User reviews

Anwar Says: Ayushmann Khurana films are a genre in themselves and this movie is the final say and the best in the league Abhishek Kapur is there to direct. An artist whose debut was as a donor, can take up any script and prove himself. The film is a complete package in itself, at one time entertains you and at the same time addresses a sensitive subject.

Vani Kapur equally shines, by far her best performance. The emotions of a transgender and the bond she carries with her father played by Kanwaljeet and she effortlessly surrenders herself into the character. Ayushmann sisters looked irritating but that's what director wanted from them .

Editing is crisp and movie is wrapped up in one hour 57 minutes. Manoj Lobo's camera cheerfully explore chiseled bodies of both the leads . Sachin - Jigar is back with their foot tapping tunes . Normally a movie on a social taboo is preachy at the end but Abhishek kept it simple, that makes it distinct. A must watch, don't wait till it is released on OTT.

#movie2021 #anwarsays #transgenderawareness #transgenderrights #AyushmannKhurrana #vanikapoor #AbhishekKapoor #ChandigarhKareAashiqui #moviereview.

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui is a movie that takes a very niche place in Bollywood which has been carved out for a Massy with Message film (aka the Ayushman Khurana Genre). It does that job very well.

The humour, entertainment quotient and drama are all reminiscent of a typical Bollywood drama. But the only thing which makes it unique is its premise. Progressive or not is debatable but this is a necessary film which perhaps noone can deny.

The tone deaf jokes, occasional cringy dialogues and its idea of giving medal for accepting-a-Trans-woman-as-normal attitude might seem odd and unacceptable to few at this age and time.

But it should be minded that this film is being targetted towards a very different audience. This film does the job of igniting the potential to have that conversation among average Joes while also ensuring a level of drawing room comfort. That is something. And for that the writing has to be commended.

In terms of acting both Khurana and Vaani did a good job. Their performances were fun and acceptably charming.

Overall this is a film which can be enjoyed even with its flaws.

I think what makes this movie different from normal stereotypes, or even Ayushmann's other movies was that it was more for the actress but subjectively, Ayushmann gave all the proper support as and when required. And I would say, Vaani Kapoor did her level best, coming out of those cliche roles and side actress stuff.

But above all, it's the concept and its showcase that was the main feature of this film. If I leave aside the manly drama, the sub urban jokes and the sex, the remaining movie happened to be brilliant. Not that the other stuff wasn't good but no where close to this: the agony and assault that Maanvi/Manu faced in her day today life and how boldly she/he was able to handle those blows. And that was what both emotional and comprehensive. Again, it was just a movie and in real life, things are totally different. And they will remain immature, maybe even 20 years down the line whenever any such matter arise.

Overall, a good movie.

Finally saw this on Netflix.

The movie has a very strong social message and at the same time it is engrossing in an entertaining way.

It has romance, comedy n sports.

It is more difficult to change human behavior than to influence opinions or attitudes and this movie will definitely influence attitudes towards the transgender/transsexual fellas.

Ayushman Khurana gave a believable performance of that a gym instructor (myself being an instructor) but his statement about pimples on chest due to protein shakes or proteins via meat n eggs is totally unscientific.

People do get pimples due to testosterone shots aka steroids but not cos of proteins.

We all love Ayushmann's choice of scripts that strike a balance between catering to mainstream Bollywood sensibilities and conveying subtle, progressive messages. CKA is yet another film that starts in typical rom-com fashion - Manu (Ayushmann), a gym owner and bodybuilder, loves Maanvi (Vaani), a Zumba instructor. But there's a little secret that changes its entire course. It's that Maanvi is a trans woman. When the revelation is made, Manu acts the way most taunting (cis-gender) Indian men would do, but he also uses very harsh language at Maanvi in the process. In real life, for such a couple to reconcile, it would take a lot longer than a single hospital episode. But this is commercial Bollywood, mind you! If it wants quick(er) closure, it'll give you exactly that.

