Nadaaniyan‘s
lack
of
charm,
chemistry
and
cheek
fails
to
create
any
ripples,
sighs
Sukanya
Verma.
Colleges
are
swanky
theme
parks
for
fashion
and
filmi
romances
in
Karan
Johar’s
universe.
From
Kuch
Kuch
Hota
Hai
to
Student
of
the
Year,
the
coolness
quotient
in
his
depiction
is
a
no-expense-spared
fantasy
we
continue
to
live
in
vicariously.
No
wonder
his
more
hand-me-down
home
productions
and
streaming
offshoots
have
no
desire
to
escape
its
allure.
Only
the
pretty
leans
heavily
towards
plastic
in
Nadaniyaan,
the
Netflix
campus
romance
directed
by
his
Rocky
Aur
Rani
Ki
Prem
Kahaani
assistant
Shauna
Gautam
based
on
Riva
Razdan
Kapoor’s
story.
Desperate
high
schooler
striking
a
mutually
beneficial
deal
with
a
fellow
student
to
play
her
pretend
boyfriend
for
a
few
days
until
they
actually
fall
in
love
causing
complications
is
a
done-to-death
Hollywood
trope.
Recycling
the
likes
of
Drive
Me
Crazy
and
ilk
for
its
hackneyed
plot
and
a
wannabe
attempt
at
Never
Have
I
Ever‘s
self-aware
humour,
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.
As
the
‘poster
princess’
of
this
‘privileged
and
entitled’
kingdom,
Pia
Jaisingh
(Khushi
Kapoor)
kicks
off
the
charade
when
her
two
best
friends
refuse
to
believe
she
has
nothing
to
do
with
the
cad
one
of
them
is
crushing
on.
Instead
of
feeling
disgusted
at
a
classmate’s
stalker
syndrome
towards
Pia,
her
pal
wonders
why
she’s
leading
him
on
by
not
responding
to
his
creepy
texts.
A
few
scenes
later,
the
same
pal
proudly
proclaims,
‘stalking
is
my
number
one
talent.’
And
yet
pushover
Pia
fabricates
a
boyfriend
just
to
erase
her
bestie’s
doubts.
The
other
BFF
is
no
better
and
congratulates
this
fake
paramour
by
saying,
‘Great
job
landing
P.’
For
a
movie
so
hung
up
on
red
flags,
Pia’s
own
backyard
is
teeming
in
trouble.
A
classic
poor
little
rich
girl
standing
in
front
of
her
friends
(and
family)
asking
them
to
love
her
yet
not
entirely
above
mischief
if
need
be,
Pia
is
the
sort
of
spirited,
sneaky,
scatterbrained
yet
sensitive
character
Lindsay
Lohan’s
entire
teenage
career
is
build
on
and
in
recent
times
only
Maitreyi
Ramakrishnan’s
portrayal
of
Devi
Vishwakumar
in
Never
Have
I
Ever
has
been
able
to
do
full
justice
to.
Khushi
Kapoor
is
too
plain
for
the
part.
Although
she
keeps
shaking
her
head
so
vigorously,
if
it
was
a
piggy
bank,
there’d
be
coins
falling
off
on
the
ground.
She
is
convincing
in
scenes
of
emotional
outbursts
around
her
estranged
parents
(Mahima
Chaudhry,
Suniel
Shetty)
but
doesn’t
quite
capture
the
impishness
of
Pia’s
impulses.
What
about
her
too-good-to-be-true
love
interest?
Nadaaniyan‘s
prime
purpose
is
to
showcase
Amrita
Singh
and
Saif
Ali
Khan’s
son.
Ibrahim
Ali
Khan
plays
Arjun
Mehta
whose
list
of
accomplishments
include
national
level
swimmer,
class
topper,
debate
captain,
future
Ivy
league
lawyer
and
app
creator
of
an
accessible
legal
service
that
he’ll
immediately
sell
off
to
Google
after
it
becomes
a
hit.
On
the
visual
front,
his
chiselled
jawline,
regularly
flaunted
six
packs
and
groovy
dance
moves
are
documented
in
deep
detail
to
assert
his
attributes.
As
are
his
frowns
that
ensure
there’s
nothing
lovey-dovey
to
behold
around
him
and
his
leading
lady.
The
focus
is
more
on
modelling
a
star
kid
than
moulding
a
newcomer.
Funny
how
the
paparazzi
regularly
haunting
Ibrahim’s
gym
trips
capture
a
far
more
relaxed
and
disarming
side
to
his
persona
than
the
film.
Shauna
Gautam’s
filmmaking
has
no
voice.
Riva
Razdan
Kapoor’s
script
has
no
vision.
Nadaaniyan
never
goes
beyond
a
hack
job
packaged
by
folks
living
in
a
bubble.
Nor
does
its
young
cast
possess
the
wit
to
trifle
with
the
superficiality
on
display.
The
parody
of
the
Internet’s
excesses
is
lost
in
the
actor’s
drab
delivery.
Be
it
when
Arjun
repeats
a
line
you’ve
come
across
a
zillion
times
on
the
Web,
‘You
are
so
hot
you
must
be
the
cause
of
global
warming,’
or
Pia’s
so-called
razor
sharp
mind
expressing
the
degree
of
her
displeasure
as,
‘My
highlighter
is
losing
its
glow.’
Leave
it
to
the
seniors
then
to
do
the
job
starting
with
the
composer-lyricist
team
of
Sachin-Jigar
and
Amitabh
Bhattacharya.
Their
score
is
easily
the
liveliest,
happiest
thing
about
Nadaaniyan.
In
a
sparkling
crossover,
Kuch
Kuch
Hota
Hai‘s
coquettish
campus
veteran
is
at
it
again.
Archana
Puran
Singh
gleefully
slips
back
into
Ms
Braganza’s
high-heeled
shoes,
only
this
time
as
Mrs
Braganza
Malhotra
and
provides
the
rom-com
some
easy
laughs.
Although
one
does
wish
Dhritiman
Chatterjee’s
calibre
wasn’t
squandered
away
to
play
a
now
you
see
him,
now
you
don’t
preserver
of
patriarchy.
Ibrahim’s
onscreen
mummy
and
daddy
are
an
interesting
pick
if
not
always
right.
Dia
Mirza
is
grace
personified
but
doesn’t
quite
exude
teen
mother
energy.
Yet.
She
looks
far
too
sensible
to
be
a
helicopter
mom
embarrassing
her
son
in
front
of
his
friends
by
discussing
his
dirty
underwear
and
laundry.
Beloved
child
actor
turned
star
son’s
screen
daddy,
Jugal
Hansraj
is
a
lot
more
grounded
and
comforting
in
his
manner.
Now
Suniel
Shetty,
as
the
hot
topic
of
Delhi’s
kitty
party
circles
I
can
still
live
with
but
the
man’s
affable
persona
is
simply
too
strong
to
pull
off
the
callous
dad
he’s
projecting.
How
good
is
Mahima
Chaudhry
though?
Nadaaniyan
doesn’t
have
time
to
dwell
on
her
insecurity
and
complexities
as
a
woman
berated
for
failing
to
produce
a
male
heir
but
the
90s
debutant
succeeds
in
revealing
her
inner
trauma
in
very
little.
But
for
the
digital
generation
seeking
AI
intervention
to
learn
how
to
act
like
a
couple
in
love,
time
to
acquaint
yourself
with
Kuch
Kuch
Hota
Hai‘s
first
lesson
in
dosti.
Nadaaniyan
streams
on
Netflix.
Nadaaniyan
Review
Rediff
Rating:
