“The film has taken a superb initial,” says Komal Nahta, editor of The Film Street Journal. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh seconds that. “The opening’s on par with Ghajini. In the overseas, the film will be one of the biggest hits.” Devang Sampat of Cinemax confirms that the film has opened better than Ghajini in all its properties.

The film, about contemporary relationships in urban India, where the protagonists are not afraid of calling off their relationship in their pursuit for personal goals, seems to have struck a chord with the youth. “It was like watching me, or one of my friends, up there on screen,” says 22-year-old aspiring filmmaker, Viral Shah. “I have had a long distance relationship when I was studying abroad and could relate to the scenes.”

Law student Shruti Kant enjoyed the flashback portions, which had the more ‘Hindi film’ type of a love story. “The film intertwined love stories from then (Kal) and now (Aaj) very well and appealed to the romantic in me.” Shruti also feels that grey areas in the film, like the heroine realising she doesn’t want to be with her husband two days after marriage, was identifiable. “I completely related to Deepika’s character.”

The film’s appeal may be restricted to the youth due to its content and treatment by writer-director Imtiaz Ali, but its not something actor-producer Saif Ali Khan and he need to worry about.The major chunk of the film going audience in India is made up of youngsters, says Adarsh, and the film appeals to them. “Even though few over the age of forty may like it, it will be strongly patronised by women for its emotions, an advantage even Ghajini didn’t enjoy.”

Whether in the final analysis, the film will better Ghajini at the box office or be as patronised as Jab We Met on the small screen, remains to be seen. But for now, its Love All at the theatres.

Source: DNA India

The director says he has included the so-called objectionable scenes in the movie’s promos so that people are already used to it by the time they see the film.

“See, it’s the way you put it in the film and treat it. It’s up to the filmmaker not to make his film some fodder for perversion or lechery.” Ali said.

Ali promises that Love Aaj Kal, which is Saif’s production debut, is a film that would be accepted by an entire family.

“Kisses included,” he winks. “Nobody will feel inhibited watching Love Aaj Kal. No one will hesitate walking into the film with his family. All that is potentially objectionable in the film in the strictest of sense has been taken care of in the first promo. If you have warmed up on it, rest assured you will love Love Aaj Kal,” the filmmaker said.

Love Aaj Kal is his third love story after Socha Na Tha and the blockbuster Jab We Met.

But there were people around Ali who weren’t too comfortable with the idea of showing Saif trying to hold Deepika’s butt, then share an unabashed kiss with her in the car and also mouth Hinglish expletives on a date right in the promo itself.

“They thought that people may get an impression that the film was only about these things but I had my own viewpoint,” explains Ali.

“My argument is that audiences are really smart. They pretty much see the intention of the filmmaker and make up their mind to watch the film accordingly. We better start taking them seriously rather than attempt at fooling them by considering ourselves over smart,” he says.

To substantiate his claim, Ali goes on to share an anecdote from his experience during the making of Jab We Met, which starred Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor.

“Remember the sequence in the second half of the film when Kareena curses her ex-boyfriend on phone? Did the audience feel awkward? Not at all. In fact they laughed during the entire scene and not a single soul came and told me that he/she felt offended by the language,” Ali reasons.

The director, however, admits that for Love Aaj Kal, the prime target audience is the younger crowd.

“And that’s more by accident rather than planned,” he says. “The film caters to them mainly because it’s this age group that goes and sees films in theatres. Due to this, even when I am conceptualising a film and then putting it on celluloid, I feel safe from my target audience perspective,” he explains.

Chief Judicial Magistrate M K Jain acted on a charge-sheet submitted by Mr Yogesh Sharma who was hurt over the film depicting this town as a den of prostitution. Mumbai-based Ashtvinayak Cine Vision Private Limited, Shahid and Kareena were also named as accused.

Ali failed to appear in court today. November 11 was set as the next date for hearing.

source:gobollywood