Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui

2021 Indian romantic drama film

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Abhishek Kapoor
Written by| Supratik Sen
Tushar Paranjpe
Story by| Abhishek Kapoor
Supratik Sen
Tushar Paranjpe
Produced by| Bhushan Kumar
Pragya Kapoor
Krishan Kumar
Abhishek Nayyar
Starring| Ayushmann Khurrana
Vaani Kapoor
Cinematography| Manoj Lobo
Edited by| Chandan Arora
Music by| Sachin–Jigar
Tanishk Bagchi

Production
companies

T-Series
Guy in the Sky Pictures

Distributed by| AA Films

Release date

* 10 December 2021 (2021-12-10)

Running time

| 116 minutes[1]
Country| India
Language| Hindi
Budget| ₹40 crore[2]
Box office| ₹41.23 crore[3]

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (transl. Chandigarh Does Romance) is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Abhishek Kapoor.[4] It stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Vaani Kapoor, and was released theatrically on 10 December 2021.[5][6]

At the 67th Filmfare Awards, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui received 4 nominations, including Best Music Director (Sachin–Jigar and Best Female Playback Singer (Priya Saraiya for "Kalle Kalle"), and won Best Story (Abhishek Kapoor, Supratik Sen and Tushar Paranjape).

## Plot

[edit]

Bodybuilder Manvinder "Manu" Munjal is the owner of a gym in Chandigarh, preparing for an annual competition "G.O.A.T". Unfortunately, his gym fails to attract clients until Zumba instructor Maanvi Brar walks into the gym and things start looking up financially. Manu falls in love with Maanvi and as they are about to have their first kiss, she says she wants to tell him something. However, Manu refuses to hear her out and initiates sex. Although hesitant at the beginning, she proceeds with it and they both approach climax. Later on, they begin a sexual relationship. Manu's family also likes Maanvi and his sisters encourage him to marry her. As Manu eventually expresses his intention of wanting to marry her, Maanvi reveals she is a trans woman. Enraged and flabbergasted, Manu says he's going to seek revenge. He is disgusted with himself because he keeps thinking he "has had sex with a man." His friends make derogatory references to Maanvi, which further infuriates him. Despite their fallout, they continue to love each other.

Maanvi did not share a close bond with her mother, but her father accepted her. Manu educates himself about trans women by watching videos, interacting with a trans woman and seeking counseling with his friends to conclude that his relationship with Maanvi is normal. Eventually, he realizes being born in a male body was a biological defect that Maanvi rectified via surgery, and only he had to step up and accept her for who she was. Preet and Meet, Manu's sisters, find out Maanvi's truth and insult her in public. As a result of public humiliation and her father's heart attack, she decides to leave Chandigarh. She rushes to the hospital, where Manu also shows up. He tells her that he wants to be with her, and stands up to his family for Maanvi.

Manu competes for the title of "G.O.A.T" and in the last round of the tournament, Maanvi shows up to root for him. Encouraged by her presence, he lifts extra weights and wins the competition. After his victory, he asks Maanvi in front of the crowds if she wants to be with him, and she says yes.

## Cast

[edit]

* Ayushmann Khurrana as Manvinder "Manu" Munjal
* Vaani Kapoor as Maanvi Brar[7]
* Yash Bhojwani as Little Maanvi (Manu)
* Gourav Sharma as "Riz"
* Goutam Sharma as "Jomo"
* Abhishek Bajaj as Sandeep Kasaana aka Sandy[8]
* Kanwaljit Singh as Brigadier Mohinder Brar, Maanvi's father
* Yograj Singh as Guruji
* Aanjjan Srivastav as Braj Munjal, Manu's grandfather
* Karishma Singh as Akshita
* Girish Dhamija as Naveen Munjal, Manu's father
* Tanya Abrol as Preet Munjal, Manu's sister
* Sawan Rupowali as Meet Munjal, Manu's sister
* Satwant Kaur as Navjot Brar
* Tarsen Paul as Mamaji
* Goni Sagoo as Mamiji
* Ranjit Punia as Ajit
* Nary Singh as Roopa
* Leena Sharma as Tasneem
* Jeevan Vadhera as Jogi
* Ssumier Pasricha as a Commentator
* Sumit Dhankar as Vicky
* Jaspal Kaur Bhatia as Dadiji
* Rahul Kakkar as Maanvi's ex-boyfriend
* Soniya Bhatia as Mrs. Munjal, Manu's mother
* Diljit Sona as Meet's husband
* Mukesh Chandelia as Senior Cop
* Harinder Singh Bhullar as a Police Constable
* Aarav Dua (child artist) as Kid 1
* Anav Dua (child artist) as Kid 2

