'Chand Mera Dil' review: Lakshya, Ananya lead exhausting, pointless romance
What's the story
Karan Johar-led Dharma Productions, once the mecca of romantic films, has lately been struggling to find its voice again. Its recent films, Govinda Naam Mera, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, and Tu Meri Main Tera, among others, feel like indistinguishable products of an assembly line. Now, Vivek Soni's Chand Mera Dil joins this list. Exhausting, confused, and thoroughly predictable, it tests your patience.
Plot
A whirlwind romance and an unexpected pregnancy drive the film
The project follows engineering students Aarav (Lakshya) and Chandni (Ananya Panday), who meet at Hyderabad Technological University. They fall in "love" before they even have their first conversation, and a smoldering relationship follows. However, the romance is put through the wringer when Chandni gets unexpectedly pregnant. Ultimately, they get married and raise the baby, but increasing responsibilities and stress gradually tear them apart.
#1
It might lull you to sleep
CMD runs for an excruciating two hours and 26 minutes, a shocking runtime for a movie with nothing to say. The characters overwhelm us with a series of bad decisions, and the campus romance scenes bring back the horrors of Nadaaniyan. Emotional backstories are awkwardly inserted, some scenes are abruptly cut, and the camera often moves so shakily that it might make you dizzy.
#2
Some interesting ideas, but consistently sub-par execution
Soni wants to underline important issues, such as postpartum struggles and their impact on couples, but the scattershot execution dilutes these themes. Moreover, we don't see many significant scenes and only hear about them, and the film feels extremely repetitive, with no gravitas. All Soni needed to do was re-watch some Dharma classics to get it right.
#3
Soni doesn't care about supporting characters
The makers are obsessed with the title track, which blares endlessly over numerous shots. Does it redeem them? Certainly not. Another gripe I have with the movie is the way it wastes its supporting cast: Manish Chaudhari, Charu Shankar, and Irawati Harshe. None of these fine performers gets much to do, and their characters are so random that you're left wondering about their fates.
#4
On Lakshya and Panday's performances
It's tragic to see promising actors being wasted in such forgettable movies. This kind of bizarre role is not what Lakshya would have desired after his breakout projects: Kill and Bads of Bollywood. Coming to Panday, her less-than-desirable performance sinks several important scenes, and your heart never aches for Chandni. Aarav and Chandni's love is punishing, and so is the movie.
Verdict
We watched it so you don't have to; 1.5/5 stars
Lakshya should have found a better project to harness his potential, and all CMD does is dent his goodwill. The movie needed a tighter screenplay, sharper, more memorable dialogues, and likeable protagonists to at least be watchable. Ultimately, Chand Mera Dil lacks the kind of luminous writing needed to shine on the big screen. 1.5/5 stars.