All You Need To Know About the Making of ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’

Moving away from controversy, here are some interesting stories about the making of ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’.

Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar and Aishwarya Rai talk about Ae Dil Hai Mushkil at Jio MAMI. (Photo: Yogen Shah)

Karan Johar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma sat down to answer questions from festival director Anupama Chopra and film critic Rajeev Masand about Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

Anupama Chopra and Rajeev Masand with team Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. (Photo: Yogen Shah)

The session was held as part of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival and revealed a lot of interesting aspects about its making, apart from the political controversy that it has been submerged in so far. But now that the worst is over and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has decided to drop the agitation, let’s get down to some behind-the-scenes stories from the film’s making.

Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar Come Together On Set After 7 Years

Karan Johar talks about get back together on set with Shah Rukh Khan after seven long years, and feeling like not a day has passed.

Shah Rukh and I have this natural synergy. There was a scene, he knew what I wanted and I knew what he was going to give me. In that moment there was a give and take that was so beautifully organic that it made me believe that sometimes you just have that connection with some people. 

Karan Johar, Filmmaker

Aishwarya’s First Unapologetically Sexual Role

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan spoke about her character, probably her boldest ever. Not that she hasn’t played strong characters before, but this one is unlike anything we’ve seen through her career. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’s Saba is relative to the times. She loves her role because it is classy, dignified and not in the least frivolous when it comes to sexuality.

Aishwarya Rai talks about her role in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. (Photo: Yogen Shah)

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Is Karan Johar’s First ‘Internal’ Film

After making all the films he has, Karan Johar had a moment of realisation about the fact that none of them have been about him. So, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is his own personal story of love and the pain when it is unrequited. Johar strongly believes that true love only happens once, at the most twice, in life. If it has happened to more than that you’re probably not human.

Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar joke around on the stage. (Photo: Yogen Shah)

He talks about unrequited love from his personal experience, even though one doesn’t know the story there. While Ae Dil Hai Mushkil might be a fictional story altogether, but the pain experienced by its characters, is something that he has experienced himself.

Anushka Sharma Is Too Practical For Love At First Sight

I’m very practical. If there’s a guy standing at a distance and I see him, I won’t fall in love with him. If I feel that he’s not interested, love won’t happen. 

Anushka Sharma, Actor

Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan pose for the shutterbugs. (Photo: Yogen Shah)

But what Karan had to say to Anushka’s process of falling in love made everyone in the room crack up- “Kya baat kar rahi ho Anushka, dil bhi wicket ki tarah hi hota hai.” I love the subtlety with which he puts his friends in the spot and relishes that moment! The diva that he is, he was obviously hinting at Anushka’s alleged link up with cricketer Virat Kohli.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Wouldn’t Exist Without Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Karan Johar shared candidly that while he was casting, he told himself that if Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma don’t work out for the lead roles, he’ll think of someone else. But when it came to Aishwary Rai Bachchan’s character, she was the only choice. So while talking to her about the film, he didn’t give her an option to say no.

With the casting, I gave Ranbir and Anushka an option, that if you don’t do it, I might go out to look for someone else. But with Aishwarya I didn’t give her any option. I told her I will beg, borrow, steal you. I told myself ‘she has to say yes, she can’t be thinking about it while listening to the narration’. 

Karan Johar