Nupur Agrawal
I don’t remember being so crazy about a movie release except for Tamasha last year 😉 So it is no surprise that I saw Ae Dil Hai Mushkil on the very first day of its release, and thanks to Diwali and the three day celebrations that I had no time to express what I actually felt after watching the movie, perhaps, not even to myself :p
Pyaar dosti hai – said SRK in KJo’s super hit film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. It’s only safe to say that Ranbir Kapoor (Ayan) follows this exact line and emotion just the way Shahrukh did with Rani Mukherjee in the first half of KKHH. Befriends the girl, does everything she loves, becomes her partner in crime, tries to be there for her in every way possible, falls in love with her, and wants her to love him back ! Simple, right ? Wrong. Because Ayan is no Rahul and he ain’t getting it all so easy. For our I-am-always-so-high-on-life and I-want-to-fulfill-all-my-bollywood-fantasies-with-you heroine – Anushka Sharma (Alizeh) – ‘Dosti pyaar hai’.
Here begins their musical & filmy tale of friendship which is basically a tribute to the legends of 1970s, 80s and 90s, a special reference to be given to R.D. Burman & Mohammad Rafi. Obviously what’s friendship for Alizeh, turns into a friend-zone for Ayan. But dude, the first cue lied in her first visit to his house when she drops in with a cactus plant as tohfa and issues a warning ‘Main kisi ke baahon ka phool nahi, kisi ke raaste ka kaanta banna jaati hoon’. But since when did people start to use their brains in love right? He continues to walk and sing and dance and freeze in Paris ki vaadiya on the rosy path of love before his love herself becomes the kaanta of his path. Is that too much gyaan & philosophy for you already ? Gear up as the movie endeavours to be 100 times more enlightening than that.
Now, despite a cute and realistic blanket scene where they cuddle and she tells him that ‘Pyaar mein junoon hai par dosti mein sukoon hai’, Ayan continues to feel that in the end of all these gimmicks and private jet vacations (because everyone is so gladly rich & unemployed), he will get his girl. Enters her super hot ex DJ Ali (Fawad Khan). Within seconds, the uber-cool girl becomes The Gone Girl and bam ! Ayan is dancing at her wedding. Tragic much ? Yes, because Ranbir Kapoor has become a pro at being so comfortable playing the vulnerable, sensitive and needy guy and in this movie, there is a sincere addition to his character – he is a man-child. The obvious victim of unrequited love walks away just like Kabira in Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani with his backpack and falls right into the arms of the drop dead gorgeous Saba (Aishwarya Rai) and there begins their steamy affair.
But what happens to Alizeh all this while ? Is unrequited love heartbreaking only for the one who is craving for romance and exclusivity? Isn’t it equally painful for the one who has lost what according to her was unconditionally honest love too? This is why I felt for Alizeh’s character more than Ayan’s especially after her comeback in the second half of the movie. But that’s where the problem began. Midst all the gyaan and heavy lines recited by every character in the movie (and the most important Ek tarfa pyaar line said by SRK), the expressions and acting went missing. Everyone was so busy talking and flooding us with fancy and deep words that there was no room to feel the pain/joy/heartbreak in their eyes.
Then comes one of the most intense scenes of the movie, where Ayan invites Alizeh to Saba’s place for dinner and everyone realizes that they are all in deep shit. Everyone lets go of everyone only to reunite after Ayan has become a Rockstar, literally. In the battle of love and friendship, who will win ? Or is there ever a winner ? You will know that in the last 30 minutes of the movie which start off with an unnecessarily added plot but end up making some sense eventually.
Reasons to watch this one
Anushka’s stunning kurtas, her amazing eye make-up which takes away the focus from the horrible lip job, old hindi movie songs, Ranbir’s tight hugs, picturesque locations, seductive and oh-my-god hot avtar of Aishwarya Rai, our real cutie-pie Fawad Khan, music, dialogues and most importantly, watch it to feel and celebrate the beautiful & innocent bond of friendship.
