Following the success of ‘Love Aaj Kal’, starring Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, Imtiaz Ali directed a sequel, also titled ‘Love Aaj Kal’, featuring Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aaryan. Unlike the original, which became a classic, the 2020 version received negative reviews and underperformed at the box office. The filmmaker recently acknowledged the film’s failure, attributing it to his inability to effectively communicate his vision to the actors. He has since expressed a preference to avoid sequels.
Talking on the YouTube channel Game Changer, Imtiaz revealed his mistakes in Love Aaj Kal (2020) and shared, “I could have done 2-3 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, people didn’t understand what happened. It seemed like this didn’t come from the heart. Secondly, I feel the film lacked freshness.”
Ali was asked if the failure of ‘Love Aaj Kal’ was due to its casting, but he rejected this idea. Sara faced negative reviews for her performance and was targeted by trolls, yet Imtiaz did not hold the actors responsible for the film’s shortcomings. 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 failure of ‘Love Aaj Kal 2’ made him hesitant to direct sequels, Imtiaz responded, “In a way, yes. Though I had a new story in Love Aaj Kal 2, still, 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.”
