Chand Mera Dil REVIEW: Ananya Panday, Lakshya Deliver An Emotional Heavy, Heartfelt Romance That Doesn’t Sugarcoat Reality

Film:
Chand Mera Dil

Director: Vivek Soni

Writer: Vivek Soni, Tushar Paranjpe, Akshat Ghildial

Cast: Ananya Panday, Lakshya, Manish Chaudhary, Aastha Singh, Paresh Pahuja

Platform: In Theatres

Runtime: 146 Minutes (2 Hours, 26 Minutes)

Chand Mera Dil

Despite the makers releases a teaser, trailer, multiple songs and intriguing posters, the audience were pretty much clueless with regards to what Ananya Panday and Lakshya’s Chand Mera Dil was about. Well, I’ve watched the film and let me say one thing – it’s an honest reflection of love, trust and relationships today without sugarcoating or glossing any aspects of live.

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Set in Hyderabad, CMD follows Chandni (Ananya Panday) and Aarav (Lakshya), two engineering students who fall deeply and madly in love with each other. Still undergrads, the duo – who live away from their families, find love and solace with each other and decide to tie the knot – against the wishes of their parents, owing to a certain development (watch the movie to know what it is) in their relationship. However, within the first year of marriage, the duo are faced with the harsh realities of life and try their hardest to fulfill their responsibilities. Amid trying to manage their lives as a unit, placements, work and exams, Aarav looses his temper, leading to Chandni deciding to part ways and file for divorce.

But what is Chandni’s back story that one flare of temper made her take such a drastic decision? Do these lovers – who are not all set to divorce, get a second chance in love? Do they get a happily ever after? To know these answers, you will need to watch Chand Mera Dil, and here’s our detailed review on why it’s worth a watch.

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What Works

Lakshya and Ananya’s powerful performances paired with Vivek’s skillful direction and Sachin – Jigar’s soulful music are the best parts of this film. The emotional scenes are the cherry on the cake as it showcases Lakshya in a very different but beautifully, vulnerable light.

Technical Analysis

Direction

Vivek Soni has done a commendable job blending love, warmth, tenderness, drama and a dose of reality. Vivek – who’s also written the film, has made sure to make the audience not only see but also feel the emotional turmoil both the lead characters are going through. He manages to creates tension – right from the first half, and consistently builds on it (without making the story feel rushed) right until the end credits roll by.

Story & Screenplay

The narrative of Chand Mera Dil is refreshing as it’s a topic rarely shown on the big screen and handled delicately but still with maturity. The pacing is consistent (some may find it rushed but it isn’t) and keeps you intrigued as Chandni and Aarav’s relationship unfold and face different issues. One of the best sequences of this film has to be the confrontation scene (a glimpse of which is in the trailer) in the second half. The writers and Soni as a director, manage to capture the tension between the soon-to-b-divorced couple and their families with finesse.

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The dialogues are well-written. They feel real and have the power to stick with you and make you reflect on your real-life relationships.

Editing

The editing is good – crisp in the first half and equally good in the second. The runtime is also not too long, making for an enjoyable watch with having to look at you phone to know the time.

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Music

The music – both its soundtracks and the background score, enhance the storytelling. It helpd to seamlessly blend the narrative and emotions with trying too hard. While all the songs are special, the title track stands out the most.

A few technical errors are very evident like the windows banging extensively but there being no wind in the room to make Ananya’s duppata fly or the curtains flying in the room but the actors’ hair not fluttering in the wind. Aside from that, the movie won’t disappoint.

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Star Cast

After seeing him Lakshya as a NSG Commando in Kill and then a struggling actor trying to make a name for himself in The Ba***ds of Bollywood, Chand Mera Dil showcases a different light on him. CMD doesn’t show Lakshya as a macho hero who can take down tens of goons in one go, it brings us a layered actor who aces every emotional scene he is in. Be it begging for forgiveness or express his love in small, sweet ways, he handles the scenes, especially the heartfelt ones, exceptionally well.

Anaya Panday has grown so much as an actress. With each film she’s improving and same is more than visible in Chand Mera Dil. Ananya manages to capture every ones attention with Chandni’s innocent but commanding personality every time she’s on screen. She’s delivered a restrained performance, something that is in sync with her character.

Ananya and Lakshya’s chemistry appears real on-screen, not fake like we’ve seen in the recent past.

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The supporting cast – be it Manish Chaudhary, Aastha Singh, Paresh Pahuja or the other friends, each actor has delivered what was expected of them in their limited screentime.

Conclusion

Ananya Panday and Lakshya-led Chand Mera Dil is unlike any love story Bollywood has released in recent times. It’s raw, it’s real and something that people will relate to when they watch it. The characters aren’t someone we would only meet in films, they are real and could be you classmate, colleague, someone in you close circle or even you. My advice, head to theatres this weekend with your partner (if you are still single or away from your better half, take your gang along) and watch this film that’s sure to leave you with a beautiful, bittersweet ache.

Watch the trailer of Chand Mera Dil here:

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Grinell Jacinto

With nearly 10 years of experience, Grinell Esther Jacinto is the Desk Head of Bollywood Bubble. Her interests lie in everything that is kaleshi and she loves to dig deeper into the lives of B-town actors. She has a problem though – she loves horror films but will have chills the minute the theatres lights dims. She’s previously worked with Koimoi, UrbanAsian and SpotboyE.