Sorry, Karan Johar as always puts more stress on the gloss rather than the substance, and the result is mostly a shallow film that would hardly ever ring true to thinking viewers. Obviously, it's the material that's quite lacking to begin with but the treatment is way worse. First, the incredible number of references to Johar's own films was absolutely annoying. That penchant for self-glorification has become quite a tedious motif in his films, and by the way, so have the other references to other Hindi films such as Chandni and the likes.
Above all, the biggest glitch here is the banality of the writing and particularly the portrayal of the relationships, all of which completely strain credulity. Not a single one of them rings true - not Ranbir's with his girlfriend, not Anushka's with her husband, and certainly not the friendship between Ranbir and Anushka, which is supposed to form the basis for the entire story but is highly unconvincing. The film tries to sell us an age-old formula of two people who are good friends, but one of them wants more, and it doesn't gel and lacks depth.
So what's the problem here? That I personally, and I'm sure many others, won't buy for a minute that a chance encounter in Europe and a few fun days spent together would turn two strangers into such good friends. Actually, even if it is possible, the script doesn't give it justice; the strangers' shared experience should have been much deeper than what this film showed us (more or less dancing to Hindi films and hardly one serious conversation) to establish a true, year-long camaraderie as required by the story. Eventually, it just doesn't make sense and lacks heart and realism.
The portrayal of the obsession, which is what this film essentially deals with (indeed, it's more about obsession rather than unrequited love), is handled much better. And even better is the entrance of a new character into this story, which helps refresh the entire mood of the film. But the film is twisted to no end, which isn't a compliment, and as expected, typically overlong. Moreover, some of the twists towards the end are so cliché and lacking in credibility it feels the director hasn't learned a thing about the growing sophistication of his potential audience.
Where the film does score is on the technical front, where everything is handled professionally. The locations and music are, as always in Johar's films, stupendous, and make for a fun cinematic experience despite the flaws. Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma sink their teeth into their half-baked roles and give much more than they get. The ultimate saving grace however is Aishwarya Rai, whose charismatic presence gives the film so much of what it lacks. It's not just her dazzling beauty, it's the depth in her eyes. I wish the film had more of this depth.
