Bollywood Banter

Love Aaj Kal - Relevant ideas, Sub-par acting and lazy writing Imtiaz Ali is often regarded as being a filmmaker who makes deep, layered films that delve into the fascinating emotion of love. He addresses insecurities, problems and the feeling as a whole. Many have therefore regarded him as an intellectual filmmaker who makes classy rather than massy films. In Love Aaj Kal, Imtiaz Ali once again makes some very relevant, realistic points, however, he is unable to make the package as a whole an attractive one.  The storytelling idea of this film, is similar to the one Imtiaz used in his 2009 film by the same name. He aims to use two parallel love stories, separated by around 30 years, to show that the essence of love doesn’t change even though the surroundings and the people might. In this film Imtiaz uses his main female character, Zoe, played by Sara Ali Khan, to portray what he believes are the confusions of today’s Gen Z girls. He portrays...

Jawaani Jaaneman: Predictable but entertaining Very often today we forget that the main aim of movies is entertainment. Most people go in to the hall expecting the movie to provide them with some life lesson or a gripping portrayal of history. However, cinema in India was earlier a place where families went to enjoy themselves and have a good time, filled with laughter and a sprinkle of emotion. Jawaani Jaaneman brings back some of this flavour. The movie centres around a 40-year-old man, Jazz, played by Saif Ali Khan, who refuses to accept the fact that he’s ageing and carries on living the bachelor life, until one day his 21-year-old daughter, played by debutant Alaya Furniturewala, who he had no idea existed shows up and slowly changes the way he views the world. It is a predictable plot-line, however, thankfully the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously. This allows the actors to showcase their flair, while still keeping the movie light-hearted and...