Film

Kal Aaj Aur Kal

A three-generation family drama about a widower's hedonistic lifestyle colliding with his son's values and expectations. Shot in vivid colour, it's a Bollywood milestone that treats generational conflict as genuine tragedy rather than moral theatre. For anyone curious how Indian cinema handled middle-class anxiety in the early '70s, or who loves ensemble family stories with real stakes.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you relish big, old-fashioned household melodrama played with theatrical warmth, the kind where a father's pride, a son's nerve and a family's old grudges collide under one crowded roof.

Skip it if you want a brisk story, because at 156 minutes this ambles, leans hard on sentiment and goes heavy on tears and speeches.

What it asks of you: A slow, sprawling shape across a long runtime, with scenes that linger on family talk and mood, and a tone that swings between lavish cheer and sober reflection.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Khuda Gawah1992

Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan in a revenge epic that spans continents. Epic scale, genuine warmth between leads, and a story that earns every one of its three hours through character and consequence rather than spectacle alone.

But The pacing is glacial by modern standards, and the film demands patience with long stretches of quiet character work before action arrives.

Khuda Gawah poster

Dil Se..1998

Mani Ratnam's fever dream about obsession and national identity. Visually astonishing, musically hypnotic, emotionally devastating. The performances are raw and unguarded in ways that feel dangerous.

But The narrative is deliberately oblique and the ending provides no comfort. Some will find the ambiguity frustrating rather than artful.

Dil Se.. poster

Piku2015

Three lead performances of absolute mastery: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Irrfan Khan in a film about ageing, dignity, and family obligation. Funny without being broad, touching without being sentimental.

But The plot is thin and episodic—it's a chamber piece about everyday irritation. If you need propulsive narrative, this will feel slight.

Piku poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Kal Aaj Aur Kal

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Godfather Part II1974

Both use family dynasties and generational friction to explore what prosperity costs. The empire differs; the moral question is identical.

Coppola's parallel structure—old patriarch building an empire, son continuing it—mirrors Kal Aaj Aur Kal's three-generation arc. Both films understand that wealth and power hollow families from the inside. Both refuse easy judgment.

But Nearly four hours, American crime mythology, and a tonal world away from Hindi family drama. The connection requires you to see structure beneath surface.

The Godfather Part II poster
More like this (8)

Hey Ram2000

Kamal Haasan in Shankar's sprawling, angry meditation on violence, love, and Partition. Visually inventive and thematically restless. A film that refuses to sit still or offer easy answers.

But At nearly three hours, it's structurally messy and tonally uneven. Some scenes soar; others linger too long. It requires real commitment.

Hey Ram poster

Mohabbatein2000

Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan as antagonists in a story about love, tradition, and whether the old guard can learn from the young. Grand, romantic, and surprisingly moving about second chances.

But The resolution is neat in ways that feel dramatically unearned. The film settles for sentiment when it could have gone darker.

Mohabbatein poster

Mulk2018

Rishi Kapoor in a quiet, furious legal drama about a Muslim family defending their right to belong. Contemporary without being shrill, angry without being righteous. A film that trusts its audience.

But Deliberately paced and understated. The emotional release comes late, and some will find the restraint cold rather than powerful.

Mulk poster

Natrang2010

A Marathi-language film about theatre, ego, and the cost of art. Meditative and strange, with a lead performance of absolute commitment. A portrait of obsession that never judges its subject.

But Subtitled, and in a regional language. The pacing is deliberate to the point of stillness. Not designed for easy viewing.

Natrang poster

Do Aur Do Paanch1980

Rajesh Khanna and Vinod Mehra in a caper about friendship and loyalty. Playful and clever, with a rhythm that feels almost like a musical without music. A film that moves because it wants to charm you.

But The plot is slight and the stakes feel low. If you need real dramatic tension, this is confection.

Do Aur Do Paanch poster

Rang De Basanti2006

Aamir Khan leading a group of friends through idealism, corruption, and the cost of conscience. Visually dynamic, emotionally immediate, and genuinely urgent about questions of responsibility and change.

But The second half swings into melodrama and the political message becomes blunt. Some find the earnestness overbearing rather than inspiring.

Rang De Basanti poster

Tokyo Story1953

Both films locate their deepest tragedy not in plot but in the unbridgeable distance that grows between generations even when love remains intact.

Ozu's masterpiece about ageing parents visiting their adult son, only to find he has built a life they don't quite fit into. Quiet, patient, devastatingly sad. It finds tragedy in small silences and the gap between how we hope families will be and how they are.

But Nothing happens by conventional standards. No plot, minimal dialogue, a camera that never moves. It requires a different kind of attention entirely.

Tokyo Story poster

C.R.A.Z.Y.2005

Like Kal Aaj Aur Kal, it sees generational conflict as a form of love trying and failing to find language. Both films grieve the inability of fathers and sons to truly meet each other.

A Québécois film about a father and son fundamentally unable to understand each other, told across decades with gallows humour and genuine tenderness. It's wild and familial at once—chaotic love that never stops being love.

But In French, and the family dynamics are specific to a particular moment and place. The tonal swings between comedy and heartbreak may feel jarring if you're not attuned to that rhythm.

C.R.A.Z.Y. poster

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