About the Movie Love Aaj Kal (2020)

The story primarily follows Zoe Chauhan, a young woman living in modern-day Delhi who is ambitious and determined to build a successful career. She meets Veer, played by Kartik Aaryan, and the two develop a strong romantic connection.

Zoe wants to maintain her independence and focus on her career, while Veer becomes increasingly emotionally attached to her. Their relationship begins to face difficulties as Zoe struggles to balance love and professional ambitions.

The film's contemporary story is connected to the past through Raghvendra "Raghu" Raj, played by Randeep Hooda. Raghu tells Zoe about his own youthful romance in the 1990s.

As a young man, Raghu falls deeply in love with Leena, played by Arushi Sharma. Their relationship takes place in a very different social environment, where family expectations and societal restrictions have a greater influence on their choices.

Raghu and Leena's love becomes intense, but circumstances separate them. Raghu eventually moves on with his life, carrying the emotional impact of that relationship with him.

The parallel stories of Raghu-Leena and Veer-Zoe demonstrate that although the circumstances surrounding love change with time, the fundamental emotions of attachment, longing, heartbreak and commitment remain similar.

Zoe gradually realizes that her determination to keep love and ambition completely separate may be preventing her from understanding what she truly wants.

Meanwhile, Veer struggles to find his place in Zoe's life without forcing her to abandon her dreams.

The film eventually brings the two timelines together thematically, showing that love requires both freedom and emotional commitment. Zoe must decide what she genuinely wants rather than simply following the expectations of society or her own predetermined plans.

Main Cast

• Kartik Aaryan — Veer and Raghu
• Sara Ali Khan — Zoe Chauhan
• Randeep Hooda — Raghvendra "Raj" / Raghu
• Arushi Sharma — Leena
• Simone Singh — Mrs. Chauhan
• R. Bhakti Klein — Supporting role
• Siddharth Shaw — Rathore
• Guneet Singh Sodhi — Boyfriend
• Shataf Figar — Mr. Taneja
• Monika Panwar — Sweety

IMDb lists Kartik Aaryan as playing the dual roles of Veer and Raghu, Sara Ali Khan as Zoe, Randeep Hooda as Raghvendra Raj and Arushi Sharma as Leena.

Director & Production

Director: Imtiaz Ali
Writer: Imtiaz Ali
Producers: Dinesh Vijan, Imtiaz Ali
Production Companies: Maddock Films, Window Seat Films, Reliance Entertainment, Jio Studios
Distributor: Pen Studios
Music: Pritam
Lyrics: Irshad Kamil
Background Score: Ishaan Chhabra
Cinematography: Amit Roy
Editing: Aarti Bajaj
Language: Hindi
Genre: Romance, Drama
Runtime: Approximately 141 minutes

Music

The music of Love Aaj Kal was composed by Pritam, with lyrics by Irshad Kamil. The soundtrack was released on 14 February 2020 and contains songs performed by several leading Bollywood singers.

Popular Songs

• Shayad — Arijit Singh
• Haan Main Galat — Arijit Singh & Shashwat Singh
• Mehrama — Darshan Raval & Antara Mitra
• Rahogi Meri — Arijit Singh
• Aur Tanha — KK
• Yeh Dooriyan — Mohit Chauhan
• Haan Tum Ho — Arijit Singh & Shilpa Rao
• Parmeshwara — Raftaar
• Dhak Dhak — Nikhita Gandhi & Akasa Singh

Among these, “Shayad� became particularly popular for its portrayal of the uncertainty and intensity of young love. The song was sung by Arijit Singh, composed by Pritam and written by Irshad Kamil.

Themes

Love Aaj Kal explores:

• Modern love
• Love versus career
• Changing relationships
• Family expectations
• Society and personal freedom
• Heartbreak
• Commitment
• Self-discovery
• Love across generations

The film's central idea is that the circumstances of love may change with time, but the emotions behind love remain timeless.

Legacy

Love Aaj Kal is a spiritual successor to Imtiaz Ali's 2009 film of the same name, which starred Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone. The 2020 film uses a different story and characters while retaining the central idea of comparing love across different generations.

The film is particularly remembered for its soundtrack, especially “Shayad,� “Mehrama,� “Haan Main Galat� and “Aur Tanha.� The album brought together Pritam and Irshad Kamil once again, with singers including Arijit Singh, Darshan Raval, Mohit Chauhan and KK.

The film received mixed critical and audience responses. Critics particularly discussed its nonlinear storytelling and the contrast between its 1990s and contemporary love stories.