The film, which is told in flashback by Ranbir Kapoor, opens with a tribute to the Indian armed forces.

Karan Johar’s forte as a director has been the romantic genre and in ADHM, he doesn’t disappoint.  Ayan (Ranbir) and his garrulous girlfriend’s (Lisa Haydon) breakup leads the former to team up with Alizeh (Anushka) who’s also gone through a similar ordeal with Ali (Fawad Khan). Cavorting through the streets of London, the pub-hopping duo profess their undying love for each other — although in different ways.

After director Karan Johar ushers in a typical twist to the tale, Ayan encounters Saba (Aishwarya), who has nothing to offer the amorous Ayan but her book of shaayris and her mobile number. Love takes its course till, for one of them it’s a case of ‘Ae Dil Hai Bujhdil’.

ADHM is the perfect romantic vehicle for both Ranbir Kapoor and Anuksha Sharma, and with due apologies to a certain Virat Kohli, the chemistry between the two is sizzling.

Rockstar Ayan avers his admiration for Mohammed Rafi at regular intervals. Of the retro songs played, just one was from the immortal singer’s repertoire, making the viewer wonder if it wasn’t a left-handed compliment. KJo’s brand of romance includes some penetrating dialogues, such as Alizeh proclaiming ‘Dosti meri taaqat hai, par aashiqui meri kamjori hai’.

Anuskha and Ranbir are outstanding, while Fawad Khan is average and Aishwarya goes through the motions.  The songs are certainly worth a one-time hearing with the title track by Arijit Singh being the best of the lot.  Shot in London, Paris and Vienna, Karan Johar seems to have recovered from his couple of recent debacles.