So, there’s a cool-dude named Rajnikantha, and there are people who absolutely love the route his sunglasses or cigarettes take to get to their respective destinations. Among these are people who can’t stop going gaga over his invincibility. Me? I find the silliness funny. The sunglass-cigarette routine make me smile about 3 times. But, then, it gets repetitive and thus predictable and ultimately boring.

Exactly what happens in Quickgun Murugun which spoofs Rajni?

Our man, Quickgun Murugun – the cowboy, the protector of the cows – is out to do his job, viz, protect cows from the fanatic non-vegetarian, Rice Plate Reddy. To fulfill his duty he convinces the officers of the other world to send him back to this world. And so on and so forth.

Sounds outrageous and out-of-the-world hilarious. But it ain’t that ROFLarious. There isn’t much comment you can make about such films, right? There’s the usual ricocheting bullets and super-power-like action. Acting is intentionally over-the-top and overtly melodramatic – by one and all – okay except for maybe the cameo by Vinay Pathak. So is the direction, especially in terms of the long pauses to enhance the already outlived-its-stay drama; or even the emotional drama that punctuates the flow of the film – the exaggeration of everything in every frame. But, it’s a spoof, so it’s all obviously deliberate and supposedly necessary, what can you say? Certainly, you are not allowed to complain.

However, there are some bits and pieces that work. These make you smile and occasionally that smile grows wider. Each character’s name is a cackle each. Also a lot of the smiles are hidden in the background, in the art-work, some references that will make you sneer at both – the joke and your smartness because you noticed it.

Another bit I completely enjoyed was the background score. It’s creative and it’s funny. There’s one bit where a western-film theme music is playing on a flute. Nice!

There is also this comment on how super-heroes and God-like humans are necessary to get rid of the filth in the society today. A good vs. evil war is more obviously portrayed as a dev vs. daanav (God vs. Satan) war. What’s more? Like Lord Krishna our man has more than one love interests. There are many other tiny comments tucked in too. Like the irony that the anti-vegetarian demons have to use different vegetables as weapons, celebrities used to advertise commodities, an Indian’s love for mother’s cooking, a mother’s pride on how well she cooks, etc.

But the novelty wears off. With every thing I liked and found funny, it was so only the first couple of times. The third repetition onwards it became boring. So much so that in the end one and a half hour seems too long to sit through for this.

Final Verdict – Watch if you have nothing better to do.

A film that is not funny but makes you smile wide because it makes you think, chew, mull. If you can’t handle a “different” kind of love story – the practical, the contemporary, the possible – just shhhush away this instant! No need to read further. If you think you are game for a romantic film that is well thought over – don’t go on reading this, book your ticket and one for me too. I can watch this one with each one of you again and again!

Are you ready to fall in love with the ‘very concept of love’? If yes, then ‘Love Aaj Kal’ is surely the movie for you! The best part of the romantic flick is that unlike the run-of-the-mill Bollywood love sagas, young director Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Love Aaj Kal’ is completely in sync with the modern Indian society. The director has taken a more realistic approach in this film, unlike the usual love stories seen in Bollywood. In the movie, the main protagonists of the 2009-love story do not bore you with mundane talks of love and heartache; they rather present you with a mirror image of the modern day urbane youth.

Through ‘Love Aaj Kal’, Imtiaz Ali has presented yet another example of his directorial excellence – the use of simple, short and crisp dialogues, with complete focus on the characters. The two stories – of Jai and Meera, Veer Singh and Harleen Kaur, are set in two different eras – the former being set in 2009 and latter in 1965. Having similar ends, the stories run parallel to each other, making the audience take some time to grasp the plot. Nonetheless, the complex, but comprehensive, screenplay helps the director a great deal in keeping his audience hooked to the movie, right from the beginning to the very end.

‘Love Aaj Kal’ also scores on its lush locations. You can catch a glimpse of the picturesque beauty of London and San Francisco mainly in the first half. The second half would make you feel at home, through its scenes shot on the streets of ‘saddi Dilli’! The plot would definitely click the minds of modern urban youth. At the same, it has something for people living with old school of thoughts as well, because by the end, Jai realizes that he is not too different from the Veer Singh of 1960s, who lived out the typical Heer-Ranjha love story, in his age and time.

The music by Pritam is another highlight of the movie. Talking about the performances, both Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone mesmerize the audience with their sensitive performances. Each of them beautifully lives the characters, to create an impact in the minds of the people watching their chemistry on-screen. Rishi Kapoor and Rahul Khanna have backed the lead protagonists well.

Final verdict – ‘Love Aaj Kal’ would make you love your loved ones all the more immensely. The movie is truly a ‘paisa vasool’.