'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' Review: Karan Johar questions the definition of love, Ranbir-Anushka are delightful

Film: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Director:  Karan Johar

Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Fawad Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in a guest appearance

WHAT'S IT ABOUT: 

As relationships get more complicated in the real world, trust filmmakers to add those complexities on celluloid too. Karan Johar's latest film poses several questions on the definition of love. Ayan (Ranbir Kapoor) and Alizeh (Anushka Sharma) meet at a bar. After a failed attempt at making out, they hang out, drink, laugh, talk and become friends. Soon enough, he falls in love with her but she is  in love with another. They part ways when Alizeh marries her true love. Meanwhile, Ayan tried to move on with the sexy Saba (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) but that doesn't work out either. Fate brings him back with Alizeh but nothing much has changed. She still doesn't want a romance and he still hasn't given up. But this time, there is a tragic lining that hangs over their friendship. How Ayan and Alizeh cope with it and their relationship forms the rest of the story.

WHAT'S HOT: 

There's always something new to expect from every Karan Johar film. This time, he questions the definition of love. There is also the emphasis on one-sided love and to Johar's credit, he handles it with maturity. He captures the friendship between Ayan and Alizeh brilliantly -  without letting Ayan's attraction for her spoil the relationship. The moments are real and the setting (London, Vienna and Paris) is filled with romance. The winter look adds to the beauty of the film. ADHM is conversational, intimate, complex and fierce in terms of its approach towards love. Ranbir Kapoor is a delight on screen, no matter what he does. From dancing to Jeetendra's songs to doing Sunny Leone's steps from 'Babydoll', he is magic on screen. When he cries in 'Channa Mereya', you cry with him. But ADHM belongs to Anushka Sharma who delivers her most nuanced performance. As Alizeh, her sincerity is so severe that she steals every frame she is a part of. This performance clearly establishes her as the finest actor of her generation. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looks stunning and is excellent despite not having much to do. Lisa Haydon is absolutely adorable as bimbette, making you wonder why we don't see more of her.

WHAT'S NOT: 

Karan Johar always tells beautiful love stories and presents his actors wonderfully. But no actor in his film has ever risen above the script, or been let down by it. When you leave the theatre after watching a KJo film, you remember the songs, the scenes and moments that make you laugh and cry. In ADHM, you leave the theatre carrying just Ranbir's heartache and Anushka's performance. This film could easily be Karan Johar's tribute to Imtiaz Ali (with a nod to Farah Khan courtesy all the 'I-love-Bollywood' moments). The first half is similar to Tamasha and the second half, Rockstar.  Unfortunately both those films also starred Ranbir Kapoor, so there is a sense of deja vu. It's all very well to make fun of Hindi films from the 80s, but then you can't have your protagonists dancing to synchronized steps with foreign background dancers in a disco in London. Sadly, the continuity jerks also are far too many. When Alizeh wants to take the heartbroken Ayan home, she asks him for his address and then she takes him to her house when he is too drunk to tell her. But she has been in his house before. Also, when she is leaving Paris for London, she is shown desperately trying to pack things into a red bag. But she leaves the hotel with just a backpack. Alizeh play-acting the dramatic Hindi TV serial heroine is straight out of Tees Maar Khan. Ranbir Kapoor's filmi dance moves in another song will take you into a flash from Bachna Ae Haseeno. KJo's films are always KJo's films. This one seems heavily borrowed, diluting the overall impact. The biggest letdown is that despite all the focus on relationships, the film lacks the capacity to choke you with emotion. The only one that comes close is when Ayan and Alizeh waltz on Lag Jaa Galey and that too because of the inherent emotional value of the classic song.

WHAT TO DO:

Watch it for the gloss and shine and the superb camaraderie between Ranbir and Anushka.

RATING: *** ( 3 STARS)