Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Film poster
Directed by Karan Johar
Produced by Apoorva Mehta
Hiroo Yash Johar
Karan Johar
Written by Karan Johar
Niranjan Iyengar (dialogues)
Starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Ranbir Kapoor
Anushka Sharma[1]
Music by Songs:
Pritam
Cinematography Anil Mehta
Edited by Manik Dawar
Production
company
Distributed by Fox Star Studios
Release dates
  • 28 October 2016 (2016-10-28)
Running time
 157 minutes
Country India
Language Hindi
Budget ₹ 70 crore[2][3]
Box office est. ₹237.79 crore[4]

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (English: This Heart is Complicated) is a 2016 Indian romantic drama film written and directed by Karan Johar. It features Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in lead roles. It was released on 28 October 2016 on the Diwali weekend.

Plot

A chance meeting between Ayan Sanger (Ranbir Kapoor) and Alizeh Khan (Anushka Sharma) ends up with both kissing instinctively. Later, when both break up with their respective lovers, Lisa D'Souza (Lisa Haydon) and Dr. Faisal Khan (Imran Abbas), the two begin to spend time together at discos, restaurants and tourist places. While Ayan falls in love with Alizeh, she considers him to be a friend. One day, Alizeh stumbles upon Ali (Fawad Khan), her ex-boyfriend, who wants to reconcile with her. Confused, Alizeh stops hanging out with Ayan and the two cease communication. A few days later, Alizeh calls and invites Ayan to her wedding with Ali in Lucknow. Ayan is petrified on hearing this but agrees to the invitation. At the wedding, he tells Alizeh he loves her but she rejects his feelings causing Ayan to leave the ceremony heartbroken.

At the airport to board a flight to Frankfurt, Ayan meets Saba (Aishwarya Rai), a poetess, who is leaving for Vienna. She consoles Ayan and gives him a note with her poetry and number on it. Ayan calls her after 3 months stating that he is in Vienna and wants to meet her. Saba meets him at a disco and later, they have sex. Ayan learns that Saba is divorced and has no place for love in her heart. Ayan also meets Saba's ex husband Tahir Taliyar Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) in a gallery, who tells him that love is not a weakness but empowering. Ayan who had blocked Alizeh from everywhere, finally calls and reconnects with her. Ayan begins to send pictures of Saba to Alizeh to induce jealousy. One day Alizeh informs Ayan that she's coming to Vienna and wants to meet him. Ayan invites her for dinner, but Alizeh thinks Ayan has finally found love in Saba and is happy for him. Meanwhile Saba begins to develop feelings for Ayan but he still loves Alizeh.

Ayan continues to harbour love for Alizeh and becomes a famous singer. He meets Ali one day and realises that Alizeh and he have parted ways. Ayan goes to Alizeh's favourite point and waits there until she arrives. Alizeh tells Ayan that she is diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer and will not live much longer. Ayan and Alizeh try to make the best of their last few moments together. Ayan tries to make Alizeh love him but Alizeh is stubborn. This leads to a fight between the two, and Alizeh decides to leave him. Eventually, Ayan makes peace with the fact that he and Alizeh can at best be friends and nothing more. The screen blacks out and goes back to the beginning where Ayan, still a popular singer is giving a interview based on the love of his life (Alizeh, who has already died). Ayan sings the song "Channa Mereya" which is inspired by Alizeh, then finishes the interview.

Cast

Production

Development

"...it is not a conventional love story or love triangle. It's a film that dwells deeply on relationships, heartbreaks and how love completes you, defines you and yet leaves you wanting for more. I have never had, in my entire career, a film that has come to me so fast, so organically and so from within."

—Karan Johar speaking about the film in an interview with The Times of India[6]

The film was first announced in November 2014. Writer-director Karan Johar 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 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 by acting with them in Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet (2015). He added that he was excited to cast Aishwarya Rai Bachchan after several unsuccessful attempts to cast her in his previous films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001), and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006).[6]

Fawad Khan was cast to play a role of a DJ, describing his role as "not exactly a cameo but it becomes a backbone for a certain conflict of a character in the movie."[7] Lisa Haydon has also confirmed that she will appear in the film.[8] In September 2016 at the Toronto International Film Festival, Johar confirmed that Shah Rukh Khan had also filmed a scene for the movie.[9] In October 2016, he confirmed that Alia Bhatt would also make a cameo appearance in the film.[10]

On 6 February at the India Conference at Harvard, Johar revealed that in the film Ranbir Kapoor plays the character of a Hindu boy named Ayan and Anushka Sharma plays a Muslim girl named Alizeh.[11]

Filming

Principal photography began in September 2015 with Kapoor and Sharma in London. At the end of September, the team filmed some portions in Paris.[12] In October, they began shooting in various locations in Austria, including the city of Vienna. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan joined the crew in Vienna in mid-October after the release of her film Jazbaa.[13] In March 2016, Kapoor, Sharma, and Khan were seen filming in Mandawa, Rajasthan.[14] In July 2016, Johar tweeted a photo of Kapoor and Sharma on set in Mumbai for the last schedule.[15]

Release

Screening issue

On 8 October 2016, 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.[16]

"I have always felt that the best way to express your patriotism is through love. And that's what I have always tried to portray through my work and my cinema. When I shot my film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil from September to December last year, the climate was completely different. The circumstances were completely different..."

