Filmmaker Karan Johar, who had a hard time in releasing his "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" (ADHM) due to the presence of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, says the project will always "remain special" to his "heart".

The director opened up about the film on Saturday as it completed one years of its release.

https://twitter.com/karanjohar/status/924147854301593600

"It's been one year of 'ADHM'. This film will always remain extremely special to my heart. Anushka Sharma, Ranbir, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan," Karan tweeted.

https://twitter.com/karanjohar/status/924174104407748608

"A special thank you to Pritam, Amitabh (Bhattacharya) for creating such a memorable music album for us at Dharma Movies," he added.

The film faced problems from Indian political party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which proclaimed that they would not allow the release of the film, following nationwide protests surrounding the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 18 September 2016 and the decision by Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India preventing the release of films with Pakistani actors in four states - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Goa.

Addressing the ruckus behind his film's release, Karan had issued a video where he said that the circumstances in which the film was filmed in 2015 were completely different.

"For me, my country comes first… When I shot 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' from September to December last year, the (political) climate was completely different. There were efforts made by our government for peaceful relationships with the neighbouring country… Going forward, I would like to say that of course I wouldn't engage with talent from the neighbouring country given the circumstance," he said in the video message he shared online.