## Production

[edit]

Principal photography commenced on 21 October 2020 in Chandigarh.[9] Filming was wrapped up on 22 December 2020.[10][11]

## Soundtrack

[edit]

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui

Soundtrack album by

Sachin–Jigar and Tanishk Bagchi

Released| 4 December 2021[12]
Recorded| 2020–21
Genre| Feature film soundtrack
Length| 22:54
Language| Hindi
Label| T-Series
Official audio
Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui - Full Album on YouTube

The film's music is composed by Sachin–Jigar and Tanishk Bagchi while the lyrics are written by IP Singh, Priya Saraiya and Vayu.[12]

The song "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui" is a remake of the same name song from the 2004 album Aashiqui by Jassi Sidhu and lyrics written by Madan Jalandhari.[13]

Track ListingNo.| Title| Lyrics| Singer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui"| IP Singh| Sachin–Jigar, Jassi Sidhu, IP Singh| 2:33
2.| "Tumbe Te Zumba"| IP Singh| Sukhwinder Singh| 2:50
3.| "Kalle Kalle"| Priya Saraiya| Priya Saraiya| 3:47
4.| "Kheench Te Nach"| Vayu| Vishal Dadlani, Shalmali Kholgade, Brijesh Shandilya| 3:10
5.| "Maafi"| Priya Saraiya| Ayushmann Khurrana| 4:20
6.| "Attraction"| Priya Saraiya| Mika Singh, Priya Saraiya| 3:09
7.| "Maafi - Vibe Mix"| Priya Saraiya| Jubin Nautiyal| 4:45
8.| "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui 2.O" (Music by Tanishk Bagchi)| Vayu| Guru Randhawa, Jassi Sidhu, Zahrah S khan| 3:05
Total length:| 22:54

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10.[14]

Hiren Kotwani of the Times of India rated the film with 4/5 and praised the direction of Abhishek Kapoor, writing, "he handles the hard-hitting reality of the subject with sensitivity and maturity".[15] Umesh Punwani of Devesh Sharma of Filmfare gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote "Ayushmann and Vaani for giving their all to the film. The film isn’t without flaws but what it’s aiming at is such a huge thing that one would be wise to ignore them".[16] Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote "Ayushmann Khurrana, Chandigarh boy for real, is right at home in his bristly-brawny-softie Manu. Vaani Kapoor’s svelte certified physical trainer with a troubled past takes you back to the flash of promise she had shown in ‘Shuddh Desi Romance".[17] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote "Despite all the woke noises that it seeks to make, it eventually does not budge an inch from its received wisdom about what constitutes masculinity".[18]

### Response from Queer Community

[edit]

The film received mixed reviews from the queer community. In an article in Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, Queer writers Rohin Bhat and Kris Chudawala mentioned that the film missed the mark in proper representation of transgender community in the film.[19] Satvik in his review in The Quint stated that the movie furthers Transphobia through its improper depictions. The use of transphobic slurs in the movie do not help the cause, he says.[20] In her review of the movie for Gaysi, Ritushree Panigrahi says that she found resonance with the character of Manvi portrayed by Vaani Kapoor.[21] Chintan Girish Modi for their review in Firstpost, calls the movie a landmark in terms of Transgender representation in Indian Film Industry, calling it sensitive and dignified.[22]

### Box office

[edit]

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui earned ₹3.75 crores at the Indian box office on its opening day. On the second day, the film collected ₹4.87 crores. On the third day, the film collected ₹5.91 crores, with the total domestic opening weekend collection becoming ₹14.53 crore.[3]

