‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ movie review: Good performances but with a tried-and-tested concept of unrequited love

Directed by: Karan Johar
Produced by: Apoorva Mehta, Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anushka Sharma, Fawad Khan, Shah Rukh Khan
Duration: 2 hours 35 minutes
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 2.5/5

Filmmaker Karan Johar is known for churning out heart-wrenching love sagas and that’s exactly what we get to see in ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil‘. This Karan Johar-directorial will finally hit the cinema halls today after too many controversies surrounding its release, and that’s what makes this a highly awaited film. Well, not to forget, the star-studded line-up of actors. But, does the movie really live up to all the brouhaha surrounding it? Well, let’s find out now in ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil‘ movie review.

The story starts out with a pub sequence where a rich bachelor and aspiring singer Ayan (Ranbir Kapoor) who owns a private jet meets a free-spirited girl Alizeh (Anushka Sharma) in London. They instantly hook up and after a short string of some mushy kisses, they develop an inexplicable bond of love and friendship. But their definition of love is different as Ayan yearns for a true lover whereas Alizeh considers friendship above love. Ayan slowly falls for Alizeh, but this lady with a broken heart once again faces her ex-lover DJ Ali (Fawad Khan) at a pub. That’s when Ayan’s heart is broken, as Ali and Alizeh patch-up and get married in Lucknow. By now, you are endlessly waiting for the beautiful Aishwarya to make her entry, but the wait seems longer.

Ayan, with his broken heart, returns to London after Alizeh’s marriage in Lucknow. And finally, enter Saba (Aishwarya Rai), an enchanting poetess. We surely expect this gorgeous diva to work her magic, but unfortunately her role is confined only to the trailer scenes and the songs. Saba has a past too (we don’t want to let it out now), but she is a mature and brave woman. She soon falls for Ayaan and that’s where the story becomes like an archetypal love saga where the base of unrequited love forms its thick lining on the storyline. What will Ayan do? Will he ever be able to forget Alizeh? Will Alizeh ever realise her love for Ayan and return? To know these answers, you will have to watch the movie.

Let’s talk about the performances. Ranbir as Ayan brings about the true emotion of unfulfilled love in his intense performance. But then you have seen a few glimpses of it in one of his earlier movies ‘Rockstar’. Anushka as Alizeh is commendable for she holds her character very strongly right till the end. Fawad Khan’s extended cameo is impressive indeed. Aishwarya as Saba with her expressive eyes and shayaris paints a charming picture. Special appearances by Alia Bhatt and Lisa Haydon are sweet. Well, there’s one more special cameo which we would not like to spill the beans on as yet.

The soundtrack by Pritam is amazing and has a vivid variety of songs, from party numbers like ‘The Breakup Song’ and ‘Cutiepie’ to heart-warming numbers like the title track of ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil‘ and ‘Bulleya’. Audiences are surely going to love all the tracks. Arijit Singh’s soulful voice mesmerises us once again. Karan Johar has shot the songs beautifully against the backdrop of some romantic foreign locales.

Well, the movie may boast of some great performances, but then the storyline looks like a rehashed version of some of his previous movies, mixed together. The first half was peppy and fun, but our expectations hit a downfall as the second half doesn’t live up to the first half and looks a bit dragged. The movie tries its best to explore the concept of unrequited love, friendship and passion, but these concepts have already been tried-and-tested before, so there’s nothing new to offer on the plate. To wrap it up, go for the movie only if you are a fan of the actors or probably love emotional and heart-wrenching love tales. It’s strictly a one-time watch!

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