Spoiler Alert!
The last Bollywood movie I saw on the big screen (just before the pandemic), was also an Ayushmann Khurrana one (Shubh Mangal Savdhan 2, See my review https://books-booze-boxoffice.blogspot.com/2020/02/shubh-mangal-zyada-saavdhan-film-review.html ). And no surprise that the first Bollywood movie on the big screen that I see now is also an Ayushman film. No surprise, because we know that it will be worth the haul and the effort (and should I say the health risk) since his films represent themes that are new, progressive, and at some level champion the case of social change. But also equally importantly, coming back to his films also makes us feel a return to some sense of normalcy in our lives (however temporary), where we are back to caring about higher-order issues like gender equality, and not just worrying about trying to stay alive!
Directed by the well-loved Abhishek Kapoor, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui is very much an Ayushmann movie, with all the makings of educating and driving the cause of yet-another-topic of social change. And is true to type. His first film Vicky Donor was about bringing sperm donation into the mainstream, Dum Lagake Haisha was about building empathy towards obesity, Badhai Ho (my review http://books-booze-boxoffice.blogspot.com/2018/10/badhaai-ho-film-review.html ) argued against an ageist culture, Dream Girl (https://books-booze-boxoffice.blogspot.com/2019/09/dream-girl-film-review.html took a light-hearted view to gender conversations, and Shubh Mangal Savdhan 2 fought for the equality for gay love.
Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui continues the gender spectrum conversation, this time dealing with the inclusion of transgender men and women in our society.
The story revolves around bodybuilder Manvinder Munjal aka Manu (Ayushmann) obsessed with winning a weightlifting championship, who falls in love with Maanvi Brar (Vaani Kapoor), a new-to-town gorgeous Zumba instructor, teaching in the same gym. The love story takes a twist when he realizes that Maanvi is a trans-girl, born Manu Brar (the same name is a cool play by the makers), converted when she was 20 years old. The rest of the story moves to first him coming to terms with his own conditioning, winning the battle between his heart and his mind. And after that, challenging society (his peers and family) towards the inevitable conclusion of ‘love is love’, irrespective of gender.
The reason why the movie works is that we all root for the cause of gender equality. And for that, we can’t but stand up and clap for the ambition and the purpose that Ayushmann and Abhishek are driving. The cause here is about normalizing gender conversations in our hypocritical society. About bringing these out of the closet and putting them front and center of the living room. And we know, that unless it’s loud, a little over-the-top, and exaggerated, the film will not be able to land the message with a wide majority of the audience. And that’s why it’s admirable that Bollywood continues to bring these topics into mainstream cinema in a mainstream way. If the cause is normalization and inclusion, the tool that film takes is as simple as understanding and education. Everyone fears or stigmatizes what they don’t understand. And that’s really what the film is after. That if we can get over our own conditioning and our own minds, and simply understand, the reality can be quite "normal". A normal relationship with normal lives, in every physical and emotional way. Now that is a noble cause, which is why we applaud the film.
But, like with many such activist films (including the last one in Shubh Mangal), what again takes a back seat is the core reason we go to watch movies. Story-telling.
Beyond the cause, that is repeatedly hammered down in every frame once the initial romance is over, there is little else that makes us glued to our seats. It’s clearly a movie for our minds (and perhaps our politics), but a not movie for our hearts. While we sit as an audience being preached to, we don’t feel the emotions that our main characters are going through. And this is despite Ayushmann being a really good actor, who is fully Manu the body-builder coming to terms with his not-so-normal love life. His acting prowess can be seen in his body language, which acts as much as he does. And also, despite a rich and entertaining view of the lives, the characters (Manu’s family character are hilarious) of Chandigarh city, very much a modern Indian city, with the heart of a Punjab town. Vaani Kapoor, as the central character, fails to make an impact. Perhaps a much stronger actor was needed to make the audience feel what she feels. The chemistry between Ayushmann and Vani is lukewarm at best, another reason why the conviction of the plot leaves us a bit cold.
As a result, we are left with rooting for the cause rather than enjoying and feeling the emotions of the film.
And remember, real change in society only comes when we feel it ourselves, not because we agree with an ideology, intellectually.
All in all, a recommended watch to participate in the changing narrative of Bollywood and spread the word in our society, that desperately needs it. But don’t expect too much more than that.
