Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

About the film

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (transl. O Heart, It Is Difficult) is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama film directed, produced and written by Karan Johar under his banner Dharma Productions. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead roles.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil released worldwide on 28 October 2016 coinciding with the festival of Diwali. The film's soundtrack composed by Pritam was an instant blockbuster, thus enhancing its hype, with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and songs sung by Arijit Singh. Despite having clashed with Ajay Devgn's Shivaay, it went on to gross ₹237.56 crore (US$25 million) worldwide. The film proved to be one of the year's top-grossing films in domestic and overseas markets. It received mixed reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its direction, music, cinematography, and performances of the cast, with particular praise directed towards Sharma, Kapoor and Rai’s performances, but the story and screenplay received criticism.

Plot

The film begins with an interview with Ayan, a singer who has recently achieved fame through his non-film songs. He recounts the story of his experience with love in a flashback. A few years earlier, in London, Ayan and Alizeh meet by chance at a disco and hook up. They get to know one another and become friends. Later, when they discover that their respective partners are cheating on them, they end their relationships: Ayan with Lisa D'Souza and Alizeh with "Dr." Faisal Khan. The two then travel to Paris to spend a week together. Ayan falls in love with Alizeh but does not confess his feelings because she regards him only as a "friend". One day, Alizeh runs into Ali, her ex-boyfriend, who wants to reconcile. Confused, but still in love with him, Alizeh decides to reunite with Ali and unintentionally stops spending time with Ayan, causing them to lose contact.

A few days later, Alizeh calls Ayan and invites him to her wedding to Ali in Lucknow. Ayan is shaken by the news but reluctantly accepts the invitation. At the wedding, he tells Alizeh that he loves her, but she rejects him, leaving Ayan heartbroken and prompting him to leave. At the airport, while boarding a flight to Dubai, he meets Saba, an older woman and poet, who is leaving for Vienna. She consoles Ayan and gives him a book of her poetry along with her phone number. Ayan reads her poetry and is deeply moved by it. Three months later, he calls her to say that he is in Vienna and wants to meet her. They meet at a club, where they dance together and later hook up. Ayan learns that Saba is divorced and no longer has room for love in her heart. Although she initially declines when Ayan asks her out, she later accepts.

Ayan, who has blocked all means of contact with Alizeh, finally calls her after being inspired by Saba's words. Alizeh is delighted to hear from him and tells him that she has missed their friendship. Ayan begins sending her pictures of himself with Saba in an attempt to make her jealous, while Alizeh tells him about her happy life with Ali and assumes that he has moved on.

Production

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was first announced in November 2014. At the time, writer-director Karan Johar, who had previously helmed Student of the Year (2012), said that for the past year and a half, he had been developing a story that he needed to work on for several months. However, while he was in New York, the idea for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (named after a song from the 1956 film C.I.D. starring Dev Anand, Shakila and Waheeda Rehman) came to him and he wrote the screenplay in 30 days. When he came back to India, he spoke to the three lead actors and they all signed on immediately.

Johar stated that he was motivated to cast Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in the film after getting to know them as a co-star in Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet (2015), which marked Johar's second film role after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995).

Johar added that he was excited to cast Aishwarya Rai Bachchan after several unsuccessful attempts to cast her in his previous films Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006). Explaining this in an interview, he stated, "[F]inally, when it comes to Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, I would like to say that the most indispensable casting was Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s. If Ranbir hadn't agreed, I would have found a solution; if Anushka hadn’t agreed, I would have had another option. But for Aishwarya, there were no alternatives. If she hadn’t agreed, I wouldn’t have been able to make the film. The role of Saba was such that only Aishwarya Rai could have played it. When you watch the film, I’m not just saying this, you’ll see that you wouldn’t be able to imagine anyone else in that role either.".

Release

On 8 October 2016, the Indian political party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), proclaimed that they would not allow the release of the film, following nationwide protests surrounding the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 18 September 2016 and the decision by Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India preventing the release of films with Pakistani actors in four states – Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Goa. Citing the casting of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in the film, the MNS warned theater owners around the country to not screen the film, threatening them with vandalism. Announcing that security will be tightened at theaters along with sufficient police protection, Maharashtra chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, commented on the issue, saying, "Anyone found taking the law into their hands will be dealt with firmly." He also informed that 12 MNS members were sent to judicial custody after they barged into a Mumbai theater and held a protest on 19 October 2016.

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