NEW DELHI - “Love Aaj Kal”, Saif Ali Khan’s maiden venture as producer that also stars Deepika Padukone, is like Test cricket and Twenty20 rolled into one. The makers of the film, about love across generations, have even tied up with the ICC T20 World Cup, says co-producer Dinesh Vijan.

“‘Love Aaj Kal’ has major similarities with cricket. Like there is Test cricket and T20, the film too has love of two generations - love ‘aaj’ and love ‘kal’,” Vijan told IANS over telephone from Mumbai.

“The story basically revolves around the fact that though the process of relationships and love has changed over time, its essence and basic character remains the same,” the producer said.

So Saif and Vijan, who are co-producing the film under their banner Illuminati Films Pvt Ltd, have tied up with the ICC T20 World Cup, which starts June 5, for the movie’s promotion.

“We have associated with the T20 World Cup. We will shoot a promotional video on the T20 World Cup. Deepika and Saif will also go to London to cheer the Indian team,” Vijan said.

Directed by Imtiaz Ali of “Jab We Met” fame, the film also stars Rahul Khanna and Rishi Kapoor in pivotal roles and is expected to be released in June.

Asked why they zeroed in on Ali for their first film, Vijan said they instantly fell in love with the script he showed them.

“I had seen ‘Socha Na Tha’ and had liked Imtiaz’s work. He had then told us about this script and we loved that too. We realised that he will be the best first director of our banner. This was before ‘Jab We Met’. Then when ‘Jab We Met’ hit the screens and became such a big hit, we knew we had made the right decision,” he said.

“Love Aaj Kal”, shot across Delhi, Kolkata, London and San Francisco, didn’t have a name till a major part of it was filmed.

“It took us some time to decide the title. Finally it was a collaborative effort. One day, while I was travelling, I came up with the title ‘Aaj Kal’ but somehow it didn’t have the punch and the spark. So, after due discussion, we came up with ‘Love Aaj Kal’ which sounded right. Even Saif liked it a lot,” revealed Vijan, who has earlier produced “Being Cyrus”.

Asked whether the film is targeted at only the youth like most films today, Vijan said that “Love Aaj Kal” was not limited to any one age group.

“Our film has a very relevant language. The story caters to both generations and thus has ‘Kal’ and ‘Aaj’ in the title. Therefore, the film has a wide reach. Everyone will feel connected to the subject,” he said.