TO FALL IN LOVE...

I am not sure how many people do this but after a movie gets over, on the journey back home scenes from the movie that I have just watched are replayed in my head and its really then that I can judge how good the movie really was. Kaz, a friend, calls it the movie hangover...something which he doesn't suffer from. I do though, and maybe that's because I am actually that Bollywood crazy. But hangover or not, as I took the journey back to Manipal after watching Love Aaj Kal, the scenes started replaying in my head again. n one of those scenes, Saif and Deepika meet secretly at her wedding at her behest. Saif is confused as to why Deepika would demand such a meeting. Clearly, she has made the choice and hence has moved on. As the scene unfolds, before Deepika can utter a word, Saif starts to speak and says that he is alright and that he is happy for her. He has moved on, he tries to convince her and even convince himself. But slowly, as he continues to speak, he realizes what's actually happened. He still rants on though, shifting from the 'move-on' talk to 'what could have been,' never really settling on any one thing and eventually just walking away to avoid further embarassment and confusion. In all this Deepika doesn't utter a single word. It's a scene with seriously undermined emotions, for the feelings are way bigger than the dialogues Saif utters, yet Deepika's silence mixed with Siaf's utter confusion at what he is blabbering and still continuing to do so registers those emtions wonderfully well and without using heavily cliched dialogue or an emotional ranting, Imtiaz Ali drives home the point.

It is this deft-handling of Imtiaz Ali that makes Love Aaj Kal what it really is. For the emotions are almost severely underplayed here till the last few reels and yet they come across in a way that only Imtiaz Ali can make it impossible. It's a movie that several of our top-notch film makers, in particular Karan Johan and Aditya Chopra, can a learn a lot from. For here is a movie that actually walks the talk. And yet it almost seems like an effortless job, the film almost so alarmingly simple that it would be easy to forget who really makes this movie. And this movie, ladies and gentlemen, is an Imtiaz Ali show all the way. Despite Saig Ali Khan's stupendous act , Deepika's coming of age performance and Pritam's chart-busting music, it really is Imtiaz Ali who is the true hero of the movie. And really-I wasn't expecting anything less.

This is a movie about self-denial and realization more than anything else. Jai(Saif Ali Khan) and Meera(Deepika Padukone) meet in a lift, flirt in a bar, make out in a car, realize that they are a couple because their friends point it out to them, make out again at a wedding and eventually break-up in a restaurant. All in a snazzy 20 minute sequence. And just to add the icing on the cake, they throw a break up party. Talk about throwing cliches out of the window. They part ways and become long distance buddies discussing each others irritating and good habits as they are not in a relationship anymore. They even tell each other about their current love life and discuss date tips. Not once realizing that their is something much more deeper being formed here and when they do realize it...both are too head strong to actually admit it. And as Jai and Meera take this journey from casual lovers to friends to realizing that they can't live without each other, Jai does so with the help of Veer(Rishi Kapoor) who narrates his own love story from his younger days to an often amused Jai.

Imtiaz Ali uses several props to move his story forward. One such enticing plot move is to have Saif Ali Khan play the younger Veer for as Veer says Jai reminds him of his younger and more romantic days. Another is to use a non-linear narrative style. As Veer starts narrating his love story, it couldn't be any more different from Jai and Meera's and yet by the end both stories have reached the same point. You can't help but baulk at the comparison, while Veer's story seems to be of the love forever variety Jai's is so much more casual in attitude and yet by the end both stories are riddling in the same intensity and sea of emotions. In fact, Jai's story has more intensity to it than Veer's. Yet all this really couldn't be possible without the dialogues. They are of such a casual variety that you woudn't really notice it in real life, heck-you can hear 20-something people narrate the same dialogues at a club or disco without as much as a word difference. Clearly, Imtiaz Ali sepaks the language of the Gen-next. One such cute little moment comes when Saif Ali Khan tells Deepika on the phone that she shouldn't really drink lest others take advantage of her and happily admits that he has taken advantage of her being drunk several times. Deepika responds by saying that she was never really that drunk and she pretended to be drunk only because she realized that it could be the only way to get him to do something. It's such wittily crafted dialgue and so casually told that you can't help but cheer for it.

Subtlety though is the key here. The dialogues, the jokes and more importantly, the emotions are underplayed so that you realize what's happening without the movie going over board. You see it in almost every nuance in the 1st half. It is there when Jai and Meera are to part ways after the break-up party. You see it when Meera tells Jai over the phone that someone has asked her out and as he tells this to Veer, Jai's tone changes in such a manner that you realize it's affecting him more than he would like to admit. You feel it when Jai smses Meera about him finally hooking up with a girl. Meera reads it and smiles a bit sadly. She then looks in the mirror and tries to smile again but clearly it isn't working. You see it when both Jai and Meera are at the same party with their respective dates but can't stop texting each other. And it is then that you realize that they never really broke up. They never really believed it but all this while they were in a long distance relationship, the very reason for which they broke up.

The transition from light moments to dramatic comes in the next sequence when a sullen Meera admits her boyfriend has proposed. Jai, the more naive of the two about their relationship, doesn't see it as a big deal telling that it's a good thing and taking her hand and pulling her close to him says that she can take her time to decide if she is confused. Meera simply says, "kaise? Tumse chup chup ke milke aur tumhaara haath pakadke?" And this is when they really break up. Meera admits, almost teary eyed, that Jai has to get out of her life entirely and only then can someone take his place. But by then we know it's too late. Taking Jai's place is almost impossible now. The two though, continue to deny it, realizing now that they are in love with each other but yet won't admit that they can't live without each other. And so another phase starts.

