Locations in Europe: Austria, France, UK
Storyline
Star(s): Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Fawad Khan
Songs/Dance/Action Sequences: Located in Austria.
Language: Hindi
Indian/ International Crew: Local crew was hired in London, Vienna, and Tirol. This includes line producers, art directors, gaffers, and vendors who have provided security, infrastructure support, hospitality, transportation etc. For each location, companies were hired for background casting. The credits acknowledge the role of Austrian Trade Commission, Vienna Tourism Board, and Embassy of Austria.
Executive Producer/Line Producer: Marijke Desouza (Executive Producer), Crispin Buxton, Andreas Payer, Rohini Tekchandaney (Line Producers)
Director/Producer: Directed by Karan Johar, Produced by Karan Johar, Dharma Productions
Film Location Analysis
By Shikha Jhingan
The film was extensively shot in Austria, apart from the cities of London, Vienna, and Paris. In a review in The Guardian, the film was described as a Globe-trotting Weepie. In the opening section, the film shows the hip side of London as we see the two protagonists bar hopping, checking out various night clubs of the city. The night life of London remains in the backdrop as we see the two protagonists talking about their own lives. The graffiti outside the night bars, canted lighting, youngsters dancing in the backdrop add to the visual density of these spaces. In the morning, we see both of them getting into a tube station. As Ayan asks her about her past romantic life, the background becomes fuzzy, and we are given a sense that the two of them are now in a more private conversation. In the next shot we move to the night again and see them on the terrace of a building. Alizeh tells him about her broken relationship.
After Alizeh and Ayan plan a holiday in Europe, we see them in a fancy car on the tarmac as they are driven towards Ayan’s private jet. In the background we hear the instrumental version of ‘Aisa Mauka Phir Kahan Milega’, a song from An Evening in Paris (1967) in which Ranbir Kapoor’s uncle Shammi Kapoor played the lead role. This entire sequence can also be seen as an extra narrative moment, as we see two prominent stars of Bollywood taking a luxury holiday in Europe.
We are introduced to Europe with a quick montage of images of Paris. This is followed by a street shot of a prominent signage of a hotel in Vienna called, ‘We Are Mad Out Here.’ Later, the two friends walk into a jazz bar in Paris where Ayan gets on to the podium to sing ‘Ruk Ja O Dil Deewane’ from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995) and ‘Aisa Mauka Phir Kahan, songs that have been filmed in the city of Paris. In the next sequence, we see the two characters parodying the ‘Chandni’ song on the beautiful sites of Tirol and Innsbruck in Austria, with Alizeh wearing a yellow-coloured chiffon saree, similar to the one Sridevi had worn in the original song. The sequence shows Ayan carrying a boom box to playback the song, foregrounding the production practices of ‘song picturisation’ when playback system was an important industrial practice.
The Europe tour in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil thus needs to be seen as Karan Johar’s attempt to cite Bombay cinema’s attraction towards European locations for staging romantic encounters, and song and dance spectacles.
‘Buleya’ the song that has been filmed in Vienna showcases many of these elements. The song captures Vienna as a musical city, where Ayan finds his own identity as a musician. The camera and the soundtrack work in tandem to bring out Ayan’s passionate relationship with music and Saba (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) through the sites of Vienna. The city square with its busking groups, the lone saxophone player in an art deco corridor—all seem to help him bring out his voice as a musician. By locating Ayan as the lead singer of a European band, the director also locates the Bollywood musical as a global popular form. The song draws on familiar images of Bollywood songs where exotic European locations become sites for romance, glamour, and touristic consumption.
Tourism
https://www.makemytrip.com/tripideas/blog/ae-dil-hai-mushkil-locations
https://www.onmanorama.com/travel/outside-kerala/2018/06/30/travel-goals-ae-dil-hai-mushkil.html
