Karan Johar admits flaws in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, says would still tell it same way

Filmmaker Karan Johar has marked 10 years of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil with an emotional note, reflecting on the film's story of unrequited love and the personal experiences that inspired it. He admitted that the Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Fawad Khan-starrer had its flaws and received polarised responses, particularly to its third act, but said he would tell the story in the same way even today.Sharing a video to mark the film's 10th anniversary, Karan spoke about how his own experiences with love, longing and heartbreak shaped the 2016 romantic drama. He also thanked the cast and crew for helping him bring his vision to the screen.In his note, Karan described Ae Dil Hai Mushkil as a deeply personal story that brought together several aspects of his pursuit of love, along with some of his heartbreaks. He said the film came from a realisation that one-sided love did not necessarily need to be viewed through the lens of pain or sympathy.“Ae dil hai mushkil will always be a personal story to me a cumulation of many pieces of my pursuits of love and longing and perhaps also many of my own heartbreaks,” he wrote. The filmmaker added that unrequited love deserved to be understood for its own emotional power, rather than judged by whether the feelings were returned.“At possibly one of the most vulnerable moments of my life I realised that one sided love did not need remorse or sympathy it didn’t warrant pain or empathy all it needed was deep and intense understanding that the power of love is so much larger than the reciprocation of the sameYou don’t need to have someone love you back to empower yourself - the feeling itself is so awakening and so so powerful!” he said. Karan also reflected on the idea of selflessness in love, saying that loving someone should not depend on receiving the same feelings in return.“Loving someone has to be an act of selflessness and we as a community of lovers have to disassociate the ‘I’ in ‘I LOVE YOU’. Selflessness is where true love truly resides That feeling made me tell this story,” he added.While the film remains close to his heart, Karan acknowledged that it had its share of criticism. He specifically mentioned the polarised responses to its third act but maintained that he would not change his approach to telling the story."I do admit that it wasn’t without its flaws and had several polarised responses especially to its third act. BUT truth be told I would have still told it the same way even today, with its flaws with its perceived imperfections," he wrote.The filmmaker went on to defend the freedom of artistic expression, saying that no work of art could be perfect and that audiences were entitled to their interpretations. For him, however, conviction remained essential to storytelling."No art can be perfect and all interpretation is welcome but conviction has to trump all logic and sensibility when you want to be an unabashed story teller," Karan said.He also thanked Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Fawad Khan for trusting his vision and bringing their performances to the film. Karan expressed gratitude to the entire cast and crew for creating what he described as the right “Vatavaran” on set.Karan Johar's message to Ae Dil Hai Mushkil fansConcluding his note, Karan returned to the film's central theme of one-sided love, describing it as the essence of the story. He also expressed his gratitude to the people who have continued to connect with the film over the years.“10 years ago we told a story about unrequited love. The essence of our story was ‘ek tarfa pyaar’ but the love we have towards all the lovers of our love story is unconditional. Love you all from the bottom of our hearts” he wrote.He signed off with the line, "Accha chalta hoon duaon mein yaad rakhna."About Ae Dil Hai MushkilReleased in 2016, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil explored unrequited love and the complicated relationships between its central characters. The film starred Ranbir Kapoor as Ayan, an aspiring singer who develops feelings for Alizeh, played by Anushka Sharma. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Fawad Khan also featured in pivotal roles.Directed by Karan Johar, the romantic drama received mixed responses, with discussions around its portrayal of relationships and its ending forming part of the conversation surrounding the film. A decade later, the director's anniversary note shows that the story's central idea of loving someone without expecting the same feelings in return remains deeply personal to him.- Ends