Nadaaniyan Movie Review: Ibrahim Ali Khan And Khushi Kapoor Are Flat In A Shallow Film

Director: Shauna Gautam

Cast: Ibrahim Ali Khan, Khushi Kapoor

Rating: 1.5

She dubs herself the "poster princess of privilege and entitlement."

He is said to have a "nawabi vibe."

If the writers of Nadaaniyan - this week's Netflix release starring nepo kids Ibrahim Ali Khan (Saif Ali Khan's son) and Khushi Kapoor (Sridevi's daughter) - believed these lines were clever, self-aware examples of witty writing, they are mistaken. The dialogues and screenplay, much like everything else in this flatter-than-a-pancake high school romance, serve as yet another reminder that Bollywood has completely lost its mojo.

Lately, amid the glut of CGI-driven fantasies, larger-than-life action spectacles and controversial social dramas, cinema - whether Hollywood or Bollywood - has largely abandoned the simple romantic comedy. Yet, there remains a huge appetite for charming boy-meets-girl stories filled with young love, misunderstandings, heartbreak and happily-ever-afters. In an increasingly stressful world, this kind of lighthearted escapism is exactly what we need. But after watching Nadaaniyan, fans will have to revisit Rahul and Anjali or Rahul and Pooja for their romcom dose.

Pia Jaisingh (Khushi), a rich South Delhi girl (there really isn't any other type in that part of India's capital, is there?), enters into a pact with Noida boy called Arjun Mehta (Ibrahim) to pose as her boyfriend to ward off a misunderstanding with her equally rich friends. He agrees but as expected, things go south. The story also features the couple's parents (hers, played by Suniel Shetty and Mahima Chaudhury, and his, played by Jugal Hansraj and Dia Mirza), and a naughty principal, Ms Braganza Malhotra (Archana Puran Singh).

The plot is wafer-thin, but truth be told, that hardly matters. Rom-coms don't need layered narratives or deep messages. They just need to be FUN and that boils down entirely to their treatment. As a viewer, you should be able to laugh, sigh, and root for the leads staying invested in their antics enough to simply enjoy the ride.

In Bollywood, the young love story is a time-tested genre that has given us some seriously memorable movies and on screen lovers. Remember how Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, under the expert direction of Karan Johar, (the producer of this film), made an entire generation fall in love with the dialogue, "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, tum nahi samjhoge?"

Unfortunately, Nadaaniyan, directed by Shauna Gautam, does not meet this basic requirement. Riva Razdan Kapoor's story and Riva, Ishita Moitra and Jehan Handa's screenplay take the easy way out and pay tribute to YRF and Dharma Productions' films of the past. Pia and Arjun's school is nothing but a rehash of St. Teresa's College from Student of the Year (SOTY). Their friends and frenemies might as well have walked from the sets of SOTY into this one. Pia's meaningless 'aur paas' scene is a hat tip to SRK and Madhuri's Dil Toh Pagal Hai magic while Singh's Mrs Braganza is a forced reprisal of her famous Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (KKHH) character. The parental lectures about love (a staple in 'young' films today) are a throwback to Dil Chahta Hai. Alas! If only nostalgia made up for bland filmmaking in the present era.

The same could be said about the technical aspects. Anuj Samtani's cinematography which uses soft focuses to capture Khushi and Arjun's chiseled visage, the rather ordinary background and musical score and Anaita Shroff Adajania's Vogue-like styling of every cast member, evoke a sense of deja vu. These are all vignettes from the Karan Johar school of filmmaking but it requires a Johar to pull it off with conviction. Just throwing a few woke ideas, bringing in a point of gender equality, and middle-aged divorce do not make it appealing.

This brings us to the biggest letdowns - the leads. Khushi may be on her third film but her mannerisms and dialogues are still stuck in the world of The Archies. She looks pretty - pretty unreal that is - with not a hair out of place but there is a serious disconnect between her expressions and dialogue delivery. Strangely, Khushi showed more spunk the last time she played a Gen Z love interest, which was in Loveyapa.

Read our review of Loveyapa here .

Then there is the other product of nepotism, debutant Ibrahim Ali Khan. It's impossible not to be reminded of his charismatic father, Saif, but the young man's lifeless delivery and complete lack of emotional depth make for a painfully dull performance. '90s kids would remember how Saif himself took a while to find his footing as an actor after a string of average initial films that included his long-forgotten debut movies Aashik Aawara Parampara. But the '90s were a kinder era when the spotlight was limited and the media wasn't so harsh.

Comparatively, the seniors - Suniel Shetty, Mahima, Jugal Hansraj and Dia Mirza - are delightful. Their character arcs are interesting but terribly underdeveloped in service of the youngsters. Wish it were the opposite.

Moral of the story: Bollywood still has a huge nepotism problem and the sooner it takes care of its writing more than its star kids, the better.

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