Mumbai: Noted Bollywood director Karan Johar, whose latest- 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' is all set for a Diwali release, said he finished writing the story of the film in just nine days.

Present at the Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival, Karan told reporters: "I just took nine days to write the film. I was in New York and while walking around the streets, I was thinking about the pain a person goes through when one-sided love happens. I have gone through that pain. The story of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil talks about this side of a love story."

On being asked if the story would have been told in a different way had a female directed it, Karan said: "I am trapped in my feminine side more strongly, so I don't think it would have made any difference if the film was directed by a female."

"I am matured enough to tell a story from both perspectives. In fact, I represent women more than men in my stories," he added.

Talking about the film's successful music, Karan thanked music director Pritam and said: "The collaboration with Pritam and Amitabh Bhattacharya is magical. Their work is not only being credited as genius but also adds soul to my story. I thank them from the bottom of my heart."

On being asked as to why his films are not as realistic as that of Anurag Kashyap, Karan told reporters: "Though my films talk about romance and the complexity of relationships, people can relate to all my characters and their emotions. Then why do you think they are not real?"

"Anurag and I are different in terms of projecting reality but both of us are real. He deals with the darker side of reality and I talk about love, romance and beauty. You cannot compare these two as every director has his signature style," he added.

"My film is no less real than Anurag's. You can say we (Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap) are two different ragas in the world of music, we can co-exist," he said.

The film faced flak due to the involvement of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in the film and was banned by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The ban was cleared on Saturday after MNS demanded that the producers of the film pay a sum of Rs 5 crore each into an Indian Army welfare fund as an atonement.