As of 20 January 2022[update], the film grossed ₹33.64 crore in India and ₹4.93 crore overseas, for a worldwide gross collection of ₹38.57 crore.[3]

## Accolades

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Nominee(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2022 | Filmfare Awards | Best Music Director | Sachin–Jigar | Nominated  | [citation needed]
Best Female Playback Singer | Priya Saraiya for "Kalle Kalle"  | Nominated  | [citation needed]
Best Story | Abhishek Kapoor, Supratik Sen and Tushar Paranjape  | Won  | [citation needed]
Best Sound Design | Sanjay Maurya, Allwin Rego  | Nominated  | [citation needed]
2022 | IIFA Awards | Best Female Playback Singer | Priya Saraiya for "Kalle Kalle"  | Nominated  | [23]
2022  | ITA Awards | Film with Social Impact  | Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui | Won  | [24]
Gold Awards | Best Powerpack Performance  | Vaani Kapoor | Won  | [citation needed]
2022 | Mirchi Music Awards | Recreated Song of the Year  | Sachin–Jigar, Jassi Sidhu, I.P. Singh for "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui"  | Nominated  | [25]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
2. ^ "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021)- Box Office India". Box Office India. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
3. ^ a b c "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
4. ^ "'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui': Ayushmann Khurrana, Vaani Kapoor begin shooting for Abhishek Kapoor's next". Daily News & Analysis. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
5. ^ "Ayushmann Khurrana-Vaani Kapoor's next film titled 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui'". The Hindu. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
6. ^ "Ayushmann Khurrana's 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' confirmed to release in December". ANI News. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
7. ^ "'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui': Director Abhishek Kapoor introduces Maanvi aka Vaani Kapoor". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
8. ^ Maheshwri, Neha. "Abhishek Bajaj is the villain in Ayushmann Khurrana's 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui'". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
9. ^ "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui: Ayushmann Khurrana And Vaani Kapoor Start Shooting For New Film". NDTV. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
10. ^ "Vaani Kapoor wraps up shooting for 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' with Ayushmann Khurrana, shares one last glimpse from the film sets". The Times of India. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
11. ^ "Ayushmann Khurrana-Vaani Kapoor starrer Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui wraps under 2 months during the pandemic". Bollywood Hungama. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
12. ^ a b "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Jiosaavn. 4 December 2021.
13. ^ "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui title track out: Ayushmann Khurrana-Vani Kapoor's song packed with bhangra energy". India TV News. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
14. ^ "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
15. ^ Hiren Kotwani (8 December 2021). "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui Movie Review: Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui breaks stereotypes and thoroughly entertains". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
16. ^ "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui Movie Review". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
17. ^ "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui movie review: Ayushmann Khurrana movie comes off as oddly generic". Indian Express. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
18. ^ "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui Review: Ayushmann Khurrana Has A Great Time, Vaani Kapoor Is A Revelation". NDTV. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
19. ^ "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui: Bollywood, bioethics, and trans bodies". Indian Journal of Medical Ethics. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
20. ^ Satvik (12 December 2021). "'Phobia, Not Representation': Trans Person Reviews Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui". TheQuint. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
21. ^ Panigrahi, Ritushree (19 February 2022). "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui: This Is Not A Movie Review". Gaysi. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
22. ^ "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui isn't limited to trans representation, but also says a lot about the support their partners need". Firstpost. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
23. ^ IIFA 2022 Nominations: Shershaah takes the lead with 12 Nominations, Ludo and 83 emerge as strong contenders; check out the complete list, 1 April 2022
24. ^ "ITA Awards 2022: Harshad Chopda, Nakuul Mehta, Anupamaa Win Big; Here's the Complete Winners List". News18. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
25. ^ 14th edition of Smule Mirchi Music Awards set to air exclusively on Colors Hindi & Voot on March 27th

## External links

[edit]

* Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui at IMDb
* Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui at Rotten Tomatoes
* Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui at Bollywood Hungama

*[transl.]: translation
*[No.]: Number
*[Ref.]: Reference(s)