Imtiaz Ali has made three love stories so far (LAK included). All of them revolve around two primary characters and their journeys. Socha Na Tha was about marriage and love, Jab We Met was about friendship and love and now, Love Aaj Kal is about relationships and love.

All three movies are very different from each other in spite of having the same basic premise. Each film is a refreshing insight into the dynamics of love.

In Love Aaj Kal, Jai and Meera are your contemporary confused couple. They love each other (though love is a very big word for them so they use like) but they don’t think it will last forever. From London, Meera wants to return to India to become a (monument) restoration artist and Jai wants to go to San Francisco to work with Golden Gate Inc. So they go their separate ways. Then there is die-hard-romantic café owner Veer Singh Panesar Rishi Kapoor who narrates his love story to Jai and laments over the shallow perception of Love Aaj as compared to love Kal. He also tells him his own love story. Meanwhile, Jai gets involved with Jo (Florence Brudenell Bruce) and Meera with her boss Vikram (Rahul Khanna)

LAK lives up to your expectations. Even the story-telling is quite different; it’s slightly non-linear. The first half may leave you a little confused but the second half sorts everything out. The film will grow on you and each time you see it, you will relate or connect to it in a new way.

I think it’s unfair to compare it to Jab We Met because neither is it a sequel nor does it have the same cast. Jab We Met was very lively; Love Aaj Kal is on the subtle side. Yet, the obsession with trains continues and we aren’t complaining.

As far as performances go, Saif Ali Khan is only getting better with age and each film. He is 38 years old, but when you see him in LAK he is the ideal guy that every girl dreams of. He looks exceptionally handsome and youthful in the movie. He is charming, funny, naughty and sweet. Though he has enacted the lover boy character earlier in Hum Tum, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Ta Ra Rum Pum, Salaam Namaste, LAK is easily his most spontaneous and endearing performance and his best film since Omkara. It’s amazing how he is spot on with every emotion, whether he is playing Jai in 2009 or the turbaned Veer in 1965.

LAK is Deepika’s fourth film and she proves she can act. Not only does she look very pretty, her performance is natural to the core. She makes a good pair with Saif too. In a few scenes, she expresses herself beautifully even without dialogues.

Rishi Kapoor is at his wisest and lovable best. We would love to see more of him on screen.

The girl who plays Harleen Kaur has just about a couple of dialogues. But she is perfectly cast and her eyes speak volumes. Rahul Khanna was also a good choice simply because of his good looks.

The juxtaposition of the two stories is beautifully done.

The production values are brilliant. Sepia toned Punjab and colourful London look equally good. The cinematography and locales are breathtaking.

Imtiaz Ali’s dialogues are unusually funny and witty. He makes you notice the most common things in everyday life or voices your thoughts. Every scene has the desired impact. The break up party and ‘meeting in Delhi’ sequences are hilarious. Even the conversations that Jai and Meera have when she comes back to India are unforgettable. The emotions of Saif’s Golden Gate stint are beautifully captured and very relatable. The climax is very sweet.

The music is one of Pritam’s best. Ye dooriyan, Twist, Aahun Aahun and Chor Bazari are instant favourites.

LAK is a movie you must book tickets for right away, has a message. Some of us know it, some of us believe it. But do we live it?

Janhvi Patel/Hill Road Media