Love aaj kal

In this offbeat Bollywood saga the story flits between the present day and the 1960's, juxtaposing two love stories. In an expat Indian community of contemporary London, young Jai and Meera fall in love. But just as their quintessentially modern way of meeting, via nightclubs and Internet, they decide to break up due to conflicting career ambitions. Following the break-up Jai meets an old man named Veer whose own love story set in the 60's constitutes the films other half.

"Love Aaj Kal" does not decry modern love - celebrating the innocence of the past - but rather endeavors to explore different methods of courtship without passing judgment. Director Imtiaz Ali inventively accentuates the disparity of the two eras. Traditional Bollywood musical numbers are in the flashback contextualized as community dancing for festivals and features realistic choreography and costuming. In stark contrast the portion set in the present features catchy tunes complete with backup dancers in skimpy costumes. "Love Aaj Kal" is a fascinating and very funny study of the changing face of love.
JONAS ADNER