Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; February 13, 2020)

Don’t be fooled by the link-up rumours around him. Beneath all his social media expertise and flirtatious image, Kartik Aaryan is an old-school romantic at heart. The actor’s upcoming film, Love Aaj Kal, is directed by Imtiaz Ali, who is known to delve deep into matters of the heart through his stories. In a conversation with BT, Kartik talks about all things love… aaj and kal. Read on…

When you see relationships today and compare them to those of our parents’ generation, what do you think is missing?
This is my observation, and you can’t generalise, but aaj ke couples saath hoke bhi saath nahi hai — I find that odd. With our parents’ generation, it was the other way around. I am not saying that we value physical intimacy more than emotional intimacy, but yes, it’s rare today. I don’t see that longing in relationships anymore, because we are way too available in terms of social media, instant messaging, video-calling, etc. I miss that distance. You are constantly interacting with each other, and tend to take each other for granted. Somewhere, face-to-face interactions have taken a back seat. That exclusivity of time for each other is no longer there.

We are overtly connected with others through our phones, and yet, we are disconnected, aren’t we?
I could be addicted to my phone, but I am quite old-school when it comes to love. Once I truly connect with someone, I can’t detach easily. I like meeting someone in person rather than texting them. I have never been on a blind date, tried a dating app or online dating. Yeh meri ideologies hain. I want things to be organic. People who generally don’t meet or interact with a lot of people, for them, I am sure dating apps are a big help. For me, it’s very important to know a person before I decide to take the relationship further. I belong to the move-on generation, but it’s not easy for me to move on. I get too invested in a relationship.

In the 90s, love scenes were implied, but today, they are shown realistically. What do you relate to — intimacy that is shown or the one that is implied?
The intimacy that is felt and implied is more relatable. If you show love scenes to commercialise your movie, that’s not required. But, if they justify your story, why not?

What was your biggest takeaway from the previous Love Aaj Kal (2009), starring Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone?
Love Aaj Kal is universally relatable because we often wonder how right or wrong, we were in a relationship. We all fear unrequited love as we want our love to be fulfilled and reciprocated. Uss pyaar mein ek dard hai, par you still crave for it. Getting to experience that kind of love is also a unique feeling in itself. I was in college when that film had released, and I liked it a lot. Be it Love Aaj Kal or his other films, I have always been a fan of Imtiaz Ali sir.

The essence of the story (time changes, but love stays the same) is a constant in the new instalment as well, right?
Love stays the same, but what changes is, how you convey it and your journey towards it. That essence is constant in this film as well, but there aren’t any similarities beyond that. I play two characters in the film (Raghu and Veer). Both the love stories are so relatable that you feel yeh kisi ke saath bhi ho sakta hain. What I like about Imtiaz sir’s films is that unke characters woh cheezein bol dete hain joh aapke dimaag mein chal rahi hoti hain, par aap bol nahin pate. We tend to filter our thoughts, but Imtiaz sir’s characters don’t. They say what they feel, but since we are not conditioned to live that way, it comes across as unconventional.

The story of this film shuttles between two time zones, the 90s and the contemporary times. What was it like to navigate these two time periods?
It was challenging, as I have never worked like this before. Imtiaz sir changed my thought process. I actually lived Veer and Raghu’s lives to play those two characters. I attended body language classes as the two characters are completely different. I also listened to 90s music and wore clothes reflecting that time frame for Raghu’s character. Imtiaz sir is particular about every little detail. For instance, 90s was the time when a guy would wear his father’s blazer and a girl would wear her mother’s sari for the school’s annual function. Guys would always carry a comb in their pockets, but today, we like our hair messy. Also, we don’t want to compromise in relationships or waste our time. Veer is a new-age guy, who says things that are true, but uncalled for.

People associate Ranbir Kapoor with Imtiaz Ali. Be it Rockstar or Tamasha, Ranbir’s ability to breathe life into the filmmaker’s existential crisis-laden love stories has been widely appreciated. As the new face of Imtiaz Ali’s love story, was there any pressure?
I have always said that I am a fan of Ranbir’s talent. Who isn’t? I envy his body of work. I would have loved to play his character from Rockstar (2011). For me, getting an opportunity to work with Imtiaz sir was so big that I couldn’t think of anything beyond that. I didn’t even think about the comparison. All I knew was, main unke picture mein kaam kar rahan hoon. He has worked with the best of actors and to be on that list itself was a big deal for me. The fact that he chose me as the hero of his romantic film gave me the validation that I may be good at portraying romance (smiles). Agar woh convinced hai toh mujhe romance aata hoga. This was the opportunity I was waiting for. It’s my most intense and emotional role till date and I enjoy this genre. Most of my characters have been humourous. Par mujhe hasaane se jyaada rulana pasand hain. I can confidently say that I am creatively satisfied with this film.