Why Alizeh's Character in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Doesn't Work for Me

One of my biggest issues is the way Alizeh, the main character, is portrayed as the "cool girl" and the one who is morally in the right.

Take her interactions with Lisa, for example. I understand that Lisa is meant to be portrayed as a gold digger or a stereotypical "bimbo" character, but at the end of the day, it isn't really Alizeh's business who her friend chooses to date. What makes this even more frustrating is that earlier in the story, both of the main characters are clearly crossing boundaries and becoming physically involved with each other while they are already in relationships with other people. Because of that, I find it difficult to see them as victims or as morally superior.

Even before the cheating storyline, Alizeh comes across as unnecessarily hostile toward Lisa from the moment they first meet. The narrative seems to frame Alizeh as the relatable "not like other girls" type of heroine: she doesn't take herself too seriously, while Lisa represents the overly feminine, glamorous, and supposedly superficial woman. But from my perspective, Lisa barely says anything offensive to her. In fact, Alizeh is the one who appears aggressive and judgmental for no clear reason.

To me, her behavior feels driven more by jealousy or competitiveness than by genuine concern. It almost gives the impression that femininity itself is being criticized, as if dressing in a sexy or glamorous way automatically makes a woman shallow or deserving of suspicion and judgment.

For that reason, I actually think Alizeh is the one in the wrong in those early interactions. The audience may be encouraged to side with her simply because she is the protagonist, as though being the main character automatically makes her actions justified.

While Lisa's later actions in the story could explain why Alizeh eventually becomes angry with her, that still doesn't erase the fact that Alizeh and the male lead were themselves behaving inappropriately while involved with other people. The double standard makes it difficult for me to sympathize with them.

Overall, I find Alizeh's character quite toxic. Her conflict with Lisa feels less like a moral disagreement and more like a case of one woman feeling threatened by another. I even suspect that if Lisa had not been portrayed as particularly attractive or glamorous, Alizeh would not have reacted so strongly.

Interestingly, Alizeh does not behave the same way toward the character played by Aish. That character is presented as intelligent, witty, and capable of defending herself verbally, which makes me wonder whether Alizeh avoids challenging women whom she sees as able to fight back effectively.

In the end, my main issue is that the story seems to expect the audience to support Alizeh uncritically because she is the protagonist, whereas I actually found many of her actions unfair, judgmental, and driven by insecurity rather than principle.