The makers of Love Aaj Kal 2020 should have considered themselves lucky. Even though 2020 is a jam-packed year, with even the huge films getting difficult to find a solo release, Love Aaj Kal managed to get a solo window on February 14 for a Bollywood film. With February 14 also being celebrated as Valentine's Day and this Imtiaz Ali film fitting right into that mood, the movie was expected to have a bumper opening weekend. The fact that Love Aaj Kal starred Kartik Aaryan, who has become a bankable name in the market, and Sara Ali Khan, who is coming after two hits in Kedarnath and Simmba, makes it all the more delectable. Love Aaj Kal: Ranking All Imtiaz Ali Movies From Worst to Best; Where Does Sara Ali Khan, Kartik Aaryan Starrer Fit In?

And yet, Love Aaj Kal does underwhelming business in its opening weekend. Reportedly having a budget of about Rs 65 crore, Love Aaj Kal made about Rs 27.86 crore. While it is still a decent figure, the concerning factor here is that Love Aaj Kal made Rs 12.40 crore on the first day, and the collections went down on Saturday and Sunday. Sure, Friday was Valentine's Day, but it isn't a public holiday, and the fact that the movie didn't work on the weekends make it difficult for the film to sustain ahead. Love Aaj Kal Box Office Collection Day 3: Kartik Aaryan-Sara Ali Khan’s Romantic Drama Does Not See a Growth in Its Collections, Earns Rs 27.86 Crore.

So what worked against Love Aaj Kal? In this feature, we look at the five factors that worked against the movie's box office performance.

Imtiaz Ali Comes With His Baggage

Imtiaz Ali is a good film-maker going through a really bad phase. He may not have given a big hit since ages, but he was known as this master of romance with currents of philosophy that appealed to the forlorn lovers in us. That credibility got a huge dent with his last film, Jab Harry Met Sejal, that not only disappointed at the box office, but also got middling reviews. Considering it was a Shah Rukh Khan movie and most of his fans are blaming the director for beginning SRK's bad streak at the box office, Ali has lost the confidence of a huge chunk of fans there. And then the below happened...

The First Impression = Not Really The Best Impression

The first trailer was where Ali and his team could have made the right amount of buzz. The trailers had to show the director is back in form, and justifying the need to remake a film that came out mere 11 years back. Well, the trailer came out and it turned out to be errr... okayish. While it was made to look appealing, the detractors picked out things like Sara's OTT act in an emotional scene, repetitive Imtiaz Ali tropes and relying on the songs of the previous film to push it through. There is also the fact that some of the romantic elements shown in the trailer like 'stalking' wasn't found too romantic by the viewers. Love Aaj Kal didn't generate the right kind of buzz that was needed to make a great impression, something which was asked to the stars when they went to promote the film. Love Aaj Kal: 10 Bizarre Takeaways From Imtiaz Ali’s Film With Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan (SPOILER ALERT).

The Formula

Imtiaz Ali's two biggest hits were Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal. Both the films had both humour and emotions in equal measure, and it worked in their favour, appealing to the masses. Ali's subsequent films, while good, focused more on the pain of its lead characters, taking a more serious tone. They might have got critical appreciation, but didn't manage to work well at the box office, be it Rockstar, Highway (average) and Tamasha, JHMS (flop). Love Aaj Kal is darker and more serious than its 2009 predecessor and the fans, who prefer more light-hearted fare (unless it creates the attention-seeking controversy like Kabir Singh) didn't take the chance here. Love Aaj Kal Movie Review: Imtiaz Ali Puts Up Another Disappointing Show in Kartik Aaryan-Sara Ali Khan’s Vaguely Annoying Love Story.

Not Kartik Aaryan's Appealing Brand

Kartik Aaryan is an actor who has been in the industry since 2011 with the cult hit Pyaar Ka Punchnama. Kartik took three more years to get his second hit, Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2, and three further years to cement himself as a box office star with the 2018 film Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. His subsequent films, Luka Chuppi and Pati Patni Aur Woh, were money-spinners. All the hits that Kartik gave were light-hearted romantic entertainers. Sure, the problematic nature of the humour (read: misogyny) was criticised, but they were successes, nonetheless. A serious film like Love Aaj Kal was an acid test for the star to prove himself to be someone who can do good beyond his comfort zone. While Kartik is decent enough in Love Aaj Kal, especially in the '90s track, it feels like the fans were ready to see him in darker kind of roles. Kartik's films also work more in the massy belt, and Love Aaj Kal is not exactly a film that caters to that kind of audience.

The Reviews

Continuing on the previous points, Kartik's light-hearted fare (and Sara's last release Simmba) were critic-proof films, because that's what our audiences preferred in these times. A movie like Love Aaj Kal may get a good opening on these stars' box office charm and the Valentine Day fervour, but it also needs good reviews to push itself ahead, especially since it is not 'massy'. Sadly for the LAK team, the movie got the worst reviews of both their stars' recent films, with even the more forgivable publications (read: regional) thrashing the film. Add the vicious trolling on social media about the film, and Love Aaj Kal failed to get the reception that would have helped in its sales.

With two major releases in the week ahead - Bhoot: Part One - The Haunted Ship and Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan - it may take a miracle for Love Aaj Kal to sustain ahead.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 17, 2020 03:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).