Karan Johar marked 10 years of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil by calling the 2016 film a personal story. He said, “No art can be perfect” while discussing the polarised responses it got. The movie starred Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, exploring the complex, painful emotions of one-sided love and heartbreak.
Filmmaker Karan Johar has marked 10 years of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil by revisiting the film’s themes of unrequited love, heartbreak and emotional vulnerability. Sharing a video montage featuring moments from the romantic drama, Johar reflected on the personal experiences and beliefs that shaped the story, while acknowledging the polarised responses it received, particularly to its third act.
Karan Johar calls Ae Dil Hai Mushkil a personal story as film completes 10 years, speaks on “polarised responses”: “No art can be perfect”
Released in 2016, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starred Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Fawad Khan. The film explored the complexities of one-sided love and the emotional challenges of loving someone who may not feel the same way.
Karan Johar reflects on the meaning of one-sided love
In his anniversary post, Johar described Ae Dil Hai Mushkil as a deeply personal story that drew from his own experiences of love, longing and heartbreak. He wrote, “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.”
The filmmaker added that, during a vulnerable phase of his life, he came to see one-sided love differently. “You don’t need to have someone love you back to empower yourself - the feeling itself is so awakening and so so powerful!” Johar wrote, explaining that this realisation inspired him to tell the story.
He also reflected on what he believes makes love selfless, writing, “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…”
‘I would have still told it the same way even today’
Johar acknowledged that the film was not without its shortcomings and received divided reactions from audiences. However, he maintained that he would not change his approach to the story if he were making it today. “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.
“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,” Johar added.
Karan Johar thanks Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and the cast
Johar also expressed gratitude to the film’s cast for supporting his vision. He thanked Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Fawad Khan for their performances and contribution to the project. He further acknowledged the cast and crew for creating the right atmosphere during filming, referring to it as the perfect “Vatavaran” on set.
Reflecting on the film’s legacy, Johar said that while the story centred on ek tarfa pyaar (one-sided love), his appreciation for the people who embraced it remained unconditional.
“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…” he wrote. He ended the anniversary note with a line from the film’s soundtrack, writing, “Accha chalta hoon… duaon mein yaad rakhna…”
With the anniversary post, Johar revisited not only the film’s emotional themes but also the creative conviction behind a story that continues to invite conversations about love, longing and the absence of reciprocation.
More Pages: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Box Office Collection , Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Movie Review