After the success of ‘Love Aaj Kal’ (2009), which starred Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles, Imtiaz Ali decided to direct a sequel to the film, also titled ‘Love Aaj Kal’, featuring Saif’s daughter Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aaryan in the lead. While the first film was a massive success, even earning the status of a classic, ‘Love Aaj Kal’ (2020) didn’t have the same journey. It was panned by critics and failed to perform at the box office.
In a recent interaction, Imtiaz opened up about the film’s failure and declared that he would largely stay away from sequels.
Speaking on the ‘YouTube’ channel ‘Game Changer’, Imtiaz admitted to his mistakes in ‘Love Aaj Kal’ (2020) and said, “I could have done two to three things differently. I tried to put too much into it and that’s why it became heavy. The ease of the film was compromised. It became thick and people didn’t understand what happened. It seemed like this didn’t come from the heart. Secondly, I feel the film lacked freshness.”
When asked whether the film’s failure was due to its casting, Imtiaz refuted the notion. Sara Ali Khan received negative reviews for her performance in the film and had also become a target of trolls. However, the filmmaker didn’t blame the actors. He explained, “Not because of casting, but whenever you are making a sequel, you should have a proper reason to make it. I had that reason, but I wasn’t able to express that. At least, it didn’t get expressed in the publicity of the film.”
When asked if the film’s failure made him hesitant to direct sequels, he responded, “In a way, yes. Though I had a new story in ‘Love Aaj Kal 2’, the film didn’t work. So, unless it is really necessary, I am not interested in making sequels. But never say never - ‘Rockstar 2’ may be nice.”