Produced by Dharma Productions and backed by Karan Johar, Chand Mera Dil arrives as a modern romantic drama attempting to capture the emotional confusion, impulsiveness, and intensity of Gen-Z relationships. Directed by Vivek Soni, whose earlier film Meenakshi Sundareshwar had warmth and freshness, this film unfortunately struggles to maintain emotional consistency. Loosely inspired by the Telugu film Chitram, Chand Mera Dil looks visually polished and emotionally ambitious, but somewhere between youthful romance and marital drama, it loses both direction and emotional depth.
The film revolves around Aarav, played by Lakshya Lalwani, and Chandni, played by Ananya Panday, who meet on the very first day of college in Hyderabad and instantly fall in love. The attraction escalates so quickly that within no time they begin believing they cannot live without each other. The screenplay attempts to justify their emotional dependence by showing that Chandni has grown up with only her mother, while Aarav feels emotionally neglected by his overly busy parents. However, the emotional transitions happen so rapidly that the audience barely gets time to connect with the characters before they move from romance to marriage and eventually parenthood. The couple marries while still in college, starts living together near campus, and soon Chandni becomes pregnant. What initially appears to be an intense young love story slowly transforms into a chaotic relationship drama filled with immaturity, insecurity, and constant arguments.
The film tries to explore modern relationship themes such as emotional loneliness, early parenthood, toxic dependence, broken communication, and reconciliation, but the writing lacks maturity and balance. The couple’s fights often feel repetitive rather than emotionally layered, and as quickly as they fall in love, they also move toward separation and divorce. The screenplay becomes increasingly confusing when extra-marital emotional angles are introduced later in the story. Aarav is shown emotionally drifting toward another girl, while Chandni too begins considering another relationship. Instead of deepening the emotional complexity, these developments make the narrative feel scattered and inconsistent. Even explaining the story in parts becomes difficult because the film keeps changing tones — from college romance to marriage drama, from emotional conflict to reconciliation — without properly developing any of them.
One of the biggest disappointments is the lack of emotional resonance, something traditionally associated with Dharma Productions films. Earlier Karan Johar romances were known for their emotional depth, memorable music, and strong family dynamics. Here, despite dramatic situations, the emotional chord is surprisingly missing. The climax attempts to repair the damage emotionally when Aarav decides to leave for higher studies at Michigan University and asks Chandni to wait for him. Eventually, both characters realize their mistakes, regret their impulsive decisions, and reunite. Aarav apologizes for slapping Chandni during an argument, while Chandni regrets rushing toward divorce. Yet even these moments fail to create a lasting emotional impact because the screenplay never fully earns those emotions.
Performance-wise, Ananya Panday emerges as the film’s strongest pillar. She delivers one of her more sincere performances and manages to bring vulnerability and emotional honesty to Chandni despite the uneven writing. Several critics have appreciated her effort and emotional commitment to the role. Lakshya Lalwani, who had impressed audiences in Kill, appears less convincing here. Though he performs reasonably well in emotional scenes, his character lacks depth and consistency, making it difficult for him to leave a strong impact.
Technically, the film looks attractive. The cinematography captures Hyderabad beautifully, and the visual aesthetics carry the glossy Dharma style audiences expect. However, the music — usually one of the biggest strengths of romantic dramas — turns out to be shockingly weak. None of the songs become memorable or emotionally effective, which significantly hurts the film because a love story of this scale depends heavily on music to create emotional connection. Online discussions and audience reactions have also criticized the soundtrack for being forgettable and lacking originality.
Critically, Chand Mera Dil has received mixed to negative reviews. Some reviewers appreciated its attempt to portray the emotional confusion of young relationships, while many others criticized the film for its illogical screenplay, rushed emotional progression, and lack of maturity. Audience reactions too remain divided. Younger viewers seem to connect with the emotional chaos and impulsive nature of the characters, whereas many others found the film frustrating and emotionally hollow. The film also generated online buzz over Ananya Panday’s Bharatanatyam sequence, which went viral and attracted criticism from classical dance enthusiasts, though later discussions shifted blame toward choreography and direction rather than solely the actress.
At the box office, the film has opened below expectations for a Dharma romantic drama. The opening day collections were modest, reportedly around ₹3 crore net, while the first weekend collections hovered around ₹10 crore domestically. Trade analysts have described the performance as underwhelming considering the production house, scale, and promotional campaign associated with the film.
Overall, Chand Mera Dil had the potential to become a meaningful modern romance about impulsive love, emotional dependency, and youthful mistakes. Instead, it becomes a visually attractive but emotionally confused film that mistakes intensity for depth. While Ananya Panday’s performance and the polished visuals offer some redeeming moments, weak writing, immature characterization, and forgettable music prevent the film from becoming memorable. It may work as a one-time watch for audiences who enjoy emotionally messy Gen-Z relationship dramas, but viewers expecting the emotional richness and musical soul of classic Dharma romances are likely to feel disappointed.
