Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui- Welcome to a ‘new normal’ love story

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui as the name suggests is a love story, albeit an unconventional one, if you have watched the trailer. So first things first- what’s it about. Well, boy meets girl. Boy falls for girl only to realise that girl was a boy before she turned in to a girl. Going by its unusual theme, this film could have gone downhill easily, but because it is led by the Champion Crusader of all Unconventional Love Stories, Ayushmann Khurrana, the film succeeds in engaging as well as entertaining viewers right from Scene 1. The love story is rather convincing thanks to the chemistry between Ayushmann and Vaani Kapoor. The latter seems to be having fun with perhaps her boldest role till date. 

The message of the film seems to suggest that love can conquer all barriers and does so without being dangerously preachy thanks to its regular dose of humour courtesy the supporting cast especially Ayushmann’s two friends and his family. As a basic concept, the love story of a trans girl could have got limited to being a very niche film, to be enjoyed by an evolved audience but director Abhishek Kapoor manages to push the right buttons to make this film as commercial as possible with its peppy songs, pacy editing and blunt dialogues. The film is ultimately peppered with common issues in people’s lives like family feuds, barriers of religion, the struggle to prove oneself, physical imperfections, social impositions, closed or conservative mindsets and so on. While one may wonder if Chandigarh is a convincing backdrop for a theme so foreign even in cosmopolitan metro cities of India, the film’s biggest weakness is perhaps that it tries to make an ambitious statement on non-conformity. To base a film like this in an atypical setting like Chandigarh, to have a  family of Jatts come to grips with the ‘new normal’ love story of a trans girl and a boy, to squeeze in a Hindu-Muslim love angle in the mix and the grand finale where the hero of the film must triumph amidst all odds is all a bit filmy to say the least, taking away from the otherwise credible premise of the main love story. Yet, in post-Covid times, a film like this with its heart in the right place gets my vote for what it is worth.

I would go with *** stars for Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, definitely recommended for the lead pair’s performances and for the director’s conviction to make a film like this with such unabashed pride, no pun intended.

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui is now streaming on Netflix.com.

Kara Para Ask- Turkish delight

My knowledge of Turkish cinema and television series was next to zilch when I stumbled upon Black Money Love or Kara Para Ask. My little idea of Turkish life was restricted to my reading of Orhan Pamuk’s The Museum of Innocence and that literally was my window to a different world, a modern and affluent Istanbul. What I still remember about this book, is the sheer passion of its love story that makes it palpable, moving to a point that it becomes eternal. That same intensity is found in Kara Para Ask that starts off as an unlikely match between Ömer Demir, a cop investigating his fiancé’s death and Elif seeking answers to her father’s murder, when both victims are found shot dead together in a car. The story at a lengthy 164 episode count takes its time unravelling its convoluted plot, which often seems incredible but always riveting. The television series beats your average daily soap owing to a fantastic lead pair- Tuba Büyüküstün and Engin Akyürek live and breathe in to their characters, propelled by the force of an equally powerful supporting cast. This is not your typical whodunnit story, we already have recognised the main antagonist in the early few episodes. Everything else is however, overshadowed by the weight of the turbulent love story, which takes on epic proportions drawing from class conflicts, individual perceptions, the European lifestyle vs traditional ties, family feuds, widespread corruption, devious crimes, endless deceit and selfish motives. We get expansive shots of the historically renowned and yet defiantly urban Istanbul rendering a backdrop that is vibrant, with the Bosphorus sea an imposing and omnipresent witness to the city’s progressions and digressions. Director Ahmet Katıksız is nothing short of a fine craftsman, painting a trajectory for the characters that see them becoming varied shades of grey and sometimes slipping away to the darkest realms of black. Even elegant Rome gets sufficient screen time, not limited to its typical architectural marvels but living through its terraced restaurants, modern living spaces and cobbled walkways. 

The novelistic narrative engages the viewer just like you can’t wait to read the next chapter of a suspense thriller, making you binge episodes by the dozen without feeling exhausted. You will have to invest some time in picking through the complex themes the story ultimately weaves in, exploring human nature, the hand of destiny and the machinations of a wilful socio-economic system that manipulates the wronged. I haplessly beheld the absolutely electrifying and convincing portrayal of Elif and Omer as they struggled through the plot, not only are they beautiful as a pair but rarely is there a moment when they fail to convey their love and anguish, if not through words then through their eyes. 

Even if soapy in parts, I would any day buy in to a story that enmeshes so much drama without missing the plot. It is worth the watch because of man’s universal need to see the triumph of good over evil and love over war. 

I rate Kara Para Ask **** stars, this is one of the best love stories I have seen in years!

Kara Para Ask is now streaming on Netflix.com.