— Karan Johar speaking about the film in a video statement

Commenting on the ruckus behind his film's release, director Karan Johar said that the circumstances in which the film was filmed in 2015 were completely different. "Going forward, I would like to say that of course, I will not engage with talent from the neighbouring country, given the circumstance. But with that same energy, I beseech you to know one thing – that over 300 people in my Indian crew have put their blood, sweat, and tears into making my film, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. I don't think it's fair for them to face any kind of turbulence on account of other fellow Indians," he further added in a video statement. He was heavily criticized by news and social media for buckling under pressure.[17] However, people from the film fraternity like Mukesh Bhatt and Shyam Benegal supported Johar and his film, and requested the people to consider the film and its release without giving importance to the actors' nationalities.

On 20 October 2016, filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt said that his discussion with Union home minister, Rajnath Singh, had been consequential, and affirmed that the film will be screened throughout the country without any violence. However, he promised that he would not make any more films with Pakistani actors.[18]

Box office

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was made on a total budget of over ₹100 crore ($15 million), including marketing and distribution costs. Prior to its release, the film had already recouped ₹75 crore ($11.2 million) from music, satellite and digital rights, so it needs to recover only ₹25 crore ($3.7 million) from the domestic box office. The film is expected to make a profit of around ₹40 crore ($6 million).[19] Worldwide, the film earned ₹90.84 crore ($13.6 million) on its opening weekend,[20] while ComScore reported an estimated $12.8 million from 14 markets.[21] As of November, it has made $21.3 million worldwide.[22]

In India, its domestic market, the film had to compete with Shivaay which was released on the same day during the lucrative Diwali weekend.[23] On its opening day the film made ₹13.30 crore, the third biggest for both Kapoor and Sharma,[24] and the sixth biggest for a Bollywood film of the year.[25] Through its opening weekend, It scored a debut of ₹35.60 crore ($5.3 million) net in its three days on 3,200 screens, equating to a gross ₹49.84 crore ($7.65 million), the ninth-biggest debut of the year[26] and the best ever debut for Johar, beating My Name is Khan ₹31.50 crore ($4.7 million).[27] On Monday, it saw a hike in ticket sales, earning ₹17.75 crore ($2.65 million) due to holiday.[28] In its first full week, the film earned ₹80.19 crore ($12 million) in India alone and $20.2 million worldwide.[19] The film continued to dominate the box office in its second weekend, earning $3.2 million from 2,000 screens (−1,200 screens).[29] In just 10 days, the film earned ₹97.17 crore ($14.6 million) net and has become the sixth highest-grossing Bollywood film in the country. Morever, the film now ranks as the highest-earner for Aishwarya, beating Dhoom 2's ₹82.30 crore ($12.3 million) in 2006; the fourth biggest for Anushka as well as for Ranbir.[29]

In the United Kingdom, it recorded the biggest Bollywood opening of the year with ₹4.88 crore ($772,891), debuting at eighth place at the U.K. box office.[21] However, this is inclusive of previews. Including previews, Sultan would be the clear winner with a $1.3 million debut in July. But excluding previews, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is ahead of the former.[30] In the United States and Canada, the film received a limited release across 302 theaters and grossed ₹14 crore ($2.13 million) in its opening weekend finishing in tenth place.[31]

Critical reception

On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 40 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[32] Nihit Bhave from The Times of India gave it 3.5/5 saying, "This is Karan Johar's most grown up movie". He also praised acting of Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor.[33] Saibal Chaterjee from NDTV Movies gave it 4/5 saying "It is an infectiously buoyant, emotionally engaging and superbly acted drama that could disarm even the most inveterate of cynics." He also liked the venues of the film, saying "The result is an efflorescent, vivacious tale that pans on locations across London, Paris, Vienna and briefly Lucknow".[34] Mike Maccahil from The Guardian gave it 2/5 saying "Despite controversy over the casting, Karan Johar’s romance, pairing drippy Ranbir Kapoor with spiky Anushka Sharma, has a failure of nerve about Hindu-Muslim relations." [35]

