There is a scene in Chand Mera Dil where two people deeply in love sit in silence inside a cramped apartment, exhausted not from heartbreak but from life itself. Dirty dishes pile up in the sink, a baby cries in the background, ambitions begin shrinking quietly and romance slowly starts sounding like responsibility. That is the film Vivek Soni truly wants to make. And when it leans into that emotional chaos, Chand Mera Dil genuinely shines.
Produced by Dharma Productions and directed by Vivek Soni, who previously directed the much-talked-about Netflix film Aap Jaisa Koi in the past, this film follows Aarav and Chandni, played by Lakshya and Ananya Panday, two engineering students in Hyderabad who fall in love hard and fast before adulthood crashes into their carefully curated romance.
AT A GLANCE
FILM: Chand Mera Dil (Theatres)
CAST: Ananya Panday and Lakshya
DIRECTOR: Vivek Soni
PRODUCERS: Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Aadar Poonawallah
Rating: ★★★/5
At first, Chand Mera Dil feels like a familiar Dharma love story. Cute flirting, colour coordinated outfits, campus banter, yearning stares and a soundtrack constantly reminding you that these people are in love. But somewhere midway, the film changes gears. Suddenly this is no longer about butterflies and chemistry. It becomes about compromise, financial stress, emotional immaturity and two people realising that love alone cannot hold together a collapsing life.
That tonal shift is both the film’s biggest strength and biggest problem.
Because while the second half carries emotional weight, the screenplay struggles to transition smoothly from dreamy romance to grounded relationship drama. Some scenes feel beautifully observed while others seem stitched together from three different films. There are moments where Chand Mera Dil wants to be a sweeping romance, a social drama and a Gen Z relationship manual all at once.
Yet somehow, despite the mess, the emotions land.
Leading the screen
Lakshya continues to prove that he has serious leading man potential. There is a rawness to his performance that keeps Aarav human even when the character becomes frustrating. He captures male vulnerability rather well, especially in scenes where pride and helplessness collide. His breakdowns feel internalised instead of performative.
Ananya Panday, meanwhile, delivers one of her more emotionally committed performances. There are traces of awkwardness in certain dramatic scenes, but Chandni works because Ananya plays her with sincerity instead of polish. She allows the character to look tired, irritated and emotionally burnt out. That honesty helps. The internet may currently be busy debating her Bharatanatyam fusion sequence from the film, but thankfully the movie itself gives her far more to do than dance reels.
Visually, the film looks gorgeous in classic Dharma fashion. Hyderabad appears warm, youthful and lived in rather than postcard perfect. The music, though melodic, occasionally overdoes the emotional spoon feeding. Some scenes would have worked better with silence.
What Chand Mera Dil gets absolutely right is the ugliness of growing together. Bollywood romances often stop at confession scenes and wedding songs. This one asks what happens after that. What happens when love has to survive rent, resentment and emotional exhaustion? What happens when two people who adored each other begin missing the versions they once were?
The film does not always have answers. But it asks the questions sincerely.
At 2 hours and 26 minutes, it definitely overstays its welcome. Certain confrontations repeat themselves, and the screenplay could have benefitted from sharper editing. A few dramatic moments also feel manufactured purely to force emotional catharsis. But even in its unevenness, Chand Mera Dil feels more emotionally ambitious than most mainstream Hindi romances these days.
You can certainly wait for its OTT release to watch this film.
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