So, a few days ago I watched a movie… ‘Love Aaj Kal’. Not the old one, of course, which was acted by late Rishi Kapoor, Saif and Deepika. I mean, the 2020 one. Even though people liked the old one more than the new one, I would say the new one wasn’t as bad as they say. I just watched it to understand what was there to hate. Yeah, the old one had happy endings, in both stories of ‘Kal’ and ‘Aaj’. But not all stories just end with a happy ending. This one was just different.
The film just represents real life, on how a story just impacts the audience and in what way. The film/story is represented by the ‘Kal’ story’s character played by Randeep Hooda (RIshi Kapoor played this character in the old one). The audience is represented by Sara and the respective lover of the audience is represented by ‘Aaj’ story’s character played by Kartik. Sara plays a self-built character named Zoe, who just wants to be successful with the help of her long-term plan by herself. While she follows her mind over her heart, Veer (Kartik’s character) was just the total opposite of her. She is the systematic person, just following the work ethics to be successful, and Veer, questioning everything and following his heart, trying just enough to be with her.
Enter Raghu, who after seeing the couple, tries to convince Zoe about why Veer might be a good choice for her, tells his story. After hearing quarter of his story, which had begun fantastically, she instantly got convinced that her life can be the same as the story and accepts Veer. She defies her own rules and her mom. Well, it’s just sad to say that these kinda people exist in the real world. Well after, everything seems to be going well, Zoe gets to hear the 2nd quarter after she realizes the story told to her isn’t the same as in present. After getting to know the miseries he had caused and losing his original love, to become successful in life, she gets confused. She decides to become her old self and breaks up with Veer. Even though certain circumstances forced her to be like that, the real culprit was her inability to take in some guy’s story. While she moves on with her ‘own rulez’ plans and tries to be successful, Veer tries to do the same. He gets a job, focussing on his life, but not able to move on. She again gets to hear the ¾ part of the story, which explains the whole ‘getting to be successful, without actual love’ part of Raghu’s life. She kinda sees Veer in a similar instance as that of the story and assumes he moved on.
While Veer wants her to come back in her own will, not letting any story define her life While Veer wants her to come back on her own will, not letting any story define her life. He wants the whole Zoe. On the other hand, she still relies on and lives on the basis of the story told to her. She eventually becomes successful and proves her robotic long-term life plan. She again gets confused, when her mom, who is her role model tries to convince her to get married. The decision can make her give up the hard-earned career. She tries to get relief and solution, from none other than Raghu. He eventually convinces her that even though how much one tries to become successful with his/her life, they will never forget the aspect that once gave them joy and happiness in their life. So, she FINALLY decides to be with Veer, whom she thinks is the real source of her happiness and not her job.
While I told the story in kinda large bits and pieces, I will tell how this film had some real case scenarios hidden around. The audience wants every love story to end happily just like the first Love Aaj Kal. But in what way, the story/film should decide one’s love story? Like Raghu told Zoe after ending his story, ‘What are you to me? What difference does my story make, on your story?’ People like us want everything to be flawless. But nothing and no one is perfect, in this real world. Everything and everyone has their own flaws. Whether it’s about a successful career or happy love story, everything comes with baggage. There are social norms, difficulties, parental pressures, internal dilemmas over love or career. They all are part of the baggage. They try to find relief within ‘fairy-tale’ romantic films, but when they get to see the unhappy ending love stories, they try to blame it for being bad.
The director had showcased on how films like this works (as explained above). The director had showcased how films like this work (as explained above). Unfortunately, the audience ended hating this film, because of the inconsistency of the screenplay. I may also tell that there was a hint of over-acting from Sara, too, which the audience really hated.
The flaws are like a glass panel. The glass is so clear and transparent, that only if people walk into it, will they realise its presence. The shattering of the glass or the revelation of the flaws might be weird and sad to live with. But, if you love someone enough, you tend to overlook these flaws.
The director did a good one, to show how a love story looks like in both ‘Aaj’ and ‘Kal’. But if he tries to make another one after a decade, I would love to suggest as Veer tells Raghu in a scene, ‘Please don’t push for it (‘her’, in the movie), otherwise, it will be a mess’.
That’s all folks. Hope you have a great time ahead. Until next time
(The story of the glass and the flaws is referred from ‘How I Met Your Mother’- Season 3, Episode 8-‘Spoiler Alert’, which is a one of the best episode of the series. Do watch it for fun. Cheers!)
CaptainCold's Utopia 