Created by Thinkartha
Last edited March 3, 2026

Template:EngvarB

Love Aaj Kal 2009 film
File:Love Aaj Kal 2009 poster.jpg


Theatrical release poster

Directed by Imtiaz Ali
Written by Imtiaz Ali
Produced by Template:Unbulleted list
Starring Saif Ali Khan
Deepika Padukone
Giselli Monteiro
Rishi Kapoor
Cinematography Natty Subramaniam
Edited by Aarti Bajaj
Music by Songs:
Pritam
Background Score:
Salim–Sulaiman





Country India
Language Hindi
Budget Template:INR[1]


Template:Lang (Template:Translation)[2] is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Imtiaz Ali and produced by Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan under the production of Illuminati Films and Maddock Films. Starring Khan and Deepika Padukone,[3] it features Rishi Kapoor and Giselli Monteiro in supporting roles with Neetu Singh in a special appearance. The film follows Jai and Meera's journey, and portrays the feeling of pure love which never changes, although the perspective of realizing one's soulmate has changed over time.[4]

Template:Lang was released theatrically in India and worldwide on 31 July 2009. Produced on a budget of Template:INR crore, the film emerged as a critical and commercial success at the box-office, grossing Template:INR crore worldwide, ranking as the second-highest grossing Hindi film of the year. Upon release, it received positive reviews from critics for its novel concept, story, screenplay, direction, dialogues, soundtrack, humor, costumes, cinematography and performances of the cast.[5]

Template:Lang led the 55th Filmfare Awards with 12 nominations including Best Film, Best Director (Ali), Best Actor (Khan) and Best Actress (Padukone), and won 2 awards – Best Lyricist (Irshad Kamil for "Aaj Din Chadheya") and Best Choreography (Bosco–Caesar for "Chor Bazaari").[6]

Love Aaj Kal was remade in Telugu as Teen Maar (2011).[7] A spiritual successor of the same name directed by Ali, starring Kartik Aaryan with Khan's daughter Sara Ali Khan, was released in 2020.[8]

Plot

Jai Vardhan Singh and Meera Pandit are a modern couple living in London. Although happy together, they don't believe in holding each other back. When career opportunities arise, they amicably break up but remain friends. Meera moves to India, while Jai stays in London, hoping to land his dream job at Golden Gate Inc. in San Francisco. Jai starts dating a Swiss woman named Jo, and Meera gradually develops feelings for her boss, Vikram Joshi. Both believe they’ve moved on.

After his breakup, Jai meets Veer Singh Panesar, a great believer in love. Veer shares his own love story (which, while set in the past, runs simultaneously) with Jai in an effort to convince him not to let go of Meera. He narrates how he fell in love with Harleen Kaur at first sight and pledged to marry her, despite never having spoken to her. Jai mocks Veer’s old-fashioned ideals, but eventually agrees to visit Meera in India at Veer’s insistence.

Meera is stunned, and the two lie to both Jo and Vikram to spend time with each other. They realize how much they still like each other's company. Jai and Jo break up as Jai is unable to reciprocate the deeper feelings that Jo longs for. On the day Jai is to leave, Vikram proposes to Meera. She meets Jai secretly, who tells her she should make a decision. Angry, Meera tells him to leave her life or else she will never be able to really move on. Parallel to this in the flashback, Harleen has told Veer she was engaged without being told, and he must leave her.

Jai is called to his dream job in San Francisco the same day that Meera realizes her marriage is a mistake. She tells Vikram the truth and calls Jai, but he tells her about the Golden Gate. Realizing he is going to San Francisco, she tells him nothing. Meanwhile, in the past, Veer declares his intentions of marrying Harleen but is badly beaten by her family.

Jai begins to lose interest in his "dream job," finding that he is not as happy as he thought he would be. He is beaten by some thugs when, while being mugged, he refuses to give them a picture of Meera. He then realizes he still loves her and goes back to India. He finds Vikram, who informs him that Meera left him. In the past, Veer travels to Harleen's house on the day of her wedding and convinces her mother that Harleen can only be happy with him. Harleen's mother lets Veer elope with her daughter, and the two marry happily. In the present, Jai and Meera have a heart-touching reunion.

