Imtiaz Ali Reflects On Kartik Aaryan & Sara Ali Khan's Love Aaj Kal Failure, Admits 'Mistakes': 'Film Lacked Freshness'

Love Aaj Kal, starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan, was released in 2020 but failed at the box office. A spiritual successor to the 2009 film of the same name, which featured Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, it couldn’t replicate the original's success. Director Imtiaz Ali recently reflected on its failure, admitting to making mistakes and acknowledging that Love Aaj Kal lacked 'freshness.'

Speaking on the YouTube channel Game Changer, Imtiaz admitted that he could have done 2-3 things differently. He acknowledged that he tried to put too much into the film, which ultimately made it feel 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," added the director.

Imtiaz did not place any blame on the actors but shared that whenever a sequel is made, there must be a strong reason behind it. While he had a valid reason for making Love Aaj Kal, he admitted that he was unable to convey it effectively—at least not during the film's publicity.

"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," concluded Imtiaz.

During the making of Love Aaj Kal, Kartik and Sara started dating, but their relationship reportedly ended after the movie's release.