Shubhra Gupta from The Indian Express gave it 2/5 saying "When I opt for a Karan Johar film, I want the stuff that he does best — the impossibly beautiful people, the lovely foreign locations, the humungous homes, the songs-and-the-dances, the zardozi and the flash — in spades. What I also want is the heightened emotions and the messy love you-hate you-can’t live without you moments that he manages to create in his most felt work. He has to make me feel enough so I can keep the glitter at bay. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil scores high on the first count. You can’t get better-looking actors than Ranbir Kapoor-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anushka Sharma-Fawad Khan. You can’t get more atmospheric cities than London and Paris. And instead of New York, there’s Vienna. So far, all slurp worthy.[36] Rachit Gupta from Filmfare gave it 3.5/5 saying "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is a definite comment on love. It just doesn’t showcase love as one singular feeling of passion and greatness. Instead it breaks love down into several individual feelings. Some platonic, some sexual and some mature. The very fact that this film successfully portrays love and its various facets with such deftness and control is its true success. In the end, it does falter a bit, the end to Ranbir Kapoor’s and Anushka Sharma’s love story feels like a cop out. But even then, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil does enough to convince you that love can be an exhausting experience, but even in its challenges, it is the one true emotion that can give meaning to life." He also praised Karan Johar writing saying "In terms of the concept and writing Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is Karan Johar’s most evolved and mature film yet. The very fact that he doesn’t choose to portray love as the greatest virtue on Earth works for the story. Even though his film has the right ideas and some wonderfully interesting themes, his plot choices aren’t always the best. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starts off with a heavy dose of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai but the end it adopts a The Fault In Our Stars approach. This digression in story telling doesn’t work. It’s not a bad conclusion, but it’s also not the best choice."

Sweta Kaushal from Hindustan Times gave it 2.5/5.[37] She feels controversy of release made this film popular, She expressed her thoughts by saying "Karan Johar and his team must thank all the controversy around their film’s release for creating a huge buzz, because otherwise Ae Dil Hai Mushkil boils down to little more than a mash-up of all those clichéd dreamy films that are high on cinematography and melodrama but low on realism."[37] She also felt that this film is like typical films, She said "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is like revisiting Kuch Kuch Hota Hai with a 2016 twist — friendship and the chemistry that friends share beat love and eventually translate into that eternal love. Of course, this is 2016 and marriage isn’t the ultimate goal of love. Also, because this is a modern-day story set in London and Paris, the eternal lovers will find several other lovers before they get back. Except, instead of touching your heart with such pure humane emotions —irrational yet real, the film appears rather superficial. There are also sequences that remind you of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Kal Ho Na Ho."[37] She find something absent from film and said "There is this intense passion/love Alizeh nurtures for her ex-boyfriend Ali (Fawad Khan), but we do not get to see her story. Saba (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) is a divorcee poetess who meets a heart-broken Ayaan and falls in love. Shah Rukh Khan makes a small guest appearance and does what he did in Luck By Chance: impart some gyan to our hero. Only, this time it is on love and not stardom."[37] She praised Anushka's performance by saying "Anushka is impressive with her new avatar as the woman who knows exactly what she wants from each of her relationships."[37] About Fawad's and Shah Rukh's cameos, She said "Fawad Khan and SRK have very little screenspace to even comment on their performances, but you get to enjoy that sexy smile and the star persona respectively in the small bits they have. Aishwarya as Saba is what you imagine Aishwarya to be — sexy, smart, independent and someone with a great sense of self-importance."[37] About dialogue of film She said "Written by Karan, the dialogues are typically KJo — very filmy and artsy at the same time. At times, they even sound like the words are an attempt to make up for the lack of feelings. There is this one sequence that I found really insulting to Fayyaz Hashmi’s ghazal ‘Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo’ because of the setting and added music."[37] Bollywood Hungama News Network gave film 4/5,[38] while at IMDB, the film scored 5.4/10.[39]

Soundtrack

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Soundtrack album by Pritam
Released 2016
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length 27:49
Label Sony Music

The soundtrack of the film is composed by Pritam, with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.[40][41] On 30 August 2016, the audio of the title track was released digitally.[42] The music rights are acquired by Sony Music. The full album was released on 26 October 2016.[43]

Track listing

No. TitleSinger(s) Length
1. "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil"  Arijit Singh 4:28
2. "Bulleya"  Amit Mishra, Shilpa Rao 5:48
3. "Channa Mereya"  Arijit Singh 4:49
4. "The Breakup Song"  Arijit Singh, Jonita Gandhi, Badshah, Nakash Aziz 4:12
5. "Cutipie"  Pradeep Singh Sran, Nakash Aziz 3:50
6. "Alizeh"  Arijit Singh, Ash King, Shashwat Singh 4:42