Cast

Template:Colbegin

Template:Colend

Production

Development

Love Aaj Kal was first announced by director Imtiaz Ali in 2008.[9][10] It is his third film as a director. The film marks Saif Ali Khan's debut as a producer and is produced under Khan and Dinesh Vijan's Illuminati Films and Vijan's Maddock Films.[11]

Casting

The film marked Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone's first of many collaborations

Saif Ali Khan, also the producer was cast to play the dual roles of Jai and Veer. Khan termed the role among his "favourite onscreen characters".[12] Deepika Padukone was cast to play Meera, in her first film with Khan.[13] Ali later said that casting Padukone was a "risk", mainly because she was a "newcomer".[14] Khan's then-girlfriend Kareena Kapoor who had earlier worked with Ali in Jab We Met (2007) lobbied hard for the part of the leading lady and openly expressed disappointment as not being cast again. However, Ali stated that according to him, Padukone suited the role of the new leading lady and he could not cast Kapoor wrongly. Kapoor after watching the film however, now says that Padukone was the perfect choice for the role.

Rishi Kapoor was cast to play the older Veer. Brazilian actress Giselli Monteiro auditioned for the role of Jai's girlfriend, but was cast to play Harleen, after Ali failed to find anyone suitable for the role.[15] Neetu Kapoor, was cast in a special appearance as older Harleen, marking her return to cinema after a 25-years long hiatus. Rahul Khanna was later cast as Meera's husband, Vikram.[16]

Filming

Delhi, where the film was mainly shot

The shooting of Love Aaj Kal started in May 2008.[3] It was mainly shot at the Red Fort, Purana Qila and on the streets and other parts of Delhi. Few scenes were also shot at the railway station of Patiala, in London, San Francisco, and Kolkata. The building used as Golden Gate, Inc., in the film is actually the rotunda of San Jose City Hall.[17][14] The film was not given a title until January 2009, till the shooting was complete.[18]

Soundtrack

Template:Main The soundtrack of Template:Lang was composed by Pritam Chakraborty and Salim–Sulaiman, with the former composing the songs and the latter the score. The lyrics for the songs were penned by Irshad Kamil, and the remixes created by DJ Sanj. The song "Twist" samples "Man Dole", composed by Hemant Kumar for Nagin (1954).[19] The album earned Pritam his first IIFA Award for Best Music Director, in addition to a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director.

Pritam revealed in a 2014 interview that Imtiaz Ali wanted A. R. Rahman to compose the music of the film, but the latter was available only for his next, Rockstar (2011).[20]

Release

The producers of the film agreed to market tie-ups with 2009 ICC World Twenty20, Shoppers Stop and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance.[21] The apparel worn by the lead cast is exclusively available at Shoppers Stop. With Bajaj Allianz, they have a tie-up to share the special moments where they could win a chance to meet the lead actor Saif Ali Khan, the protagonist and the producer of the film. The tie-up with the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was that both Khan and Padukone would be in England before the tournament begins, with Khan expected to commentate on matches for Indian television.[22] ASTPL, an Indian software developer, also released a mobile video game based on the film.[23] Love Aaj Kal was later made available on Amazon Prime Video.[24]

Reception

Critical reception

Template:Lang received positive reviews upon release, with praise for its novel concept, story, screenplay, direction, dialogues, soundtrack, humor, costumes, cinematography and performances of the cast.

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 4 stars out of 5, saying, "On the whole, Template:Lang is for the young and romantic at heart. Sure, it's not perfect, but the terrific performances, melodious music and stirring emotional moments more than compensate for the hiccups."[25] Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India gave the film 4 stars on a scale of 5, concluding that "Go watch it for its GenNow feel and its ekdum [sic] modern appeal."[26] Sonia Chopra of Sify gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5, commenting that "With lilting music and characters you'll love, Imtiaz Ali, brings out one of the most romantic films in recent times. It's a love story of the aam junta, with a delicious contemporary edge. Go get your fill."[27]

Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express gave the film 3 stars on a scale of 5, noting that "It's hard not to warm up to a film which is, at its core, likable. I just wish I could have liked it more."[28] Aniruddha Guha of DNA India gave the film 3 stars out of 5, writing that "Though Template:Lang may not quite be the film you expect it to be, it does not leave you feeling disappointed either. Watch it without too many expectations and you will come back smiling. And if you have wanted to ask someone out for a while, this film is the perfect ice-breaker."[29]

Raja Sen of Rediff.com gave the film 2.5 stars on a scale of 5, stating that "Template:Lang is a harmless, watchable film – sad because it could have been truly special. It has its moments in the first half, while the second half is an over-melodramatic drag."[30] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave the film 2 stars out of 5, pointing that "The film, in the end, is ordinary stuff, watchable but never memorable like the director's previous efforts, the far-superior Socha Na Tha (2005) and Jab We Met. I'm going with two out of five and an average rating for Template:Lang. It's like that plump mango you bite into only to discover it's not ripe yet. Watch it nevertheless for the sharp dialogue and some clever humor."[31]

Box office

After a bumper opening, Template:Lang netted Template:INRConvert in its first week and Template:INRConvert in its second week.[32][33] The film netted Template:INRConvert in India.[34] Template:Lang was declared a hit by Box Office India, grossing Template:INRConvert. It grossed ₹1.19 billion worldwide and was one of the highest grossing films of the year.[35][36]

Awards and nominations

List of accolades received by Template:Lang
Total number of awards and nominationsTemplate:Efn
Template:Won Template:Won Template:Nom
References
Award Date of ceremonyTemplate:Efn Category Recipient(s) Result Template:Abbr
Filmfare Awards 27 February 2010 Best Film Saif Ali Khan & Dinesh Vijan Template:Nom [37]
[38]
Best Director Imtiaz Ali Template:Nom
Best Story Template:Nom
Best Screenplay Template:Nom
Best Dialogue Template:Nom
Best Actor Saif Ali Khan Template:Nom
Best Actress Deepika Padukone Template:Nom
Best Music Director Pritam Template:Nom
Best Lyricist Irshad Kamil for "Aaj Din Chadheya" Template:Won
Best Male Playback Singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for "Aaj Din Chadheya" Template:Nom
Best Female Playback Singer Sunidhi Chauhan for "Chor Bazaari" Template:Nom
Best Choreography Bosco–Caesar for "Chor Bazaari" Template:Won
International Indian Film Academy Awards 5 June 2010 Best Film Template:Lang Template:Nom [39]
[40]
Best Director Imtiaz Ali Template:Nom
Best Story Template:Nom
Best Screenplay Template:Nom
Best Dialogue Template:Nom
Best Actor Saif Ali Khan Template:Nom
Best Actress Deepika Padukone Template:Nom
Best Supporting Actor Rishi Kapoor Template:Nom
Best Music Director Pritam Template:Won
Best Lyricist Irshad Kamil for "Aaj Din Chadheya" Template:Nom
Best Male Playback Singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for "Aaj Din Chadheya" Template:Nom
Best Female Playback Singer Sunidhi Chauhan for "Chor Bazaari" Template:Nom
Best Choreography Bosco–Caesar for "Chor Bazaari" Template:Won
Best Costume Design Anaita Shroff Adajania &
Dolly Ahluwalia
Template:Won
Producers Guild Film Awards 8 January 2010 Best Film Template:Lang Template:Nom [41]
[42]
Best Director Imtiaz Ali Template:Nom
Best Story Template:Won
Best Screenplay Template:Nom
Best Dialogue Template:Nom
Best Actor in a Leading Role Saif Ali Khan Template:Nom
Best Actress in a Leading Role Deepika Padukone Template:Nom
Chevrolet Heartbeat of the Nation (Female) Template:Won
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Rishi Kapoor Template:Won
Best Music Director Pritam Template:Won
Best Lyricist Irshad Kamil for "Twist" Template:Nom
Best Male Playback Singer Mohit Chauhan for "Yeh Dooriyaan" Template:Won
Best Female Playback Singer Sunidhi Chauhan for "Chor Bazaari" Template:Nom
Best Choreography Bosco–Caesar for "Chor Bazaari" Template:Nom
Best Costume Design Anaita Shroff Adajania &
Dolly Ahluwalia
Template:Nom
Best Production Design Teddy Maurya Template:Nom
Screen Awards 9 January 2010 Best Film Template:Lang Template:Nom [43]
[44]
Best Director Imtiaz Ali Template:Nom
Best Story Template:Won
Best Screenplay Template:Nom
Best Dialogue Template:Nom
Best Actor Saif Ali Khan Template:Nom
Best Actress Deepika Padukone Template:Nom
Best Supporting Actor Rishi Kapoor Template:Won
Best Female Debut Giselli Monteiro Template:Nom
Best Music Director Pritam Template:Nom
Best Lyricist Irshad Kamil for "Chor Bazaari" Template:Won
Best Male Playback Singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for "Aaj Din Chadheya" Template:Won
Best Editing Aarti Bajaj Template:Nom
Best Sound Design Dileep Subramanian Template:Nom
Stardust Awards 17 January 2010 Best Film of the Year Template:Lang Template:Nom [45]
[46]
Hottest Film of The Year Template:Won
Dream Director Imtiaz Ali Template:Won
Star of the Year – Male Saif Ali Khan Template:Nom
Superstar of Tomorrow – Female Deepika Padukone Template:Nom
Exciting New Face Giselli Monteiro Template:Nom
New Musical Sensation – Male Mohit Chauhan for "Yeh Dooriyaan" Template:Nom

