Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016) Review!!!

Synopsis – A story about unrequited love. The journey of three characters, Ayan, Alizeh, and Saba.

My Take – For Bollywood lovers, two films will always be special, the romantic melodrama Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and the multi starrer family tear jerker Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), the common factor other than the lead pair of Shahrukh Khan & Kajol, would be that the films solidated Karan Johar’s position in the industry as a masterful storyteller. While, in recent times KJo (as he is fondly known) has moved on from directing less (2012’s Student of the Year was his last) to producing a range of films such as Agneepath, The Lunchbox, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya , Hasee To Phasee and most recently Kapoor & Sons and Baar Baar Dekho to name a few. Despite the controversies surrounding the film, there was no denying that a Karan Johar film is an event, and audience were going to flock to the theatres mainly due to its modern casting coup more than the curiosity of its content. So is this film any good? Well not exactly! Some things have changed since Karan Johar made his directorial debut in 1998. The characters here are less loud and cloying, the acting is refreshingly naturalistic, the songs are woven more dexterously into the narrative, and the overall tone is more somber and, in fleeting moments, even despairing. The film has the flavor of Yash Chopra, but also of a lot of the awesome Imtiaz Ali. While I do believe it is in many ways different from his previous films. While here too we see rich kids capering around each other, great music and foreign locations, the handling is much more nuanced and mature. And there’s no doubt that the film is all heart but that necessarily doesn’t translate into a solid story, without which even the sturdiest of films can go limp. Love is shown in all its glorious complexity – there is passion, heartbreak, jealousy and vulnerability. How do we negotiate the piercing pain of unrequited love? Is it possible to think practically while in the throws of obsessive attraction? The film does not come up with easy answers and in doing so it becomes all the more difficult to watch. It is the sheer good fortune of Karan Johar that his leading man is such a fabulous actor. And it is Ranbir Kapoor’s sheer misfortune that he hardly ever gets a character or a film that gives him what he deserves – a well-rounded, crackling story he can have fun with.

The story follows Ayan Sanger (Ranbir Kapoor), a neglected billionaire’s scion with an airplane at his disposal and dreams of being a singer. Completing his masters course to honor his dad’s wishes, Ayan continues to stay in London when he meets Alizeh (Anushka Sharma) at a nightclub. They click instantly, but Alizeh is still pining for her ex boy friend, DJ Ali (Fawad Khan). Alizeh wants a friend without benefits, and Ayan is happy to play along. The two hurtle through impromptu holidays in Paris, through glitzy disco numbers and lavish weddings. Together, they revisit their shared love for Hindi cinema and its music, attempt to recreate songs on hilltops, and behave exactly like a normal young couple until Alizeh has a chance meeting with Ali at a nightclub. While, Ayan being a good friend tries to hush her away back to their homes in London before she starts spiraling down post her break up, Alizeh decides to stay back & reunites with a now reformed Ali. Upon hearing from her after weeks and knowing about their wedding plans, Ayan is dismayed at first and heartbroken later when Alizeh rejects his confession a few minutes before her marriage. Heartbroken, Ayan tumbles into bed with Saba (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), an older divorced poet whose outmoded verses masks maturity and insights into the human condition. Ayan has something of an adult relationship with Saba, but he has not forgotten Alizeh. Things complicate when the now married Alizeh wants back in Ayan’s life as her friend which Ayan is not willing to whole heartedly accept. In terms of storyline, nothing actually moves in the 1^st half. Some scenes remind you of Imtiaz Ali while others have a decidedly Sanjay Leela Bhansali feel, but Johar doesn’t seem to be sure of his voice. His characters talk as if they are spouting lines from a book and offer so many homilies about life and love that they are likely to put self-help books out of business. In one of the most prescient lines in the film, a character tells another: “Only the insecure hide behind big words.” This might as well have been a comment on the film, with all the verbosity that is encompassed in 158 minutes of this romantic drama. In one of the film’s best scenes, three pegs of the love quadrangle meet for dinner and realize that the heart is truly Bollywood. It can throb only once and has no room for complexity, a change of direction, and second chances. As expected from Karan Johar films, the base is set is a familiar world of non-resident Indians who have slipped off the chains of caste, family, community and religion, but have retained their class affiliations. Cocooned from identity politics and financial worries in London, these post-feudal and transnational lovelies have the luxury of pursing lives dedicated to romance, poetry, Urdu and Hindi film nostalgia. Love is depicted as an end in itself, as high-minded as efforts for world peace, and just as difficult.

While the screenplay is sprinkled with humor and highly watchable sequences, some of which are absolutely heart wrenching, but with a run time of 158 minutes, the drama kept going on without any serve or purpose. The film could have easily benefited without the last 20 minutes or so, were an emotionally manipulative twist is thrown in to force audience sniffling. For someone who has so far made what are at best fluff films about teenage love and romance, Johar seems intent on showing that he has grown up. But packing almost every minute of the film with heavy-handed dialogue (written by Johar and Niranjan Iyengar) shows he still lacks depth in filmmaking. Love is compared to wet mud and cancer, and boyfriends to films. Also, no one seems capable of going a minute without articulating what they are feeling. In attempting to make a grown-up love story, Johar parodies his biggest strength – he makes fun of the whole dancing-in-the-snow-in-a-chiffon-saree genre that he and the Chopras are known for. But he is also unable to make the leap to the Imtiaz Ali school of film-making, and ends up in a no-man’s land. Despite its banal subject matter and often trite dialogue, the film is held together by its Pritam’s excellent soundtrack and the performances. The haunting title track, the chartbuster Break Up song, the rocking Bulleya, the sadly underused Channa Mereya and recent additions Cutipie & Alizeh make up for one of the best OST of the year. Ranbir Kapoor is quite literally the soul of the film as the diehard romantic who suffers for love, and even though he has been on this ride before in Rockstar & Tamasha, he delivers a superbly judged performance that is equal parts charming and moving. He’s in almost every frame and brings every emotion possible to life. I’m very happy to say this ranks amongst his best work. Easily, the brightest among the young breed of actors, it’s a joy to see him shine so bright. Anushka Sharma is equally convincing. At first, it seems a little hard to understand why Ayan would fall so deeply in love with such a spontaneous and unsure character, but as the complexity of her character spreads up in the second half, you end up hating and rooting for her at the same time. Her tricky part could have easily come off as selfish, but Anushka grounds the character in sheer practicality, and does some of her best work here. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with her flaming red lipstick seems out of place for most of her screen time. But complimenting the former Miss World is not hard, who with her divine performance does complete justice to her role. Fawad Khan in his minute 15 minute role is great. Lisa Haydon is hilarious. Imran Abbas is alright. Shahrukh Khan and Alia Bhatt and are charming in their cameo. On the whole, ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ is watchable thanks to its brilliant cast & splendid music, but considering this is a Karan Johar feature, the film has neither enough gravitas nor the expected charm to be worth remembering.