Eleven years after Love Aaj Kal, Imtiaz Ali is back with a fresh treatise on modern love. His upcoming romance, also titled Love Aaj Kal, pairs Kartik Aaryan opposite Sara Ali Khan. The film’s trailer was released today.

It finds Kartik in the dual role of a passionate, pushy lover in 1990s and 2020. Sara appears in the contemporary parts, as an outgoing career girl named Zoe. She falls for Kartik’s Veer, but won’t ditch her dreams for their relationship. Expectedly, he won’t listen.

The past track appears simpler, with Kartik falling for Heer, played by newcomer Arushi Sharma.

Is this it, though? A simple rehash? The trailer sure borrows the beats of the first film, which starred Sara’s father Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone. The soundtrack (by Pritam) features recreations from the original. Most of all, Kartik’s performance appears fashioned on the Ranbir Kapoor of Tamasha and Rockstar.

Yet, for all the nostalgia and self-referencing, there might just be something new here. After all, what exactly is Randeep Hooda’s role — he appears briefly in one shot — and what are we to make of the ending banter between Zoe and Veer? How has love changed from the 90s to the present day, and how has the filmmaker treated it? 

Guess we’ll find out on February 14.