Nadaaniyan

The screenplay by Ishita Moitra, Riva Razdan Kapoor and Jehan Handa simply fails to take off. One waits for that glimmer of hope but it gets butchered the moment Ibrahim’s character, after a rather juvenile speech, lifts his T shirt and shows off his abs to win the post of his school’s debating society president. This tone-deaf portrayal of school life is neither cool, nor funny.

The mostly breezy and quickly forgettable film rolls out the requisite packaging needed to justify itself. You have the bright lighting, modish costumes and appropriate Gen Z lingo, but not the compelling characters or unexpected scenarios that might generate emotional investment in exaggerated conflicts. There is at least some semblance of purpose in Pia’s journey. Although Nadaaniyan serves as Ibrahim Ali Khan’s acting debut, it’s Khushi Kapoor, by now a veteran of three films about young romance, who has the more engaging track. Arjun’s response to Pia’s wavering, his relationship with his own parents (played by Dia Mirza and Jugal Hansraj) and even his scholastic ambitions all pale before Pia’s journey from poor little rich girl looking to buy herself peace of mind to realising her own worth.

Nadaaniyan's lack of charm, chemistry and cheek fails to create any ripples. Set in a fancy schmancy Delhi international school where twelfth graders converse in social media catchwords, contemplate Ivy league education in designer totes and preppy chic, portray friendships as scrapbooks of selfies stamped in animated hearts and emojis and mock at classmates hailing from not-so-upscale parts of the city in such over-the-top snobbish tone, it's like back to college with Gulshan Grover in his windbag era all over again. Bollywood's Gen Z stories need more than a Orry cameo to snap out of its Gen X mindset if it plans to get anywhere with its Delhi vs NCR, SoBo vs suburbs, small town versus cities socio-cultural divide, in search of smarter arguments than the relentless 'Nyodda' jibes.

Led by debutant director Shauna Gautam, a troika of writers promises to provide insights into adulting. Set in an elite school, the film follows Pia Jaisingh (Khushi Kapoor) as she hires a middle-class student, Arjun Mehta (Ibrahim Ali Khan), as her boyfriend to secure the trust of her BFFs. As they come close, the pretense gives way to a predictable relationship, leading to cosmetic complexities that weigh a few Instagram-worthy reels.