Remake and spiritual successor

Template:Lang was remade in Tollywood in 2011 titled Teen Maar starring Pawan Kalyan, Trisha Krishnan and Kriti Kharbanda reprising the roles of Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Giselli Monteiro.[47][48]

A spiritual successor of the same name, also directed by Ali, was released in 2020, starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan.[49][50]

Legacy

Love Aaj Kal remains one of the most popular romantic comedy-dramas of Hindi cinema.[51] It is cited as a milestone in Ali, Khan and Padukone's career. Khan and Padukone's performance has been noted as one of their most notable works.[52][53]

Comparing the film with its reboot version, Nairita Mukherjee of India Today stated, "Love Aaj Kal was ahead of its time. It isn't Imtiaz Ali's best but the film had more character and depth than the 2020 version can ever hope to achieve." She praised the film for showing the characters "prioritise career over love", a rarity in Bollywood.[54] Utkarsh Mani Tripathi from Vogue praised the film and noted, "Imtiaz Ali has portrayed romance in less upper-class settings, to be sure, but rarely has he been more relatable and prophetic."[55]

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

  1. Love Aaj Kal - Movie - Box Office India. boxofficeindia.com.Template:Better source needed
  2. Movie review: Love Aai Kal. Independent Online(Aug 5, 2009). Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Deepika un'Saif' choice. Mid-Day. Retrieved 2 January 2008.
  4. Rahul Khanna to star in Uttu's and Karan Johar's home productions. Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  5. Top Worldwide Grossers All Time. Box Office India. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  6. Love Aaj Kal, a Smash Hit Template:Webarchive
  7. Pawan Kalyan Teen Maar | Pawan Kalyan Love Aaj Kal remake Teen Maar. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  8. Kartik Aaryan shares loved up picture with Sara Ali Khan and fans just can't keep calm!. The Times of India(20 March 2019). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  9. 2009 Week: Love Aaj Kal, The Last Mainstream "Regular" Film Imtiaz Ali Made. dontcallitbollywood(2019-11-27). Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  10. Imtiaz Ali reveals why Love Aaj Kal, Rockstar, Tamasha are his most visually stunning films. News18(2 October 2023). Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  11. Saif turns producer with 'Love Aaj Kal'. The Indian Express(11 June 2009). Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  12. Saif Ali Khan talks about his favourite roles. Daily News and Analysis(16 August 2015). Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  13. Deepika Padukone's character Meera in Love Aaj Kal was her strongest ever. The Indian Express(16 August 2015). Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Casting Deepika was a risk: Imtiaz Ali. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
  15. Love Aaj Kal's Punjabi kudi 'Harleen' is actually Brazilian model Giselle Monteiro. Bollywood Hungama(3 August 2009).
  16. The power of romance make Love Aaj Kal rock at the box office. Economic Times. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  17. Love Aaj Kal: 5 things that will refresh your memory about the Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone starrer. The Times of India. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  18. Saif's film called 'Love Aaj Kal'. Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  19. Bollywood has always been about the Punjabi culture: Pritam, Biswas, Premankur. The Indian Express(30 July 2009). Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  20. I despise item numbers(22 September 2013).
  21. Hopes ride high on Love Aaj Kal. The Economic Times(1 August 2009). Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  22. Love Aaj Kal Tied up with ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2009.
