(Spoiler Alert: This article may contain Ae Dil Hai Mushkil spoilers)
From the shy bride and aspiring actress in Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar (1997) to the bold poetess and divorcee in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), Aishwarya Rai’s onscreen journey of about two decades has been a mix of ups and downs, well mostly downs. But the actress charms you and how in ADHM and totally redeems herself after her recent less impressive outings in Jazbaa and Sarbjit.
From the trailer and promotions it was quite clear that Aishwarya would play more or less third fiddle to Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in Johar’s ADHM, and that’s how her role pans out. Aishwarya makes an appearance in the film only in the second half but it’s well worth the wait.
Ash exudes a certain maturity, sex appeal and elan as Saba the urdu shayara in ADHM and her chemistry with Ranbir is electric. The actress who’s regularly been labelled as an ice-maiden when it comes to showing any kind of romantic equation with her on-screen heroes finally melts and sizzles with a younger RK.
They hook up at restaurants, share clandestine intimate moments at a crowded dining table and at music recordings. And the best part is that the film does not emphasise on the age difference between the two characters.
We heard that the sanskaari Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) cut out some of the steamy scenes from the film, but there is no indication if these were scenes between Aishwarya and Ranbir. However, the spark between Ash and Ranbir doesn’t fizzle out either way.
And it’s not the first time that Aishwarya has taken on a ‘bold’ role, the actress has been shot taking a tumble between the sheets with her co-stars in films like Shabd, Chokher Bali, Mistress of Spices and so on but never has she oozed a mix of sensuality, style and substance like she has in ADHM.
Naysayers may attribute it to Johar’s eye for aesthetics or the plus of having Ranbir as a co-star or designer Manish Malhotra’s alluring outfits or cinematographer Anil Mehta’s discerning lens, but what’s undeniable is that Aishwarya herself seems to much more comfortable in her own space, much less conscious of her looks and emotes without carrying the burden of beauty to mar it.
On paper, Aishwarya Rai playing a shayara and shooting urdu couplets might not seem such a good idea, but the actress skilfully plays her role and makes every bit of it believable within the confines of Karan Johar’s ultra-luxe world.
“Main kisi ki zaroorat nahin, khwaish banna chahti hoon,” Saba mouths in the film and that’s exactly what Aishwarya ends up being in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.