Love Aaj Kal: 5 Things That Have Changed Since Imtiaz Ali Made The Original With Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone in 2009

With Love Aaj Kal 2020, Imtiaz Ali is out with his next directorial after a gap of three years. The movie is a modern-day reprisal of his earlier hit, also named Love Aaj Kal, that came back in 2009. The newer version stars Sara Ali Khan, Kartik Aaryan, Arushi Sharma and Randeep Hooda. The older version had Sara's father, Saif Ali Khan, in the lead, with Deepika Padukone, Rishi Kapoor and Giselli Monteiro in the cast too. Sara Ali Khan Shares Adorable Throwback Pictures With Kartik Aaryan from the Sets Ahead of Love Aaj Kal's Release.

Both the films were about two different love stories set in two different timelines, with the male lead playing two roles, one in each of the stories. If Saif Ali Khan had dual roles in Love Aaj Kal 2009, then it is the turn of Kartik Aaryan to do so in the new version. Love Aaj Kal 2020 is scheduled to release on February 14.

Although there is just an 11-year gap between both the Love Aaj Kals, a lot has changed in between. And I am not even talking about Saif's daughter, Sara, being a lead of her own now and being a part of the reprise. Here are the five things that changed about the status quo of the original in comparison to the sequel.

Imtiaz Ali Was Basking in Jab We Met Success

When the earlier Love Aaj Kal came out, Imtiaz Ali was a much-in-demand director for giving a smash hit in Jab We Met, a couple of years before. Presently, Imtiaz Ali hasn't managed to score a decent hit since Love Aaj Kal, with Rockstar and Highway being average grossers, and Tamasha and Jab Harry Met Sejal being failures. JHMS's disastrous performance is especially hurting, since it starred two huge stars in Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma, and was Ali's most critically reviled film. That has dented Imtiaz's credibility, and he is placing all bets on Love Aaj Kal 2020 to revive his reputation as a strong filmmaker.

Imtiaz Ali Wasn't Accused of Being Formulaic

When the original Love Aaj Kal came out, Imtiaz was just three films old and each of his film - Socha Na Tha (very underrated), Jab We Met and LAK - despite being romantic films, stood out from each other. Things are different in 2020. Ali is being criticised of repeating his old formula of having a man-child as a hero, making Kartik act as if he was auditioning for Rockstar and bringing no freshness in his love story. Love Aaj Kal: Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aaryan's Intimate Scenes in the Film Get Chopped up by Censor Board.

Saif Ali Khan Was a Major Box Office Force Then

Saif Ali Khan, during Love Aaj Kal days, was a force majeure when it came to box-office. Love Aaj Kal, in fact, was his third film production when he was a part of Maddock Films. Things have changed circa 2020. While there is no dent in Saif's popularity, his box office pull is still in question, despite the recent successes of Tanhaji and Jawaani Jaaneman. Saif is much more in demand on the OTT platforms, thanks to the success of Sacred Games. He is also no longer part of Maddock Films. Deepika Padukone, on the other hand, is at the top of her game, even though her last outing, Chhapaak, had underperformed at the box office.

The Songs Were Original

Even more than the film, the soundtrack composed by Pritam for the original Love Aaj Kal was pure blockbuster material. Be it songs like "Twist", "Chor Bazari",  "Aahun Aahun",  "Dooriyan" and "Aaj Din Chadeya" ruled the box office charts then, and continue to popular even now. Presently, we are in a phase where originality in Bollywood music seems to be a dying concept, with more and more remixes and recreations being preferred by the filmmakers. So it feels kinda sad to see Ali, who has a keen ear for good music, following this trend and recreating two songs from the original film for Love Aaj Kal 2020, while the rest of the songs aren't exactly setting things on fire.

The Buzz Was Absolutely Positive Then

A big question that is facing us before the release of Love Aaj Kal 2020 is why is this film getting not the right kind of positive buzz. Thanks to Valentine Day's appeal and Kartik Aaryan's strong fanbase, Love Aaj Kal 2020 has the potential to do good business in its opening weekend. But the trailer hasn't been very positively received, and even the songs too. Even the dialogues, which used to be Imtiaz Ali's forte, have become fodder for memes. This wasn't the case with the original Love Aaj Kal. While it may not be the best-reviewed film directed by Ali, it was considered fresh then, and had a positive buzz around the release.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 13, 2020 05:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).