Nadaaniyan Review: Ibrahim Ali, Khushi Kapoor Film Gave Us The Ick Instead Of Butterflies!
Directed by Shauna Gautam, here's our review of the Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor starrer Nadaaniyan. Read on!
1 / 5
The world was missing rom-coms. Didn’t we? Well, a lot of us craved those sweet, heartwarming, funny love stories for so long. It almost disappeared, but Nadaaniyan, starring Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor, gave us a spark of hope. Did it live up to the excitement? Did it make us feel anything real? Does it deliver on the joy we expect? Read our review to see if this Shauna Gautam directorial brings back the magic or makes us want to re-watch our favourite rom-coms.
Plot Of Nadaaniyan
Written by Ishita Moitra and Jehan Handa, the film takes place in a fancy law school, much like the ones in Karan Johar’s films. Pia (Khushi Kapoor) is a rich girl from South Delhi. She is all things classy and chic. Loves social media to the core and has a massive following. Arjun (Ibrahim Ali Khan), a hard-working student from a normal family, just wants to do well in school and lead the debate team. Plus, he is not even on social media. