Film: Nadaaniyan

Cast: Ibrahim Ali Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Suniel Shetty, Mahima Chaudhary, Dia Mirza and Jugal Hansraj.

Director: Shauna Gautam

Rating: 3. 5 Moons

Story

'Nadaaniyan' is an interesting romantic comedy that revolves around the rich and elite student Pia (Khushi Kapoor) and a middle-class overachiever Arjun Mehta (Ibrahim Ali Khan). Pia hires Arjun as her boyfriend in order to build up her image before friends. But when real feelings start to develop between the two, can they handle the confusion of their love? To know that, you will have to go onto Netflix to watch the film.

Acting

Ibrahim Ali Khan is absolutely refreshing in his debut. He revives romance in Bollywood with his clean looks and chocolate boy image. He has a lively screen presence and, but of course, is a natural actor. The camera appears to be in love with him. Khushi Kapoor gives major Gen Z vibes throughout the film and lights up the screen with her vivacity. The chemistry between this dishy young couple is, well, best described as chemistrifying! They are impressively supported by Bollywood veterans Suniel Shetty and Mahima Chaudhary (as Pia’s parents) and Dia Mirza and Jugal Hansraj (as Arjun’s). Both couples bring gravitas to the chaos in this stormy romance.

Direction

Shauna Gautam, too, makes her directorial debut with 'Nadaaniyan' and definitely succeeds in her task. Yes, the story does tend to be distracting at times and the script could be tweaked, but Shauna keeps the audience engaged all through the film.

Dialogues

The dialogues are impressive and interesting. The give and take between Pia and her father, especially, are strong, current and precise and make the audience connect with them easily. Ibrahim's dialogues and monologues are the more special aspects of the film. His funny lines and emotional ups and downs will keep the laughing.

Music

The music is a bit of a letdown. For a refreshing young romantic story, the snippety snap vibe that should have been there is missing. A pity, because it could have strengthened the romance and pushed it a notch higher.

Overall

'Nadaaniyan', a Dharmatic Entertainment production, has the Karan Johar stamp all over. The magic of his old super-hit Bollywood romances is there. And in Ibrahim and Khushi, ‘Nadaaniyan’ has an exciting pair of actors who run with the film by themselves. In no time, you get used to them and wish their romance a happy ending. Khushi has ‘The Archies’ and ‘Loveyapa’ in her filmography. But Ibrahim is like a welcome breath of fresh air. His aura on screen is tremendous. It feels as if that lost spark of romance has finally returned to Bollywood. His confidence in his craft gives rise to the hope that in him, we are seeing the Hindi film industry’s GenNext superstar. There is an ease and comfort in his performance that new and young actors seldom have. Not to mention his genetic charm that connects him to the audience. Simply put, Ibrahim is magic on screen.