Imtiaz Ali Opens Up Love Aaj Kal 2 Failure & Why He Isn't Interested In Sequels: It's A Useless Experiment

Director Imtiaz Ali said in an interview with Zoom that commercial pressure does not tempt any sequel plans, even for his hits. Speaking while promoting new film Main Vaapas Aaunga, Imtiaz Ali also revisited Love Aaj Kal 2, accepted that the experiment failed, and explained how the title choice and timing after COVID-19 affected its box office run.

Main Vaapas Aaunga is Imtiaz Ali’s next Hindi film, scheduled for release on 12 June. The story follows two generations, moving between the Partition period and the present day. Vedang Raina and Sharvari play lovers in the older timeline, while Naseeruddin Shah appears as an aged version of Vedang Raina’s character, and Diljit Dosanjh plays the grandson.

Imtiaz Ali on Love Aaj Kal 2 and Main Vaapas Aaunga

During the Zoom interview, Imtiaz Ali was asked about continuing earlier successes like Jab We Met, possibly with Main Vaapas Aaunga leads Vedang Raina and Sharvari. The question prompted a larger reflection. Imtiaz Ali spoke at length about why sequels rarely appeal, unless a story demands an organic follow-up that interests Imtiaz Ali beyond financial expectations.

Imtiaz Ali replied, "Actually, it is not exciting to do a story for the reason that it's a commercially viable thing. That's a wrong way to start something. So I don't want to do that. Unless there is something that is really pulling me to make a movie, a second part of a movie... something just comes like that. But I'm not really keen to explore a part two just for the heck of it."

Imtiaz Ali, Love Aaj Kal 2 and Main Vaapas Aaunga cast and music

Love Aaj Kal 2, released in cinemas on 14 February 2020, was conceived as a spiritual successor to Imtiaz Ali’s 2009 film Love Aaj Kal. The romantic drama featured Kartik Aaryan, Sara Ali Khan, Randeep Hooda and Arushi Sharma. Reviews were mixed, and the film underperformed, especially after COVID-19 disrupted theatrical business worldwide from March 2020.

Imtiaz Ali spoke honestly about that experience and how it shaped later choices. Imtiaz Ali said, "In Love Aaj Kal 2, I did that because I already had the story and I was excited about it. It didn't work is a different matter. Love Aaj Kal 2 also told me that this is a useless experiment because it's not even a viable project... if you don't want to make it. Love Aaj Kal 2 was a story in itself. I could have made a different story. There was a time when I was thinking about making a different story and not calling it Love Aaj Kal. I was calling it Reverse. But later on, it was decided that maybe it would be better to call it Love Aaj Kal 2, which was not a big service to the film."

Imtiaz Ali has once again teamed with Diljit Dosanjh after the Netflix musical Amar Singh Chamkila, this time on Main Vaapas Aaunga. Music is composed by AR Rahman, while Irshad Kamil has written the lyrics. The team is known for earlier collaborations, and Imtiaz Ali is relying on that comfort as the film nears release.

The key credits and dates for the two films mentioned by Imtiaz Ali are shown below.

Film	Type	Key Cast	Release date
Love Aaj Kal 2	Romantic drama	Kartik Aaryan, Sara Ali Khan, Randeep Hooda, Arushi Sharma	14 February 2020
Main Vaapas Aaunga	Period and contemporary drama	Vedang Raina, Sharvari, Naseeruddin Shah, Diljit Dosanjh	12 June (year not specified)

Sonal Pandya, who conducted the interview for Zoom, has long followed Hindi cinema and international films. Sonal Pandya mentions growing up with Bollywood and Hollywood musicals, foreign films with subtitles and American sitcoms, bringing that background to coverage of entertainment, including Imtiaz Ali’s views on sequels, Love Aaj Kal 2 and Main Vaapas Aaunga.