References

  1. 1 2 "Official Dharma Productions Website Announcement with order of casting".
  2. ↑ "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil vs Shivaay: Who will win at the box office?". The Indian Express.
  3. ↑ "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Shivaay have close contest at box office; KJo's film has a 10-cr lead". Firstpost. Retrieved Nov 4, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Box Office: Worldwide Collection and Day Wise Breakup of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Official Dharma Productions Website Announcement with order of casting".
  6. 1 2 Gupta, Priya (1 December 2014). "Karan Johar to direct Aishwarya, Ranbir, and Anushka in 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "Role in 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' not exactly a cameo: Fawad Khan". The Indian Express. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Had fun filming 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil': Lisa Haydon". DNA India. 2 July 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil: Karan Johar confirms Shah Rukh Khan cameo in film". The Indian Express. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  10. ↑ "Alia Bhatt Has a Cameo in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. She Stars As...". NDTV. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "Hollywood stars won't have much to do in our cinema: Karan Johar". Daily News and Analysis. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  12. ↑ Goswami, Parismita (30 September 2015). "After London, Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma fly to Paris for 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' shoot". International Business Times. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "After London, Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' in Paris, Austria". The Indian Express. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "Ranbir, Anushka and Fawad kick start Ae Dil Hai Mushkil shoot in Rajasthan". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  15. ↑ "Karan Johar begins shooting last leg of 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'". The Times of India. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  16. ↑ MNS: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil: Cops set up helpline for movie theatres as MNS threat looms – Times of India. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (20 October 2016). Retrieved on 2016-11-01.
  17. ↑ Fresh threat to Ae Dil Hai Mushkil from MNS : India, News – India Today. Indiatoday.intoday.in (19 October 2016). Retrieved on 2016-11-01.
  18. ↑ 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' will have a safe Diwali release: Mukesh Bhatt after meeting Rajnath Singh – The Economic Times. Economictimes.indiatimes.com (20 October 2016). Retrieved on 2016-11-01.
  19. 1 2 Don Groves (November 3, 2016). "Karan Johar And Ajay Devgn Set To Continue Their Hot Streaks In India". Forbes. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  20. ↑ Koimoi.com Team (31 October 2016). "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Grosses Over 115 Crores Worldwide In Its Opening Weekend". Koimoi.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  21. 1 2 Nancy Tartaglione (30 October 2016). "'Doctor Strange' Brews $86M In Overseas Bow; Tops Comps, Sets IMAX Records – International Box Office Update". Deadline.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  22. ↑ Nancy Tartaglione (November 6, 2016). "'Doctor Strange' Supreme With $240M+ Overseas/$325M+ Global; 'Bridget Jones' Delivers $200M+ WW – Intl Box Office". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  23. ↑ Don Groves (25 October 2016). "Bollywood Showdown: Ajay Devgn's 'Shivaay' Vs Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'". Forbes. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  24. ↑ Joginder Tuteja (October 29, 2016). "Ranbir & Anushka Register Their 3rd Biggest Opening Ever With Ae Dil Hai Mushkil". Koimoi.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Box Office: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil becomes 2nd Highest opening weekend grosser of 2016 in the overseas". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  26. ↑ "Top 10 Highest Opening Weekend Grossers Of 2016". 31 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  27. ↑ Don Groves (30 October 2016). "Karan Johar Vs Ajay Devgn: Surprising Result In Bollywood Showdown". Forbes. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  28. ↑ "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil box office collection day 5: This is the hit Ranbir Kapoor needed". The Indian Express. November 1, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  29. 1 2 Scott Mendelson (November 6, 2016). "Karan Johar, Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma And Aishwarya Reach New Peaks". Forbes. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  30. ↑ Charles Gant (November 1, 2016). "Doctor Strange sweeps into a new cosmic realm at UK box office". The Guardian. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  31. ↑ Brian Brooks (30 October 2016). "'Moonlight' Shines With Over $900K in 36 Theaters; Magnolia's 'Gimme Danger' Solid in Debut – Specialty Box Office". Deadline.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  32. ↑ "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  33. ↑
  34. ↑
  35. ↑ Mike Mccahill. "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil review: a traditional, weepie, unlikely to offend". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  36. ↑
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sweta Kaushal. "Movie Review: The Ranbir-Anushka film is hard to relate". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  38. ↑ "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Review". Bollywood Hungama News Network. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  39. ↑ "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2026)". IMDB. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  40. ↑ "Karan Johar-directed 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' soundtrack to be grand, romantic: Pritam Chakraborty". The Indian Express. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  41. ↑ "'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' soundtrack to be grand, romantic: Pritam". Business Standard. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  42. ↑ Sarkar, Prarthna (30 August 2016). "'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' full song released online: Where to listen to it for free". International Business Times, India Edition. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  43. ↑ "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Songs". Saavn. Retrieved 26 October 2016.

External links

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