Kuch hafte pehle Loveyaapa reminded everyone why there is such a raging debate about nepotism in Hindi cinema specifically. It’s upsetting for everyone when clearly unskilled children of famous people are made to parade, positioned like ready-made movie stars, increasing the chasm between the have and the have nots, inequalities of various class systems splashed across giant screens. Didn’t think a follow up to reinforce this hypothesis would arrive so quickly on Loveyapa’s heels, but here we are.
Khushi Kapoor and Ibrahim Ali Khan share next to no on-screen chemistry. Watching them attempt romantic dialogue is almost sad, whatever Kajol-SRK chemistry they are going for, far beyond their reach. Even the songs feel like placeholders, “Pagh Ghungroo Baandh Mira Naachi” is no “Radha On The Dance Floor”, Why does everything in this film, including the songs, feel….incomplete? First-drafty? The choreography is awkward, when Ibrahim starts to dance, it’s neither Bollywood nor High School Musical—it’s just unwieldy. The whole set up is so undercooked, it makes Student Of The Year look like The Breakfast Club.
Telling YA stories I imagine isn’t easy. Sure the personalities on display aren’t fully developed and perhaps the target audience is like that too, but eventually filmmaking is not Naadaniyan, its serious business. Conflicts, conclusions, treatment, tone, these things cannot be dumbed down and sacrificed at the altar of “youth”, Netflix’s own shows Heartstopper and Sex Education are great examples of doing this right, writing silly teenagers with a foresight brought on by adulthood, and yet not dismissing their issues as trivial. When seasoned actors like Dia Mirza, Jugal Hansraj, Suniel Shetty and Mahima Chaudhary appear on screen, they shouldn’t make the younger ones look even worse in comparison, rather it ought to generate hope that there is a newer lot ready to strengthen the legacy these folks created, fresh perspectives that’s even millennials fail to grasp occasionally.
Nadaaniyan (transl. Foolishness) is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language teen romantic comedy film directed by Shauna Gautam and produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta and Somen Mishra. The film stars Ibrahim Ali Khan (in his acting debut) and Khushi Kapoor, alongside Mahima Chaudhry, Dia Mirza, Suniel Shetty, and Jugal Hansraj. It tells the story of a privileged South Delhi school girl who gets a boyfriend-for-hire to get back at her family and classmates.
Sucharita Tyagi is the newly elected Vice Chairperson of the Film Critics Guild of India. With nearly 20 years of media experience, she is best known for her popular movie reviews on YouTube, where she has built a community of dedicated fans. Now splitting her time between Mumbai and New York, Tyagi also has extensive experience in broadcast radio. With a unique voice, she reviews films and discusses South Asian pop culture with honesty and passion through a contemporary, feminist lens, breaking down complex issues in relatable ways.