  23. Love Aaj Kal. phoneky.com. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  24. WATCH! Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone's Love Aaj Kal on Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime Video. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  25. Love Aaj Kal Review Bollywood Hungama. Bollywood Hungama(30 July 2009). Retrieved 31 March 2012.Template:Rating
  26. Love Aaj Kal Review Times of India(30 July 2009). Retrieved 31 March 2012.Template:Rating
  27. Review: Love Aaj Kal hits you like fresh air. Sify(30 July 2009). Retrieved 31 March 2012.Template:Rating
  28. Movie review: Love Aaj Kal(31 July 2009). Retrieved 31 March 2012.Template:Rating
  29. Review: Love Aaj Kal is the perfect date movie. DNA India(31 July 2009). Retrieved 31 March 2012.Template:Rating
  30. Yet another love story. Okay, two.. Rediff(31 July 2009). Retrieved 31 March 2012.Template:Rating
  31. Masand's Movie Review: Love Aaj Kal. CNN-IBN(2 August 2009). Retrieved 31 March 2012.Template:Rating
  32. Top Opening Weeks All Time UPDATED. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  33. Top Second Weeks ALL TIME Updated 16/02/12. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  34. Box office 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  35. Top First Weekend Net Grossers. BoxOfficeIndia.com. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  36. All India 2009 (Figures in INR). Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  37. Nominations for 55th Idea Filmfare Awards 2009. Bollywood Hungama(11 February 2010). Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  38. FILMFARE AWARDS 2010 WINNERS. The Times of India. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  39. Nominations for IIFA Awards 2010. Bollywood Hungama(8 May 2010). Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  40. Winners of the IIFA Awards 2010. Bollywood Hungama(5 June 2010). Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  41. Nominations for 5th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards. Bollywood Hungama(15 December 2009). Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  42. Winners of 5th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards. Bollywood Hungama(8 January 2010). Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  43. Nominations for Nokia 16th Annual Star Screen Awards 2009. Bollywood Hungama(31 December 2009). Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  44. Winners of Nokia 16th Annual Star Screen Awards 2009. Bollywood Hungama(9 January 2010). Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  45. Nominations for Max Stardust Awards 2010. Pinkvilla(18 January 2010). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  46. Winners of Max Stardust Awards 2010. Bollywood Hungama(18 January 2010). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  47. Pawan-Trisha film begins shoot. Sify(24 September 2010). Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  48. Review: Teenmaar is Pawan Kalyan's show(14 April 2011). Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  49. CONFIRMED! Kartik Aryan to romance Sara Ali Khan in Imtiaz Ali's Love Aaj Kal 2!(1 March 2019). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  50. Love Aaj Kal, With Kartik Aaryan And Sara Ali Khan, Is On Netflix: A Rewind Of This Imtiaz Ali Romance, Which Needed A Better Cast(29 April 2020). Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  51. Love Aaj Kal, Saathiya and more: The 10 best romantic films. The Times of India. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  52. Saif Ali Khan's 10 best performances, Ranked. Film Companion(18 April 2023). Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  53. Top 10 Deepika Padukone's best performances. Filmfare(18 May 2020). Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  54. We rewatched kal ka Love Aaj Kal. Saif Ali Khan is right, it is better. India Today(20 January 2020). Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  55. Love Aaj Kal is classic Imtiaz Ali fare for today's hustle-hungry generation. Vogue. Retrieved 21 February 2023.

Template:Portal

Template:Filmography of Imtiaz Ali