Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is Johar's alchemy on the complicacies of relationships which walk on the blurred borderline of romance and platonic love.It can be simply put as - old wine in new bottle, significantly echoing the pathos (we saw and grew up with) in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and the later released IMtiaz Ali's Rockstar.
Johar sledgehammers us with his monumental principle of love - 'Love is Friendship' and 'you must face heartbreak to be a great musician' in a plot that is barely serviceable and dwells on his comfortable cinematic space - Rich and overtly beautiful NRI characters in exotic places, residing in plush studio rooms, frequenting to night clubs at the drop of a hat, brimming with exquisite costumes and in seemingly extraordinary circumstances.
The landscape belongs to London here. A budding singer, Ayan(Ranbir Kapoor) and a spunky Alizeh(Anushka Sharma) hit-off instantly at a pub and become the thickest of friends,despite a bad date.Though Ayan is romantically attracted to Alizeh, she doesn't feel the same way and still nurtures feelings for her old flame,Ali(Fawaad Khan).He has to cure his heartbreak when his love goes unrequited, and finds solace under the seduction of a poetess,Saba( Aishwarya Rai Bachchan).
Starting off well with youthful vibes and funny jibes at the cheesy Bollywood songs of 1980s, the narrative takes an awful downward spiral post intermission when Johar throws his protagonists into an emotional whirlwind culminating with a heavily contrived twist in the tale. But that doesn't entirely undermine some of the sensitive scenes handled with great emotional depth and maturity - Johar stamps his indelible marks there. It also gets a boost from Pritam's compelling music and Amitabh Bhattacharya's thought-provoking lyrics, crooned with all empathy by Arijit Singh.
Despite an unpardonably meandering and aimless plot, the film finds its sheer strength in the boundless and effortless energy exuded by Ranbir and Anushka. With such great camaraderie and smooth dynamics without a hint of affectation, they are a treat to watch. Ranbir depicts the pain of a jilted lover with lot of intrinsic philosophy. His character has a gradual transformation graph – from a shaky man- child to an embittered subdued, and the actor makes the ache palpable. Anushka portrays the complexity of Alizeh with conviction, loading her character with practicality. Aishwarya Rai dazzles in her short- lived, extended cameo and speaks only in poetic verses, while Fawad has minimal screen footage, much against the speculation prior to the controversy that hovered over the film's release. Lisa Haydon is a real hoot and aces her opportunity while Imran Abbas comes across awfully stiff.
Johar, in the attempt to establish his point, takes us through a slog but gives a modern , relatable and realistic dope on love. I wish it was made in a smarter way.
Johar sledgehammers us with his monumental principle of love - 'Love is Friendship' and 'you must face heartbreak to be a great musician' in a plot that is barely serviceable and dwells on his comfortable cinematic space - Rich and overtly beautiful NRI characters in exotic places, residing in plush studio rooms, frequenting to night clubs at the drop of a hat, brimming with exquisite costumes and in seemingly extraordinary circumstances.
The landscape belongs to London here. A budding singer, Ayan(Ranbir Kapoor) and a spunky Alizeh(Anushka Sharma) hit-off instantly at a pub and become the thickest of friends,despite a bad date.Though Ayan is romantically attracted to Alizeh, she doesn't feel the same way and still nurtures feelings for her old flame,Ali(Fawaad Khan).He has to cure his heartbreak when his love goes unrequited, and finds solace under the seduction of a poetess,Saba( Aishwarya Rai Bachchan).
Starting off well with youthful vibes and funny jibes at the cheesy Bollywood songs of 1980s, the narrative takes an awful downward spiral post intermission when Johar throws his protagonists into an emotional whirlwind culminating with a heavily contrived twist in the tale. But that doesn't entirely undermine some of the sensitive scenes handled with great emotional depth and maturity - Johar stamps his indelible marks there. It also gets a boost from Pritam's compelling music and Amitabh Bhattacharya's thought-provoking lyrics, crooned with all empathy by Arijit Singh.
Despite an unpardonably meandering and aimless plot, the film finds its sheer strength in the boundless and effortless energy exuded by Ranbir and Anushka. With such great camaraderie and smooth dynamics without a hint of affectation, they are a treat to watch. Ranbir depicts the pain of a jilted lover with lot of intrinsic philosophy. His character has a gradual transformation graph – from a shaky man- child to an embittered subdued, and the actor makes the ache palpable. Anushka portrays the complexity of Alizeh with conviction, loading her character with practicality. Aishwarya Rai dazzles in her short- lived, extended cameo and speaks only in poetic verses, while Fawad has minimal screen footage, much against the speculation prior to the controversy that hovered over the film's release. Lisa Haydon is a real hoot and aces her opportunity while Imran Abbas comes across awfully stiff.
Johar, in the attempt to establish his point, takes us through a slog but gives a modern , relatable and realistic dope on love. I wish it was made in a smarter way.