Also, what if Maanvi was not a self-reliant, strong-willed, reasonably wealthy person? Doesn't that lessen some of the most significant hurdles that trans persons face in the form of complex surgeries? These convenient shortcuts are forsaken simply because the intent is appreciable. I also wish the climax was centered around giving closure to Maanvi instead of something that's comparatively less significant. We could also have used some more insight into gender reassignment surgery, especially since the film had the golden opportunity to go there.

One of the few things it wholly gets right is the occasional humor. I thought it would be offensive to a great extent, but thankfully it isn't. Even better that some of it arises from unique situations. While we can easily question why Vaani was chosen to play a trans woman, she gives it her all. For once, it isn't Ayushmann doing all the heavy lifting in an Ayushmann movie. And it was a neat move on the writers' part to show Manu doing all the homework on LGBTQ himself, instead of some doctor spoon-feeding him.

Such a bold attempt for a bollywood movie. It can be called it's ahead of its time. Audience might not digest the concept yet.

May be educational on parts.

I have seen a lot of bakwaas movie lately, this is definitely not one of them.

The had great concept and the way it chooses to represent it was good. The pacing is slow and the film gets boring sometimes. Other than that the acting performances were amazing.

'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' was a pretty average movie It was also very 'safe'. Not really a good movie on Transgender issues to be honest.

It bypasses most of the 'harder parts 😉' of being a transgender through the surgery.

That surgery that the girl had is still rare and costs crores and by the look of it, the girl's family wasn't that rich. It's not also available everywhere especially in India. You have to travel abroad and that cost has to be taken into consideration.

Also most Trans women don't get the surgery because it's rare, expensive and it has many many risks. So they bypassed the 'meat 😉' of the messaging by basically making her a full on girl rather than an actual currently living realistic trans woman.

You can praise it all you want for the 'social messaging' it brings but I am not here to be a puppet for a 'social protest'. I am judging the movie for what it is and it is BORING.

This movie needs to be in global headlines; certainly something I will be able to recommend with immense pride to portray how much capable Hindi cinema is of creating quality content..

Ayushmaan continues to shine; Vaani has so much potential, this movie provides her the platform.. Storyline may be a bit ahead of time for a certain audience group in india..

The first half of the movie is super interesting and the premise is very bold and handled quite well. However, the second half makes a joke of everything by throwing in absolute cringe family drama and dumb Bollywood cliches. It seems as if different writers wrote the first and second parts of the movie. Vani Kapoor is unconvincing as the female lead, while Ayushman pulls off the male lead quite well. Only wish Bollywood can be a bit more realistic and grow some balls when it comes to presenting realistic bold content the way it deserves to be presented.

Mat dekho time bachega maine bhi nhi dekhi, trailer was enough to know the bollywood is putting these kind of movies to promote sodomy not for entertainment.

Hatts of to the director ABHISHEK KAPOOR who directs this film and making the people aware of this subject which is must important to know. I didn't like vaani kapoor much but after seeing this movie I just wanna say one thing FANTASTIC performance by her and after this film she'll be on fire. Not everyone does and not everyone has the guts to this kind of roles but she did it and it was superb. Ayushman Khurana always rocks with his performance and powerful subjects. Story, screenplay music all are perfectly matched to the concept of the film. If you wanna see something different with powerful social topic go for it....

Manu (Ayushman Khurana) meets Maanvi (Vaani Kapoor) at his gym, where the latter joins as a Zumba instructor. Initially reluctant about allowing the gym to be used for the purpose of dance, Manu agrees to allow the diversification as Maanvi makes the gym popular and rakes in money. Then, sparks fly, and he falls in love with her. Maanvi is hesitant to commit as she is still nursing the pain and rejection from her last relationship that left her with a scar - and she is much aware that even this one will go the same way, as she is a transgender. Maanvi was born a male child, but all along felt like a girl; she has endured it all, fighting her family and the society and has gone the whole nine yards to go through the sex change. The inevitable does happen, and as soon as Maanvi gets an opportunity to tell Manu about her truth, the wonderful romance comes to a crashing halt. Manu is unable to come to terms with this startling revelation and accuses Maanvi of deception for sexual gratification. Horrified, Maanvi sees her experience repeating itself as the stigma around her choice refuses to pardon her.

"Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui" is live wire, vivid and graphic in all departments whether it's the no holds barred love or the violent emotional outbursts when the truth emerges. The social reaction is perverse and uncouth, but then given the fact that the subject of transgender is so nouveau in India that perhaps what director Abhishek Kapoor has portrayed is natural. He has also probably assumed an easy way out of the deadlock with an ending that pleases everyone, but through the acceptance he has passed a strong message about the subject and the society's way forward to allow individuals to exercise their choices. This is what films were originally meant to do: spread awareness and ignite social transformation for the better, and "Chandigarh....." ticks all the boxes in this regard. Vaani Kapoor is svelte and fashionable, and she gives an edgy performance swinging between happiness and despair. Her dialogues are well crafted, sharp, and incisive. Ayushman Khurana relives his role in "Dum Laga Ke Haisha" with complete elan - his reaction to the truth is abhorrent but very naturally executed. The music and cinematography are par excellence. If you're wondering why, even after all this, I am rating it the way I have, then my submission is that the film makes for a commercial, easy and populist ending and not a credible one. However, it does pave the way for broaching a subject considered taboo and may be considered path breaking, flagging off a much needed change.

Chandigarh kare ashiqui is worth your money and time, unlike the recent garbage churned out by Bollywood this movie won't bore you with cheesy one liners or usual romantic troupes. Instead it will start as a light hearted romanctic comedy and end with a feel good movie with a solid message behind.

Sometime back Ayushman Khurana did a movie with Yami Gautam where her character rejects him because he is bald. People went bonkers over it saying it's her choice to reject someone over looks.

And here peeps find his initial hitch and reservations over a trans person as regressive? So if someone isn't comfortable being with a trans person makes them regressive and orthodox. This woke BS is being shoved down the viewer's throats by Bollywood and OTT. Glad this rubbish flopped.

Vaani Kapoor is a revelation in this film as she goes toe to toe with the always good Ayushman - often even surpassing him to deliver a fine performance. The film is crisply edited and the songs are peppy. Some of the dialogues are hard-hitting and most of them (no surprises there) comes from Vaani's Manvi who has to confront the stigma labelled against her on account of social prejudices. Even Ayushman's Manu would come out as pathetic but he charts his way out of ignorance to the light of acknowledgement and acceptance. I particularly liked the choice of names - Vaani's Manvi was previously called Manu while Ayushman bears the pet name Manu as if to imply that they both are the faces of the same coin.

BUT like "Shubh Mangal Zyada Sabdhan" this film falters too as the issue of being a transwoman often takes a backseat just like the issue of convincing one's parents was often marred by frivolous scenes in Shubh Mangal... Chandigarh is plagued by the same issue despite being an engaging watch from the beginning. If only more could have been done on the trans issue than portraying Ayushman's machismo in full glory towards the latter half of the film, we could have had a better film.

It is pathbreaking, Yes! India needs more films on such issues. It has its intentions at the right place even if it has been airbrushed yo some degrees but at least it is another stepping stone to enlighten the public. This film isn't as brave as "Nagarkirtan" is, it feels like any other romantic film if stripped off its central theme but then it's good to see something being done on this front. May be these films with their petty/glaring flaws will one day lead on to an A-class film on the subject.

If it's an 8 out of 10 in acting, it could have strived to have been at least a 7 in the screenplay and narrative. Sigh!

Slow, boring and predictable all through. And wooden performance by Vaani Kapoor makes matters worse. A good subject wasted by poor screen play and direction. An avoidable mess.