‘Nadaaniyan’ Review: Ibrahim Ali Khan, Khushi Kapoor (& the Viewer) Are Tested
'Nadaaniyan' is streaming on Netflix.
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I’ll be the first to admit that Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani lulled me into a false sense of security about the state of Indian rom-coms – ‘Maybe we’re finally getting our groove back,’ I thought. Foolish. I rarely watch rom-coms, more frequently pulled in by the workings of a thriller or a horror flick, but that has never stopped me from acknowledging that making a rom-com is tough.
Ibrahim Ali Khan in a still from Nadaaniyan.
(Photo Courtesy: YouTube)
A rom-com has a difficult task to accomplish – not only must it make the audience believe that the leads are in love, it must convince them these characters are deserving of this affection, that they deserve the redemption arcs that they will inevitably have. This is difficult to do especially since most rom-coms need a believable conflict that could lead to a brief separation. A tricky balance.
And watching Netflix’s Nadaaniyan only made that belief stronger.
When a scholarship student Arjun (Ibrahim Ali Khan) puts down a cocky, rich brat in his new college and then gets on a desk to flash his abs to convince a debate team to endorse him as a captain, how am I possibly supposed to take anything seriously? Alright, maybe this is a college where six-pack abs can act as closing arguments, fine. Moving on.
A still from Nadaaniyan.
(Photo Courtesy: YouTube)
This stunt puts him in Pia’s (Khushi Kapoor) sights. Pia has a big problem – she told her friends she has a boyfriend and now she must find one. A typical rom-com premise. One that lends itself beautifully to one of my favourite tropes – fake dating. And so she approaches Arjun to be that ‘fake boyfriend’ – it’s no surprise that the fake dating will lead to real feelings.
It’s always the same thing – this ‘fake’ partner sees you in ways nobody else does, they stand up for you, they show you they care. It’s equal parts disarming and freeing. But here, those moments exist in the most manufactured, hollow way possible. Yes the men in Pia’s family believe she can’t take over their legacy, yes it’s sexist. Yes, she deserves to be taken seriously by her family.
Khushi Kapoor in a still from Nadaaniyan.
(Photo Courtesy: YouTube)
But how is that meant to happen when the film doesn’t take her seriously? Arjun goes on a spiel about how Pia is smart and witty and a master at debating but the film has done nothing to support that argument. “From the outside, I look like the poster princess of privilege and entitlement (it doesn’t matter who I am on the inside),” Pia introduces herself in a voiceover and then the film forgets to tell us who she is.
There are many realisations the film wants her to have – her friendships are superficial, she needs to believe in herself, she needs to look at her parents’ fractured marriage more objectively. But it constantly feels like the film is making these points for the viewer instead of the character. The film tries to make a point about Pia’s entire dilemma being unnecessary because she gets blamed for being harassed but it, too, becomes a footnote.
A still from Nadaaniyan.
(Photo Courtesy: YouTube)
The pop references that seemed so lively and fun in Rocky Aur Rani.. seem forced here, barring Archana Puran Singh’s hilarious inclusion as Ms Braganza. Dia Mirza, Jugal Hansraj, Suniel Shetty, and Mahima Chaudhry who play our leads’ parents are such naturals on screen that you wish they were the protagonists instead.
When Arjun’s dad tells him about how he started eating falooda because his mother loves it, you finally feel that stirring in your chest you’ve been missing. Right before that, he places a hand on his wife’s hand, reassuring that he’ll fix the latest fight. It’s warm and likeable in all the right ways and it only makes your craving for a good rom-com worse.
Dia Mirza in a still from Nadaaniyan.
(Photo Courtesy: YouTube)
This film marks Khan’s debut and Kapoor’s third film (following The Archies and Loveyapa). The actors have been given a horribly short stick, one might even liken it to a tooth (albeit metaphorical). While admitting that their performances leave much to be desired, I can’t help but wonder if the script even gave them a chance?
Despite not being an unforgettable presence in her films, Kapoor did manage to bring a certain sense of honesty to her previous characters. In Loveyapa, an exercise in patience in its own ways at times, she did well for herself in the more emotionally taxing scenes. You see a hint of that effort here but the script and dialogues don’t support her.
Khan, bearing a striking resemblance to his father Saif Ali Khan, doesn’t manage to imbibe the charm. His physical screen presence fits the idea of a romcom hero (though he deserved a better entry shot, where is the ‘Kukkad Kamal Da’ or K3G moment?), most of his dialogues make it seem like we’re still at the table read.
Apoorva Makhija and Aaliyah Qureishi as Pia’s friends Rhea and Sahira fare better but they don’t get enough time on screen.
A still from Nadaaniyan.
(Photo Courtesy: YouTube)
On paper, Nadaaniyan is a decent film, enough to be mindless company on a weekend night, but the execution doesn’t do the premise justice. Forget that the film is so glossy that it looks like an ad (everyone’s saying it, they’re right). Even the sound mixing is off – the dialogues sound like they exist in a vacuum. Real life, even the buzz and noise that accompanies us everywhere we go, is glaringly absent.
We went looking for Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez in ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’) but we found Arjun. We deserved Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon in ‘Legally Blonde’) but we got Pia. We prayed, hoped for 10 Things I Hate About You but we got Nadaaniyan.