Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Movie Review: Old Cocktail In New Bottle

Karan Johar, who is known for his candyfloss love stories, made his debut as a director with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998, a story about love and friendship and now, in 2016, Johar comes full circle with Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which explores the same themes as the aforesaid film, but with dignity and maturity.

Set in London, Lucknow, Paris and Vienna, 'ADHM' is about Ayan Sanger (Ranbir Kapoor) and Alizeh (Anushka Sharma), who meet at a club and after a hilarious unsuccessful attempt at a fling, turn into good friends, though Ayan falls for her hard. When Ayan realizes that Alizeh just considers him a friend and that her heart beats for a DJ named Ali (Fawad Khan), a heartbroken Ayan cuts off ties with her at her wedding and storms out of the wedding venue.

While at the airport on his way back, Ayan runs into Saba (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), a poetess, and they both enter into a relationship based on broken hearts and unfulfilled love. However, Ayan still hasn't gotten over Alizeh and how this complicates the lives of everyone involved in the story, forms the rest of the plot.

Ranbir, who has had a string of flops in the recent past, is back with a bang and after Barfiand Rockstar, this film will be surely counted as one of Ranbir's best work. Ranbir's Ayan is a delightful mixture of passion, light-heartedness and vulnerability and the way his eyes speak volumes, will make every girl go weak in the knees. Anushka is getting somewhat repetitive with her free-spirited girl act and we really hope the actress starts exploring other aspects of acting soon.

However, Ranbir and Anushka look good together and their chemistry and pally banter is one of the highlights of the film. Fawad Khan is dishy enough but doesn't have much screen time and last but not the least, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is like a goddess with her poise, her grace and her dignity even in tragedy. I have never been a fan of Aishwarya but this film changed my mind about the light-eyed beauty for sure.

Johar has delivered a beautifully written film with some touching lines, melodious music and a relatable story. All those who have undergone a heartbreak or have been friendzoned by the love of their lives, will surely connect with the film. If that was not all, the film has been shot at beautiful locations with an expert eye, which makes the film a visually appealing fare too.

On the flip side, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil seems to be influenced by many past films-Rockstar, Tamasha, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Katti Batti, which may make you feel that Johar was serving the same old wine in a sparkling new glass. Granted that Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is more mature than Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, but the mere fact that some scenes of this film reminded us of Johar's debut, might adulterate your joy.