# Love Aaj Kal (लव आज कल) (2009 film)
**Love Aaj Kal** (लव आज कल) is a 2009 Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama written and directed by Imtiaz Ali, released on 31 July 2009, that tells two parallel love stories set in the present day and in the 1960s[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/cast/) • [2](https://www.netflix.com/title/70124650). It stars [Saif Ali Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/saif-ali-khan) and [Deepika Padukone](https://www.edgepedia.org/deepika-padukone) as the contemporary couple, with [Rishi Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/rishi-kapoor) as the older narrator figure, and was the first production of Saif Ali Khan's company Illuminati Films, made with Eros Entertainment[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/cast/) • [3](https://www.dawn.com/news/483026/frontseat-love-aaj-kal-but-not-of-the-kambakkht-kind). The film was a major commercial success, recording an India net total of ₹665.6 million (₹66.56 crore) against a production budget of ₹420 million (₹42 crore)[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/box-office/) • [5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/box-office-update/b-o-update-love-aaj-kal-has-superb-start-in-india-pakistan-uae/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 31 July 2009 (Hindi; romance and drama)[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/cast/) |
| Director and writer | Imtiaz Ali[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1275863/credits/) |
| Lead cast | Saif Ali Khan as Jai Vardhan Singh and Veer Singh; Deepika Padukone as Meera Pandit; Rishi Kapoor as the older Veer Singh; Giselli Monteiro as Harleen Kaur[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1275863/credits/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_aaj_kal_2009) |
| Producers | Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan, under Illuminati Films and Eros Entertainment[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/cast/) |
| Music | Pritam Chakraborty, Salim Merchant, Sulaiman Merchant, and Daboo Malik[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1275863/credits/) |
| Budget | ₹420 million (₹42 crore), approximately ₹480 million (₹48 crore) including print and advertising costs[5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/box-office-update/b-o-update-love-aaj-kal-has-superb-start-in-india-pakistan-uae/) |
| India net box office | ₹665.6 million (₹66.56 crore) lifetime; ₹80.2 million (₹8.02 crore) on opening day[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/box-office/) |
## Spoilers
### Story and structure
[Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) sums up the plot as follows: a romantic of the old school recounts his own love story to a contemporary young man fresh from a breakup with his girlfriend, posing the question of whether love has truly ever changed.[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1275863/credits/) Netflix's synopsis places the parallel stories of long-distance love in 2009 and in 1965[2](https://www.netflix.com/title/70124650).
In the present-day strand, Jai (Saif Ali Khan) and Meera (Deepika Padukone) are a couple living in London who part ways because their career goals pull them in different directions; Meera decides to shift to India[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/) • [9](https://www.primevideo.com/-/id/detail/0M6KGBAP7HVJNH3824ZKZVWOI8). As she leaves, Jai meets Veer Singh, a Punjabi restaurateur who describes his own love story and tries to convince Jai to follow his heart[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/). The flashback strand follows the young Veer and Harleen in 1960s Delhi: he follows her rickshaw on his bicycle in Purani Dilli, and she notices her smitten Sikh suitor with a downcast eye and a demure smile[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/movie-review-love-aaj-kal/).
[The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) reviewer Shubhra Gupta, rating the film 3 out of 5, described it as shuttling between the two time zones of 'aaj' (today) and 'kal' (yesterday or tomorrow) as the twin sets of lovers ricochet between cities and conviction, with locations in London, Delhi, Calcutta, and San Francisco[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/movie-review-love-aaj-kal/). Her review judged the contemporary pair's relationship to be written more like friendship than ardour, noting that there was more longing in the older Veer's voice when he spoke of Harleen than in all the exchanges between Jai and Meera[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/movie-review-love-aaj-kal/).
## Production and music
Love Aaj Kal was the maiden venture of Saif Ali Khan's Illuminati Productions, made in association with Eros Entertainment, and produced by Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan[1](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/cast/) • [3](https://www.dawn.com/news/483026/frontseat-love-aaj-kal-but-not-of-the-kambakkht-kind). Imtiaz Ali served as both director and writer, with Natarajan Subramaniam as cinematographer and [Aarti Bajaj](https://www.edgepedia.org/aarti-bajaj) as editor[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1275863/credits/).
The music was composed by Pritam Chakraborty, with [Salim Merchant](https://www.edgepedia.org/salim-merchant) and Sulaiman Merchant providing the background score and [Daboo Malik](https://www.edgepedia.org/daboo-malik) credited with background music[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1275863/credits/) • [17](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt1275863/). A Dawn review noted that Punjabi beats and lyrics dominate the album, reflecting the Punjabi heritage emphasized in the film's 'kal' segment[3](https://www.dawn.com/news/483026/frontseat-love-aaj-kal-but-not-of-the-kambakkht-kind).