It is moments like these take Love Aaj-Kal to dizzy heights. The emotional scenes, especially in the 2nd half have been so beautifully executed that you never really feel the change from comedy to drama. In fact, it is the dramatic sequences that are the high light of the movie. Of the two love stories running concurrently, it is hard to say which one is better. As the movie starts, Veer's story sounds a lot more interesting for Jai's and Meera's story seem to be just too practical for liking and yet by the end you really can't wait to see the conclusion to the modern love tale. That again is Imtiaz Ali's magic.

The low points are few. The 1st half, although well executed, at times seems to be heading nowhere. The intermission comes out of the blue and at a very random juncture. The songs, expecially Twist and to an extent Main Kya Hoo seem to be a bit forced in the narrative. There is no explaination given to Meera's hurried decision to get married which seems so out of place for a character shown to be more practical than emotional. Was it to get back at Jai for not realizing or admitting what she has? The ending to the past love story turns out to be somewhat of a damp squib considering the build-up. Not that it is necessarily bad.

The plus points though outscore the negatives by a mile. Pritam's music is astounding, a complete chart buster and it's almost impposible to decide which is the best track. Aahu Aahu and Chor Bazaari are my clear favorites. Both also have the best choreography. Infact Chor Bazaari is such a fun song that you wish there was a way you could join Saif and Deepika in their onscreen escapades. The cinematography is top-notch, especially in the Delhi sequences when Jai and Meera's love seems to be rekindling. The screenplay reaches dizzying hieghts in the 2nd half when an almost half baked script is turned into astounding moments of emotional depth by a director who clearly knows what he is doing.

Finally, the performances. Is this Saif's career best performance? The answer is a straight no. For those who don't seem to understand what I am saying, I suggest you pick a dvd of Omkara. Yet, without it being his career best performance, it definitely ranks in the top 3. We have seen him play the urban cool dude in Hum Tum, Salam Namaaste, Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho so it almost seems like a repeat act, except here the graph of the character and they movie are a lot more complex than in his earlier movies. And as Jai, he catches those simple nuances so easily as he goes from the in denial mode to the desperate lover mode without even letting us notice it. The transtition happens seamlessly as if it was always meant to be. And it truly was meant to be. As the sikh though, Saif isn't as convincing as Jai Mehta but this is an earnest effort again and should not be undermined. Veer Singh is a character that doesnot come easily to Saif Ali Khan but even then he manages to make us root for him and hope he gets his Harleen as he stands under her balcony and makes his 'Pratigya.' Rishi Kapoor has that old word charm about him where you know he can't do anything wrong. He is simply too good an actor to do anything wrong.

The real surprise though is Deepika Padukone. 4 movies old and in none of her earlier movies did we see an actress who could actually act. There were hints that she could become an average actress at best but beyond that? Nigh impossible. But stranger things have happened and as so often happens, given a good character and a director who has extracted career best performances from his previous actresses, Deepika Padukone makes a mark and proves that she can act. Heck-she can cry even better and that really takes something. Watch the aforementioned sequence when the real break-up happens and another seqnece where a heart broken Meera talks to Jai on the phone, shouting merrily even as tears drop down her eyes. These are scenes of immense magnitude and a bad actress could have easily runied them, but Deepika sinks into her role and takes the graph of her character upscale like never before. Welcome Deepika. To the club of heroines who can actually act. We are glad you are here.

Finally though, as already said before, this is an Imtiaz Ali film from beginning to end. He seamlessly combines every element of the movie into something so beautiful that Love Aaj Kal becomes better than the sum of its parts. Taking two regular stories, juxtaposing them together in an effortless narrative, using witty and smart dialogues with pitch perfect casting and chart busting music, Imtiaz Ali is like that orchestra conductor blending all the beautiful but individual elements into an ensemble and making a maserpiece. Almost effortlessly. And Love Aaj Kal is a master peice no-less. It is his best work, no doubt, even bettering his earlier Jab We Met which in itself was such a difficult act to follow. Now that he has done it, it will be intresting to see what Imtiaz Ali does next. I really hope, for the sake of every movie lover in India, that Imtiaz Ali doesn't loose his way. Bollywood is in desperate need of film-makers like him.

Final Verdict: There is no way you can miss this one. Absolutely no way. This is the best romantic movie to come out of Bollywood in years. This is Imtiaz Ali's tour de force, a movie made with such effortless ease that you baulk at actually how good it is. It is a movie that deserves to be lauded for its simpicity and applauded for Imtiaz Ali's sheer genius. It is a movie that once again proves that Saif Ali Khan keeps reaching new heights as an actor and a movie that introduced us to Deepika Padukone the actress. It is a movie that had me jumping in a theatre and doing a jig to the Aahu Aahu song as the end credits roll. It is a movie that will make you smile as you come out of the theatres and remind you that we are better at romance than Hollywood is. To their every Titanic, we have a DDLJ, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa, Jab We Met and now...Love Aaj Kal. It is a movie for every Bollywood buff and anyone who is a romantic at heart. So go catch it now and fall in love all over again. For it's impossible not to fall in love with this movie.

As for me, I will be catching a repeat show of this movie at a cinema near me very soon. And I am pretty sure by next weekend I would have watched the movie atleast 5 times. For you see, that movie hangover really is quite strong. The scenes of Love Aaj Kal just don't stop playing in my head and I doubt it will anytime soon. And I am actually bloody happy. Imtiaz Ali, take a bow. AAHU AAHU AAHU!!

RATING: ****