CHANDIGARH KARE AASHIQUI lifts and rocks!
I had a great time watching CHANDIGARH KARE AASHIQUI on Netflix. I was initially uncertain, as I am not generally excited about weightlifting! But the characters are great, the actors and script are top-notch, and the love story - if not the casting - is perfect today.
Our hero is Manu, a bodybuilder with a stick up his ass because he has not yet won the GOAT weight lifter contest in his region of India. He has sacrificed everything – his business success, his family life, and most sadly, his love life – to achieve this laser-focused goal.
Ayushmann Khurrana is terrific in the starring role. He is big and brawny but in an intriguing way. Who hasn't allowed their lives to fall apart while they chase their dream? His family is a funny collection, including his father, a government official who has skin hunger, two over-the-top sisters straight out of 'Cinderella', and a grandfather with a good heart, The teammates at the gym are also terrific, including a long-haired pair – twins perhaps? – that try to talk sense into him.
The sorry boat rocks when the twins announce they have hired a new Zuunba teacher, and the business suddenly is full of customers, and more importantly, joy.
Vaani Kapoor is terrific as the new arrival. Alas, the fact that director Abhishek Kapoor did not cast this role with authenticity in mind is a major mistake for a film coming out in this decade.
I still feel the film has merit. It is kinetic, funny, and fast-moving. The many twists and turns in the screenplay will keep you guessing right up until the final moments of the contest. And don't forget to watch the credits.
Several writers are credited: Supratik Sen (screenplay) (dialogue) (story) | Tushar Paranjape (screenplay) (dialogue) (story) | Abhishek Kapoor (story) | Simran Sahni (based on a story idea by). The designs, locales, and costumes are lavish and enjoyable. The music and many types of vehicles used in the film add to the wow factor.
The casting error makes Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui imperfect. But if you are looking for laughs with a bit of message, it is worth the time.