‘Moonlight’ love saga rekindles romance

1. Title: Chand Mera Dil
2. Director: Vivek Soni 
3. Cast: Lakshya, Ananya Panday, Iravati Harshe and Manish Chaudhary 
4. Where: In theatres near you
5. Rating: HHH

Satish Sundaresan

This week sees the release of Chand Mera Dil, a film that has been making news for some time now and for all the right reasons. Thanks to the slow paced but gripping promos, the excitement to watch this film has surely increased amongst the audiences. But, whether the film lives up to the hype and the expectations of cinegoers is what we will find out. 

The film starts with a phone call from Aarav Rawat (Lakshya) to Chandni (Ananya Panday) asking if she will attend their college’s (Hyderabad Technical University) alumni meet. This is followed by a flashback showing Aarav falling in love with Chandni at first sight; she eventually becomes his wife. 

In due course, love blossoms seamlessly between the two lovebirds. Just as the two surpass the unsaid (but understood) limits of love, it is revealed that Chandni is pregnant with Aarav’s child. Even though Aarav tells her to abort the child because they both have a long future ahead, she becomes adamant about giving birth to the child. This also leads to both their families distancing themselves from the duo. 

Despite all the odds, Chandni gives birth to a baby girl named Kaavya. Just as things look smooth for the new parents, a volcano erupts between them under whose influence Aarav does the unthinkable and unimaginable, forcing Chandni to send him a divorce notice. Not only that, in due course, she also decides to move on and marry her colleague Kevin, which breaks Aarav completely. 

What was the reason for Chandni taking such a bold step as divorce, whether 

she ever forgives Aarav, and what eventually happens to the two and their child Kaavya is revealed as the film progresses. 

Actors’ performance

The film rides entirely on the shoulders of its two leads- Lakshya and Ananya Panday. Both seemingly put in 

their best effort to ensure the film does wonders at the box office. 

As for Lakshya - who shone his way to name, fame and glory with the Aryan Khan directed The Ba***ds of Bollywood, proves that his debut was not a fluke at all. The manner in which he has handled the emotional scenes and aggression shows his mettle as not just an actor, but a wholesome package of a ‘true performer’. Added to that are his chocolate looks which make his performance even more endearing. 

As for Ananya Panday, she too is an equal delight to watch… right from the word go. This film acts as a perfect and much-needed platform for her to exhibit her varied emotions, despite her struggling in a few places. Her onscreen chemistry with Lakshya is definitely one of the USPs of the film. Do not miss her in the scene where she does her fusion dance. Rest of the actors including Iravati Harshe, Manish Chaudhary and others help carry the film forward. 

Music 

After having directed the 2021’s romantic comedy Meenakshi Sundareshwar (starring Sanya Malhotra and Abhimanyu Dassani) Vivek Soni tries his hand in direction yet again with Chand Mera Dil. Barring a mere handful of places, this man not only shines in his craft but also proves why he could be the ‘next big thing’ to shine on the silver screen of Bollywood. Even though the places where the film falters are negligible, still, had those scenes been taken care of, one could have easily said, ‘Iss chaand mein bilkul daag nahi hai’. 

The film’s music and background score (Sachin-Jigar) are definitely good, but too many songs seem to take the rhythm out of the narrative (Tushar Paranjpe, Vivek Soni, Akshat Ghildial). Barring a couple of hard hitting one liners, the film’s dialogues are surely passe (aforementioned trio).  While Debojeet Roy’s cinematography is good, Prashant Ramachandran’s editing is really required to accelerate at many places (especially in the first half).  

FPJ verdict 

Watch this film purely for the onscreen passion with which Lakshya and Ananya Panday approached the seamless love story and for their near realistic performances.