<p>Nearly 25 years after 'Saathiya' (the Hindi remake of Mani Ratnam's 'Alai Payuthey') redefined 'happily ever after' with emotional weight and practicality, Vivek Soni's 'Chand Mera Dil' attempts a similar feat. However, its execution is far too frustrating to overlook its flaws.<br><br>The film struggles early on to find its footing. Engineering students Chandni (<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/ananya-panday">Ananya Panday</a>) and Aarav (Lakshya) meet at Hy-Tech College in Hyderabad and quickly fall in love. When Chandni unexpectedly gets pregnant, she chooses to keep the child, confident she can balance parenting and studies. Aarav reluctantly caves in out of love; they marry, and the gruelling reality of early parenthood begins.<br><br>While the film captures the hardships of young parents, it completely fails to make the audience care about the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/couple">couple</a>. The youthful college romance feels hollow, failing to engage the viewer. A framing device reveals upfront that the entire story is a flashback and the couple has already split, draining the narrative of any real suspense.</p>.'Karuppu' movie review: Predictable, 'manufactured' tale.<p><br>Director Vivek Soni ('Meenakshi Sundareshwar', 'Aap Jaisa Koi') typically thrives on stories about opposites navigating a flawed world. But while his previous films suffered from second-act issues, this screenplay — co-written by Tushar Paranjape and Akshat Ghildial — lacks coherence from the very beginning.<br><br>Both Ananya and Lakshya exert excessive effort in scenes requiring raw, emotional vulnerability. Unfortunately, they falter miserably, delivering unconvincing performances. The romance lacks the depth necessary to support the heavy plot.<br><br>Ultimately, the poor execution of 'Chand Mera Dil' completely eclipses its ambitious attempt to bring a young college romance to maturity.</p>
<p>Nearly 25 years after 'Saathiya' (the Hindi remake of Mani Ratnam's 'Alai Payuthey') redefined 'happily ever after' with emotional weight and practicality, Vivek Soni's 'Chand Mera Dil' attempts a similar feat. However, its execution is far too frustrating to overlook its flaws.<br><br>The film struggles early on to find its footing. Engineering students Chandni (<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/ananya-panday">Ananya Panday</a>) and Aarav (Lakshya) meet at Hy-Tech College in Hyderabad and quickly fall in love. When Chandni unexpectedly gets pregnant, she chooses to keep the child, confident she can balance parenting and studies. Aarav reluctantly caves in out of love; they marry, and the gruelling reality of early parenthood begins.<br><br>While the film captures the hardships of young parents, it completely fails to make the audience care about the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/couple">couple</a>. The youthful college romance feels hollow, failing to engage the viewer. A framing device reveals upfront that the entire story is a flashback and the couple has already split, draining the narrative of any real suspense.</p>.'Karuppu' movie review: Predictable, 'manufactured' tale.<p><br>Director Vivek Soni ('Meenakshi Sundareshwar', 'Aap Jaisa Koi') typically thrives on stories about opposites navigating a flawed world. But while his previous films suffered from second-act issues, this screenplay — co-written by Tushar Paranjape and Akshat Ghildial — lacks coherence from the very beginning.<br><br>Both Ananya and Lakshya exert excessive effort in scenes requiring raw, emotional vulnerability. Unfortunately, they falter miserably, delivering unconvincing performances. The romance lacks the depth necessary to support the heavy plot.<br><br>Ultimately, the poor execution of 'Chand Mera Dil' completely eclipses its ambitious attempt to bring a young college romance to maturity.</p>