JOIN USAe Dil Hai Mushkil
Hindi (U/A) Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, Fawad Khan
Director: Karan Johar
Ranbir hugs Anushka. And it’s mostly tear glands at work. Then he hugs Aishwarya. And it’s pure hormonal gush. Karan Johar tries to explain in 158 minutes why Ranbir still prefers Anushka — his messy, untidy love — to Aishwarya, an ever-ready outlet for his libido.
Johar has been to these pastures before. And Ae Dil Hai Mushkil flaunts traces (generous ones at that) of his earlier outings. Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai... the self-referencing strikes some jarring notes though.
It’s a cinema where extremely good-looking cast live in homes that resemble seven-star suites. It’s even harder to relate to, when all of them are globetrotting British citizens who spend their lives singing, dancing and bar-hopping, doing some yoga in between. Still, Ranbir — the “private-jet rich” hero — is convincing enough as an everyday lover who devours Bollywood — class and trash alike. He finds his match in Anushka — mature, independent, but still pining for old flame Fawad Khan.
And the name brings in the much-discussed Pakistan angle. Surprisingly, there is no connection whatsoever, as the original “Lahore set-up” was apparently given a safer “Lucknow” makeover.
The couple criss-cross London and Paris with some soulful music about unrequited love. Cut to Vienna where stunner of a poet Aishwarya completes the quadrangle. Her red lips know only the language of heartbreak and her lines give Ranbir more reasons to pursue true love. Which brings him back to Anushka, who hasn’t got over Fawad, who strangely, isn’t sufficiently sketched out by Johar.
For all its emotions running helter-skelter from London to Lucknow, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil needed a sharper treatment. Ranbir manages to shine, though, as the crazy man who wears his weeping heart on his sleeve.