Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

<p>Ayan Sanger, a popular singer known for his non-commercial music, recounts his story of love during a televised interview. Years earlier in , he met Alizeh Khan, a free-spirited woman, at a . They quickly bonded over their mutual incompatibility with their current partners—Ayan with Lisa D’Souza and Alizeh with Dr. Faisal Khan—and soon became close friends. After discovering their respective partners’ , they broke off their relationships and traveled to together. During the trip, Ayan developed romantic feelings for Alizeh, but she continued to view him only as a friend. Their relationship changed when Alizeh unexpectedly reconnected with her ex-boyfriend, Ali, and decided to marry him. She invited Ayan to her wedding in , which he reluctantly attended. There, Ayan confessed his love, but Alizeh rejected him, leading to a painful fallout. At the airport, Ayan encountered Saba Taliyar Khan, a poet traveling to . Saba offered him emotional solace, and months later, Ayan contacted her and the two began a relationship. Though Saba developed feelings for Ayan, she sensed that he remained emotionally attached to Alizeh and eventually ended the relationship to protect herself from further heartbreak. Encouraged by Saba’s poetry, Ayan reconnected with Alizeh, and they resumed their friendship. However, Ayan continued to struggle with his unresolved feelings. When Alizeh visited Vienna, Ayan tried to make her jealous by introducing her to Saba, but this only deepened the emotional complexity. After a confrontation, Alizeh reiterated that she loved him only as a friend. Their argument led to another separation. Years later, Ayan became a successful musician. He met Ali and learned that Alizeh had left him and disappeared from public view. Ayan eventually found her at one of her favorite spots, where she revealed she was suffering from . Though devastated, Ayan chose to stay by her side, hoping she would eventually reciprocate his romantic feelings. Alizeh, however, remained emotionally honest and rejected the idea of faking love, leading to another brief estrangement. As her health declined, Ayan fulfilled her final wish by accompanying her to the airport. The narrative returns to the present, where Ayan concludes his interview by performing ” ,” a song inspired by his one-sided love for Alizeh, underscoring the emotional journey that shaped his music and life. “…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.” was officially announced in November 2014. Writer-director , who had last directed (2012), revealed that he had been developing a separate story for over a year when, during a visit to , the idea for came to him. The film, titled after a song from the 1956 film , was written in 30 days. Upon returning to India, Johar approached the lead actors, all of whom signed on immediately. Johar cast and after working with them as co-actors in ’s (2015). He later stated that while he had multiple options for the roles of Ayan and Alizeh, the role of Saba was specifically written for , and that the film would not have been made had she declined the part. , who had recently appeared in Johar’s (2016), was cast as DJ Ali. His character, while limited in screen time, was described by Johar as “not exactly a cameo” but “a backbone for a certain conflict of a character.” confirmed her appearance in the film in a supporting role. At the , Johar also confirmed that would make a brief appearance. In February 2016, at the India Conference at , Johar revealed that Kapoor plays a Hindu man named Ayan and Sharma a Muslim woman named Alizeh. began in September 2015 in with Kapoor and Sharma. Later that month, the team shot portions in . In October 2015, filming continued in , , where Rai joined the crew following the release of her film (2015). In March 2016, filming took place in , , featuring Kapoor, Sharma, and Khan. The final schedule was completed in July 2016 in . On 8 October 2016, the Indian political party (MNS) announced that it would oppose the release of due to the presence of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in the cast. The statement followed heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the , and coincided with the Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India’s decision to refrain from releasing films featuring Pakistani artists in four states: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Goa. The MNS threatened cinema owners with vandalism if they proceeded to screen the film. In response, stated that theaters would receive adequate police protection and warned that anyone taking the law into their own hands would be dealt with “firmly.” On 19 October, twelve MNS workers were taken into judicial custody after staging a protest and entering a Mumbai cinema unlawfully. Addressing the controversy, director Karan Johar issued a video statement emphasizing that the film was shot in 2015 under different circumstances. He added, “Going forward, 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 . I don’t think it’s fair for them to face any kind of turbulence on account of other fellow Indians.” Johar’s remarks received mixed responses, with some criticizing him for capitulating to political pressure, while others from the film industry, including and , voiced support for the film’s release. On 20 October 2016, Mukesh Bhatt announced that, following discussions with , the film would be released as scheduled without disruption. He also stated that producers had resolved not to collaborate with Pakistani actors in future projects. was produced on a budget of over ₹500 million, including marketing and distribution costs. Prior to its theatrical release, the film had already recovered ₹750 million (US$11.2 million) through the sale of its music, satellite, and digital rights, leaving a target of approximately ₹250 million (US$3.7 million) in box office revenue for break-even.[1] The film was released on 28 October 2016, coinciding with the weekend, and faced strong competition from . On its opening day, the film collected ₹133 million, marking the third-highest opening for both and and the sixth-highest for a Hindi film that year. Over its debut weekend, it earned ₹356 million net (₹498 million gross) from 3,200 screens in India, becoming the ninth-biggest opener of 2016 and the best-ever opening for as a director, surpassing (2010). Due to the holiday period, the film saw an increase in collections on the following Monday, earning ₹177.5 million. It concluded its first week in India with ₹802 million (US$12 million) and continued its successful run into the second weekend, earning a further ₹320 million from 2,000 screens. By the end of its ten-day run, had amassed ₹971.7 million (US$14.6 million) domestically, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year in India and the top grosser of ’s career, surpassing (2006). Internationally, the film performed well, debuting at eighth place at the UK box office with ₹48.8 million (US$773,000), the highest Bollywood opening in the UK that year (excluding previews). In North America, it earned ₹140 million (US$2.13 million) from 302 screens during its opening weekend. According to , the film earned an estimated US$12.8 million across 14 international markets during its opening weekend. By the end of its theatrical run, the film had grossed ₹1.61 billion (US$20 million) in India and ₹2.38 billion (US$28 million) worldwide, ranking as the . received mixed reviews from critics. While its direction, music, cinematography, and performances—particularly those of , , and —were praised, the film’s story and screenplay received criticism. On , the film holds a 53% approval rating based on 17 reviews, with an average score of 5.6/10. assigned a weighted average score of 40 out of 100, indicating “mixed or average reviews” based on four critics. rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it “a contemporary and progressive take on relationships from the master storyteller Karan Johar.” of awarded 4 stars, stating that “Johar has improved massively as a storyteller,” while rated it 3.5 stars, calling it “splendidly romantic and richly satisfying.” ’s Nihit Bhave gave it 3.5 stars and described it as “a beautiful-looking film that isn’t bereft of logic.” of also gave it 3.5 stars, praising Kapoor’s performance and noting Johar’s continued ability to evoke emotion. More critical assessments came from ’s and ’ Sweta Kaushal, both rating it 2.5 stars. Jha described the film as “good-looking” but emotionally lacking, while Kaushal found it difficult to empathize with the characters. ’s rated it 2 stars, citing the film’s inability to move beyond familiar tropes, and ’s Mike McCahill gave it 2 stars, stating that the film lacked depth in its treatment of Hindu-Muslim relations. In a more nuanced take, wrote that the film “is not so much plot-driven as it is focused on characters, relationships, and interactions,” while remarked that the film “has neither gravitas nor the charm to be worth remembering.”</p>