There is something called “specialist”, people who have made their mark in something they are really good at. Karan Johar to me was a specialist. All his movies were trendsetters and set benchmark in hindi film industry (barring Kabhi Alvida). People copied and continued copying his style of film making. Ae Dil to me was very promising when I watched the first teaser. The way Aish was made to look at, the way Fawad was introduced and the way chemistry of Ranbir and Anushka was shown. All thanks to Diwali I was quite late in watching this movie and by that time the news and reviews were out. But for old times sake I decided to watch the movie on big screen. The movie starts with Ranbir (Ayan) and Anushka (Alizeh) making out and one shot seriously reminding you totally of Jab we met (woh tumhari maa thi). Their relationship moves in fast forward and we realise that Ranbir is dating Lisa Hayden and Anushka is dating some doctor which has no relevance to the script.
Have you watched Rockstar, Yeh Jawaani hai Diwani and Tamasha ? If yes then the next 30-40 minutes of this movie will ensure that it’s just a recap of these films. This is sheer copy and paste although unfortunately Anushka is no Deepika but she is of course better than Nargis. This also is the turning point according to me for a Karan Johar movie. Why is he trying to be a Imtiaz Ali ? If Tamasha had Ranbir playing Dev Anand with Deepika as his muse, Ae Dil had him as a Rafi fan and Anushka dancing to the tune of Chandini during their Paris holiday. Remember that famous Samosa with chatni dialogue in Rockstar that talks about the pain and sadness in a singer’s voice. You have it word to word in this movie. Alright, so Anushka was basically in love with Fawad (Ali), fondly called DJ Ali, and was simply running away from him. And guess what? She comes across him in Paris. They talk and she tells Ranbir in a rather rigid manner “Ayan tum jao”. So a heart broken Ranbir, who loved Anushka, leaves for UK like a player declared out hit wicket in a cricket match.
Finally Anushka and Fawad get married in Lucknow. Ranbir joins as an extension to the scene of Yeh Jawaani, drinks like a fish that reminds you of Aditya Roy Kapoor from same movie, leaves in a rush that is similar to the song Kabira again from same movie and arrives at a Business lounge to depart.
Enters Aishwarya (Saba). Have you ever seen a singer continue to sing in between while talking to you ? Or a runner starting to run while talking ? Or a batsman practicing his stance while having a communication with you ? But this Saba, who happens to be Shayara, ornates sher after sher while talking, all of those looked artificial and forced. Anyways so after she almost offered herself to Ranbir with the “Agar alfaaz kaam na aaye to number istemaal kar lena.” through a note in her book, Ranbir drops in to Vienna for ‘Aap’ ko ‘tum’ banane aaya hoon and both had a torrid affair as Saba does not have “Mohabbat ki jagah” in her life.
Enters Anushka once again. All three meet (minus her husband Fawad) and there are intense emotional talks and Ranbir tries and plays a cool dude. But remember Aish is a Shayara and she also happens to be now falling for Ranbir. She throws him out of her life and house all at the same time.
Now Ranbir is without a girl. Hence there is bound to be “dard and sadness” in his voice and he en-cashes that by becoming a famous singer. Yes you guessed it right, just like Rockstar. He happens to meet Anushka again and what happens next I wouldn’t like to disclose. But you will be reminded of the character of Nargis Fakri from Rockstar for sure.
This movie is divided into two parts. First half is a copy and paste from previous hindi movies where Karan Johar copies Imtiaz Ali’s style of film making but is entertaining. It is the second half where he comes in his own. The intensity of relations depicted is very powerful. Whether its Ranbir with Aishwarya or its Ranbir with Anushka. In fact the character of Anushka grows leaps and bounds. The struggle she undergoes in the attempt to not lose her best friend, the dilemma she faces about her feelings for him and also the personal crisis her own life is going through. To me last 30-40 minutes, although a bit stretched, were the highlight of the movie. You knew the end but still you were curiously waiting to see how director will deliver it.
The songs are simply superb. You expect that in a Karan Johar movie. The locales are all exotic and lavish. In the acting department Aishwarya Bachchan in her “half opened cause of high on drugs” eyes looks sexy and bold. She justifies the casting totally. Ranbir is just like his earlier movies. You are reminded of his character from Rockstar, Tamasha and Yeh Jawaani. He needs to take a break from such roles now. Anushka looks good and acts very well in the intense scenes. But she fails to deliver too during some of these scenes. And Fawad Khan ? He comes for 2-3 times in the movie. Speaks twice or thrice. Looks a bit lost and frankly for his role Karan Johar could have casted any one, even Bobby Deol. By the way the best dialogue of the movie “ek tarfa pyaar” is not spoken by any of these four leading artists.
This movie is worth watching once and then watch it again when it’s shown on TV. I am quite sure it’ll grow on to us in the second viewing.
Rating 3.5/5
Jaipur Beat 