Chand Mera Dil, the romantic drama is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, co-written by Soni and Tushar Paranjape. This film is loosely based on the 2000 Telugu film Chitram.
The film is directed by Vivek Soni, which is his second film. His debut feature film was Meenakshi Sundareshwar, which came out two or three years ago. In fact that one had a South based setting and some freshness. Whereas, in Chand Mera Dil, there are no matured adult issues here—it’s a childish film, that’s what I would say. This film unfortunately falls short, offering a confused and immature narrative.
Yes, we have visually stunning moments, somewhat heartfelt romance, and an intense narrative, yet Chand Mera Dil fails to take audiences on an unforgettable journey filled with emotions, dreams, and the magic of modern love.
It’s Love at First Sight in College – Chand Mera Dil
This romantic drama is about a boy Aarav (Lakshya), and a girl Chandni (Ananya Pandey) who meet on the first day of college. Don’t ask why—instantly they fall in love. Each feels they cannot live without the other. Though, some logic is shown: Chandni only has her mother in her life, while the boy’s parents are too busy to give him time. Is this reason enough? Because of this, Aarav takes time to understand life and the same is true for Chandni. Soon they start kissing, as if kissing is the ultimate motive for marriage. They marry quickly, and then the girl becomes pregnant.
The problems the couple faces are shown in the film, but logically and in most probability the audience wouldn’t agree with what’s being portrayed. There was a time when Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions handled mature stories beautifully, but now the quality has dropped below expectations.
The couple becomes parents while still in college in Hyderabad. They rent a house near college to study and live together. Their constant quarrels show immaturity. As quickly as they marry, they also head toward divorce. Chandni’s mother’s backstory is shown—she was a Bharatanatyam dancer—but her father is not shown. Aarav’s parents appear but carry no weight in the film. In the subsequent stages, an extra-marital angle is introduced.
Boy and girl regret their hasty actions
The divorce petition is filed, Aarav meets another girl in his hostel room, while Ananya is bent on marrying another man from the hostel. The story becomes so confusing that even describing it is difficult. The songs are not catchy at all, which is disappointing for a love story.
Towards the climax, Aarav tells Chandni that he intends to go abroad to study at Michigan University and asks her to wait two years. He returns sooner, and both realize their mistakes — the girl regrets the divorce as well as the boy apologizes for slapping her in anger. They reunite, while the child is shown being passed between them. With great difficulty, director Vivek Soni brings the film to an end, but there is no emotional touch anywhere.
Surprisingly for a romantic drama, the songs are weak and forgettable. None of them stand out, which further diminishes the film’s appeal.
The emotional chord of Karan Johar’s films is missing
One would wonder whether this is this really a Karan Johar film? Because there’s no emotional chord. An alarming thing is that every six months he’s coming out with films like this. The film attempts to explore family dynamics, extra‑marital angles and reconciliation, but the storyline is so inconsistent that it lacks emotional depth.
Rating wise, I would give it 1.5 stars, not more. I hope Karan Johar’s next film is better and more mature. Acting-wise, Ananya Pandey has done a good job—she gets into the skin of her role. Lakshya, however, is neither here nor there. He was good in Kill (also a Karan Johar film), but here he doesn’t fit the mold. The songs are a total zero, not hits.
The film’s duration is 2 hours 25 minutes, but it feels rushed and ends quickly.
– Review by JYOTHI VENKATESH
Cast of Chand Mera Dil:
Ananya Panday as Chandni
Lakshya Lalwani as Aarav
Aastha Singh as Jyotsna
Paresh Pahuja as Kevin
Manish Chaudhary as Aarav’s father
Iravati Harshe as Aarav’s mother
Charu Shankar as Chandni’s mother
Atul Kumar as Dr. Zeeshan
Akhil Kaimal as Chinna
Manik Papneja as Sameer
Vidhushi Kaul as Aarav’s sister
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Credits of Chand Mera Dil:
Production company – Dharma Productions
Produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra, Marijke DeSouza
Directed by Vivek Soni
Screenplay by Tushar Paranjape, Vivek Soni
Story by Vivek Soni
Dialogues by Vivek Soni, Tushar Paranjape, Akshat Ghildial
Cinematography – Debojeet Ray
Edited by Prashanth Ramachandran
Music by Sachin–Jigar
