BOTTOM LINE
Another Nepo-Kid Disaster
RATING
1/5
PLATFORM | RUNTIME
NETFLIX, 1hr 59m
What Is the Film About?
Pia Jaisingh, from a family of lawyers, hires Arjun Mehta, a scholarship student, as a pretend boyfriend to cover a lie in her school. Despite his academic and athletic success, relationships are not his forte. As their pretense deepens, genuine feelings develop, until all hell breaks loose over a misunderstanding. How far will Pia and Arjun go to confront their inner demons and find true love?
Performances
Though the film is in place to launch Ibrahim into the industry, one feels sorry for him. He is reduced to a male mannequin devoid of any personality. All he’s asked to do is to wear good clothes, show off his toned body and if possible, find time to act. Khushi Kapoor is marginally better in the film than her debut The Archies, though she clearly has a long way to go as a performer.
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Analysis
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If casting two privileged star kids – Ibrahim Ali Khan (Saif Ali Khan’s eldest son) and Khushi Kapoor (Sridevi’s younger daughter) and designing a launchpad for them wasn’t enough – Nadaaniyan rubs salt into the wound by casting them as students in an elite school of spoilt brats from filthy-rich families—everything in the school reeks of wealth, abs, good clothes, parties and famous surnames.
The film is a typical Netflix teenage drama set in a Karan Johar universe (did we say Student of the Year?). The writers take the excuse of a story (a.l.a an AI-generated response from a Netflix algorithm) so seriously that they insert a Romeo and Juliet reference too. It is a rich girl and a middle-class boy tale set in Delhi that is more in love with luxury.
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Nadaaniyan is very upfront about its intentions. Pia has a point when she says that students in her school spend more money on therapy sessions than education. Though the director makes us feel Pia is the more vulnerable of the lot, she, too, belongs to a breed that believes money is the panacea to all problems. What else explains her idea to pay a scholarship student to be a pretend boyfriend?
Contributing to the irony, when a bully threatens Ibrahim (who plays Arjun) about his interest in leading the school debate team and drops caustic remarks on his status, he retorts back, championing the middle classes (if only we know what the film’s idea of the middle class was all about). The ‘genius’ casting choice could’ve been salvaged with some self-aware writing at least.
The cliches and masterly creative choices don’t end there. Pia’s rich family (that’s concerned with Arjun’s financial status) is breaking apart while Arjun’s parents are full of love for one another (that the son feels suffocated). The rich family wants a son to continue its law firm and the middle-class family is so broad-minded that they can take gender-sensitivity classes.
When the film doesn’t work (i.e. mostly), Nadaaniyan serves better as a Dharma Productions showreel – there’s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’s Braganza Malhotra who makes a mockery of social media acronyms. Kal Ho Na Ho’s It’s The Time To Disco becomes ITTTD. There’s an Orry special appearance, festive songs full of colourful designer costumes. A lot of effort goes in to mask its shallowness.
The film is so elitist in its outlook that it leaves no room for any trace of vulnerability. Most sequences have the depth of a social media reel. While it takes its sophisticated exterior seriously – it just doesn’t care to explore any facet of the (wafer-thin) story with sincerity. Neither does it touch upon the class divide effectively nor does it explore the impulsiveness in teenage romances.
Nadaaniyan’s attempt to be a candy-floss rom-com falls flat on its face. It is not only a bore-fest but also the most tone-deaf product (and not a film) to have come out of Dharma in recent years. Nadaaniyan could’ve also been titled Bewakoofiyaan or starkid-aan and it wouldn’t have many difference to the result.
Performances by Others Actors
As Arjun’s on-screen parents – it’s Jugal Hansraj and Dia Mirza bring some level-headedness into the film and make us feel for their characters, albeit briefly. Mahima Chaudhry is too hysterical in her reactions to make any impact. Suniel Shetty is back to doing what he’s best at – a cold on-screen persona without a trace of emotion. Aaliyah Querishi, Apporva Makhija, Agasthya Shah, Dev Agasteya are largely forgettable.
Music and Other Departments?
While the minimum guarantee factor in any Dharma product was its music in the past – Nadaaniyan offers no such respite for the viewer. The generally reliable Sachin-Jigar come a cropper in a forgettable album and the background score is no great shakes either. The scale – which could’ve been a visual relief in most films – is so vulgar that it repulses you. Everything from the cinematography, production design to costumes is painfully over the top. One wouldn’t mind staring at a blank wall for some time after the film.
Highlights?
Nothing
Drawbacks?
Terrible story full of cliches
Nothing noteworthy in terms of performances
Over-the-top execution
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
Not even to your worst enemy
Nadaaniyan Movie Review by M9
