Karan Johar has a special place in Hindi cinema.
He started Kuch Kuch Hota hai with a hypothesis -' pyar dosti hai' .
He builds on it - in this movie like a master hypothesis builder showing pyar the fragile vs friendship the strength. Using this broad construct, he puts the 'dil' in the middle trying to make the effort for love that can deceive or the safety of friendship that is less risk averse but enjoyable. Whether both are needed as 2 states or they merge at times or they can be treated separately by mature people is the part that is mushkil. Maybe what someone wants in his love maybe different from someone else, since the sufiyana love that can be self destructive or the selfless love that cannot be practical may not be achievable states either. And even if you love someone , there is no reason someone should love you back , so how do you deal with these problems gives it the titular complexity of "Ae dil hai mushkil"
With Ranbir taking the baton as the fragile weak hero astutely ( thus giving it a trilogical continuity from Tamasha and Ae jawani hi diwani) , Karan finds himself directing his mirror image ( or his soul)... Ranbir nails this character, at ease at crying, being the weaker sex who needs support and is somewhat immature. Anushka again shows that not every bubbly girl is the same for the 10th time in her career by being Ranbirs campanion but not his love. Her love as a weakness to has been given to DJ Ali ( Fawad Khan getting hardly anything to work off). Why Ali is never answered so well, is it admiration or him being better than Ranbirs kiddish wimpiness. But it happens, leaving Ranbir so despaired that he finds a relationship again that is not love but his way to stay sane - since he rejected Anushka he needs to find acceptability. And in true KJo the acceptability happens without even Tinderian efforts, its in Shammi Kapoors Dil deke dekho type trade at an airport lounge and the lady happens to be a gorgeous Ash who is a poet !! Ash wants a relationship thats physical not emotional - since ages are not revealed we assume its a cougar type instinct , a necessity.. However its probably deep because she herself is a 'trader' of pain as a poet and she can relate to the pain in him , so as to make better poetry , so half muse .. And the man who has broken her, enters in a cameo preaching selfless love to Ranbir is none other than SRK - the man passing on the baton to Ranvir ( touche KJo- SRK style)
Whenever he stays true to the title, Johar is able to hold this movie together and whenever he is able to get the sharp lyrical dialogues working, he packs a punch. A gorgeous Ash adds that veneer that is glossy but can crack, and the SRK cameo adds the uncrackable.. Its a movie that I am over rating extremely as you can see, but Karan Johar is that emotional maverick who can make us come out of the candyfloss, chiffon saree, karva chauth routine ( that he masterfully spoofs in this movie) and yet pays homage to songs of RD, Rafi and Noor Jehan. Again its a movie where he should have let go more than what he tries to retain , and when he tries to retain - especially the Kal Ho Na Ho ending where he fails and the movie ends flat.
If Cocktail explored an interesting facet of modern day youth relationships and succeeded, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil fails due to the baggage its carrying. By adding the old world shayraana part with Ash's character, it needed to get into the Bollywood gooeyness of emotions where the movie cannot end without you shedding tears. But that doesnt happen and you feel is there a filmmaker who can ever get us there in a modern day tale, till that time watch Deepikas' babe breakdown moment in Cocktail...
He started Kuch Kuch Hota hai with a hypothesis -' pyar dosti hai' .
He builds on it - in this movie like a master hypothesis builder showing pyar the fragile vs friendship the strength. Using this broad construct, he puts the 'dil' in the middle trying to make the effort for love that can deceive or the safety of friendship that is less risk averse but enjoyable. Whether both are needed as 2 states or they merge at times or they can be treated separately by mature people is the part that is mushkil. Maybe what someone wants in his love maybe different from someone else, since the sufiyana love that can be self destructive or the selfless love that cannot be practical may not be achievable states either. And even if you love someone , there is no reason someone should love you back , so how do you deal with these problems gives it the titular complexity of "Ae dil hai mushkil"
With Ranbir taking the baton as the fragile weak hero astutely ( thus giving it a trilogical continuity from Tamasha and Ae jawani hi diwani) , Karan finds himself directing his mirror image ( or his soul)... Ranbir nails this character, at ease at crying, being the weaker sex who needs support and is somewhat immature. Anushka again shows that not every bubbly girl is the same for the 10th time in her career by being Ranbirs campanion but not his love. Her love as a weakness to has been given to DJ Ali ( Fawad Khan getting hardly anything to work off). Why Ali is never answered so well, is it admiration or him being better than Ranbirs kiddish wimpiness. But it happens, leaving Ranbir so despaired that he finds a relationship again that is not love but his way to stay sane - since he rejected Anushka he needs to find acceptability. And in true KJo the acceptability happens without even Tinderian efforts, its in Shammi Kapoors Dil deke dekho type trade at an airport lounge and the lady happens to be a gorgeous Ash who is a poet !! Ash wants a relationship thats physical not emotional - since ages are not revealed we assume its a cougar type instinct , a necessity.. However its probably deep because she herself is a 'trader' of pain as a poet and she can relate to the pain in him , so as to make better poetry , so half muse .. And the man who has broken her, enters in a cameo preaching selfless love to Ranbir is none other than SRK - the man passing on the baton to Ranvir ( touche KJo- SRK style)
Whenever he stays true to the title, Johar is able to hold this movie together and whenever he is able to get the sharp lyrical dialogues working, he packs a punch. A gorgeous Ash adds that veneer that is glossy but can crack, and the SRK cameo adds the uncrackable.. Its a movie that I am over rating extremely as you can see, but Karan Johar is that emotional maverick who can make us come out of the candyfloss, chiffon saree, karva chauth routine ( that he masterfully spoofs in this movie) and yet pays homage to songs of RD, Rafi and Noor Jehan. Again its a movie where he should have let go more than what he tries to retain , and when he tries to retain - especially the Kal Ho Na Ho ending where he fails and the movie ends flat.
If Cocktail explored an interesting facet of modern day youth relationships and succeeded, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil fails due to the baggage its carrying. By adding the old world shayraana part with Ash's character, it needed to get into the Bollywood gooeyness of emotions where the movie cannot end without you shedding tears. But that doesnt happen and you feel is there a filmmaker who can ever get us there in a modern day tale, till that time watch Deepikas' babe breakdown moment in Cocktail...
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