Karan Johar’s latest rom-com starring Khushi Kapoor and introducing Ibrahim Ali Khan, ‘Nadaaniyan’ released on Netflix on March 7. Trying to send viewers on a nostalgic ride, the film evokes memories of ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. Despite this, it fails to recreate the magic in a more modern-day setting. The film takes place amid the high walls of Falcon High. Here, Delhi’s cream society’s pampered business heirs come to study. Bringing together Gen-Z linguistics, hashtags, and of course- no studies, the film tries to strike a chord with the youth audience but miserably fails.

‘Nadaaniyan’ stars Khushi Kapoor as Pia Jaisingh, the ‘poster princess of privilege’. She has everything under the sun but craves filial love and validation. Underneath her glossy clothes and buzzing Instagram with a staggering number of followers, is a girl who wants to be taken seriously. This isn’t the first time we have had an uber-rich girl who will give everything away in a heartbeat for her parents’ validation. Having grown up with her friends-turned-family, she struggles to keep them together. Her friend Sahira accuses her of trying to steal her childhood crush. In order to iterate her commitment to sisterhood, Pia hires a fake boyfriend.

Advertisement

Enter, Ibrahim Ali Khan aka Arjun Mehta. He is a scholarship student, and the son of a doctor and a teacher. Arjun is the quintessential ‘middle class’ model child from Noida, oops, Greater Noida, the place KJO’s college students don’t go to. He is an ace swimmer and class-topper who flashes his chiselled abs to win the captaincy of the debate team. With a vision board in mind, he accepts Pia’s offer to pose as her boyfriend in exchange for money. As the two gradually develop friendship, their poles apart stature constantly hurdle their lives.

The film also stars Archana Puran Singh as Ms Braganza from ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ as the principal of Falcon High. Just like in every other Karan Johar-style school film, students don’t attend classes and have the liberty to wear what they please. Keeping up with the times, amid Gen-Z slang, the film tries to tackle themes of classicism, familial issues, patriarchy, and elitism. However, the efforts backfires. It feels nothing more than a token acknowledgement to state that apart from hashtags, the new generation is also vocally opinionated and visionary.

Viewers have already had films on contract dating and boyfriend-for-hire with Hollywood titles like ‘To All The Boys’ and ‘The Perfect Date.’ Moreover, even Dharma Production’s filmography of ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and ‘Student of The Year,’ has already explored themes like love triangles and class dynamics. In retrospect, ‘Nadaaniyan’ is nothing but a melting pot of all the youthful rom-coms and the common tropes we have seen time and again.

Also Read: Netflix India 2025 slate OUT! ‘Nadaaniyan,’ ‘Aap Jaisa Koi,’ ‘Jewel Thief’ and more

Shauna Gautam and Karan Johar’s ‘Nadaaniyan’ is just another youthful rom-com with no real substance. The plot is highly predictable with flat dialogues and sluggish pacing. While the film tries to venture into themes of class dynamics, familial issues, patriarchy, and how times have changed, it only touches upon them cursorily. The constant and forced efforts of evoking nostalgia and breaking down the Gen-Z culture, cloud the film. While relatability gets lost in the glossy sheen of the film, the film also struggles to deliver an entertaining watch.