## Box office
The film opened to what the trade described as a stupendous start across multiplexes, with prominent multiplexes running 20 to 28 shows a day; first-day business was strong at multiplexes though weaker at single screens[5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/box-office-update/b-o-update-love-aaj-kal-has-superb-start-in-india-pakistan-uae/). It collected approximately 650,000 Dirhams on its first day in the UAE, higher than the competing [Kambakkht Ishq](https://www.edgepedia.org/kambakkht-ishq), and its Thursday night shows in Pakistan also outperformed that film[5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/box-office-update/b-o-update-love-aaj-kal-has-superb-start-in-india-pakistan-uae/).
Per Bollywood Hungama's compiled figures, the film earned ₹80.2 million (₹8.02 crore) net on its opening day, ₹278.6 million (₹27.86 crore) by the end of the opening weekend, and ₹428 million (₹42.80 crore) in its first week, for a lifetime India net total of ₹665.6 million (₹66.56 crore) and an India gross of ₹853.3 million (₹85.33 crore)[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/box-office/). Overseas gross was ₹308.9 million (₹30.89 crore), giving a worldwide gross of ₹1.162 billion (₹116.22 crore) by that compilation[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/box-office/); Box Office India lists a somewhat higher worldwide gross of ₹1.195 billion (₹119.51 crore) and classifies the film as a hit[11](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=138). In the United States it grossed $2,430,083, with an opening weekend of $1,241,762 across 102 theaters[12](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Love-Aaj-Kal). The Indian Express reported that the film's first three days generated ₹280 million (₹28 crore) net, placing it high in the year's box-office rankings after Ghajini[13](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/love-aaj-kal-generates-rs-28-crores-in-3-days/).
## Reception and legacy
Contemporary reviews were broadly positive. Dawn's review called the film a lesson for those who think a commercial film cannot be classy or meaningful, praising its intelligent scene-division, witty dialogue, and performances by Saif Ali Khan, Rishi Kapoor, and Giselli Monteiro[14](https://www.dawn.com/news/484423/imtiaz-ali-scores-with-love-aaj-kal). Rediff's box-office report noted that the film worked in multiplexes, with Saif's performance, the unique story, and the music cited as strengths, while the second half was criticized as an over-melodramatic drag[15](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/love-aaj-kal-works-in-box-office/20090803.htm).
The film's standing has endured in retrospective discussion of Imtiaz Ali's work, and it was remade, also under the title [Love Aaj Kal](https://www.edgepedia.org/love-aaj-kal-2020-film) and also directed by Ali, with [Sara Ali Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sara-ali-khan) and [Kartik Aaryan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kartik-aaryan), released on 14 February 2020[16](https://www.theindianpanorama.news/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/TIP-February-21-Dual-Edition.pdf). Trade commentary at the time of the remake noted that the new version failed to impress audiences in comparison with Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone's 2009 original[16](https://www.theindianpanorama.news/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/TIP-February-21-Dual-Edition.pdf).
## References
1. [Love Aaj Kal Cast & Crew, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/cast/)
2. [Love Aaj Kal, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/70124650)
3. [Frontseat: Love Aaj Kal, but not of the Kambakkht kind, Dawn](https://www.dawn.com/news/483026/frontseat-love-aaj-kal-but-not-of-the-kambakkht-kind)
4. [Love Aaj Kal Box Office Collection, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/box-office/)
5. [B.O. update: 'Love Aaj Kal' has superb start in India, Pakistan, UAE, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/box-office-update/b-o-update-love-aaj-kal-has-superb-start-in-india-pakistan-uae/)
6. [Love Aaj Kal (2009) credits, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1275863/credits/)
7. [Love Aaj Kal (2009), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_aaj_kal_2009)
8. [Love Aaj Kal movie page, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/love-aaj-kal/)
9. [Love Aaj Kal, Prime Video](https://www.primevideo.com/-/id/detail/0M6KGBAP7HVJNH3824ZKZVWOI8)
10. [Movie review: Love Aaj Kal, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/movie-review-love-aaj-kal/)
11. [Love Aaj Kal, Box Office India](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=138)
12. [Love Aaj Kal (2009), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Love-Aaj-Kal)
13. ['Love Aaj Kal' generates Rs. 28 crores in 3 days!, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/love-aaj-kal-generates-rs-28-crores-in-3-days/)
14. [Imtiaz Ali scores with Love Aaj Kal, Dawn](https://www.dawn.com/news/484423/imtiaz-ali-scores-with-love-aaj-kal)
15. [Box Office: Audience laps up Love Aaj Kal, Rediff.com](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/love-aaj-kal-works-in-box-office/20090803.htm)
16. [Bollywood coverage of the 2020 Love Aaj Kal remake, The Indian Panorama](https://www.theindianpanorama.news/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/TIP-February-21-Dual-Edition.pdf)
17. [pro.imdb.com](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt1275863/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2000s › Romance films*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license