When Karan Johar returned to making feature film after four years with Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), the audience's response to the tragic end that Anushka Sharma’s character Alizeh faced was the furthest from a positive reception.

In an interview with Filmfare, Karan spoke about the emotional climax in the film and said that he likes killing characters if the story demands it. "A lot of people were disappointed with the climax of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil with Alizeh death, as they became emotionally invested in the bond between Alizeh and Ayan (Ranbir Kapoor)," stated Karan during the interview.

Explaining his perspective, Karan said, “If I am writing a girl who doesn't love the guy, the next thing I write is her death!" He added that, "I am the god of my screenplay." Karan further explained," I’m a filmmaker, and filmmakers are god. We create our own worlds, we create characters, and we are allowed to kill them.”

“I needed to kill the girl who didn’t love him,” he said, referring to Alizeh’s inability to reciprocate Ayan’s feelings in the film. He added, “I’ve been through unrequited love, and sometimes you want to kill that person who doesn’t love you back, so I did it.” Drawing from his experiences with unrequited love, the filmmaker channelled those emotions into a heartbreaking ending in the film. "I love death in film; I love killing people," said the director.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil , which released in 2016, stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwariya Rai Bachchan in lead roles. The film explored themes of heartbreak, friendship and unrequited love.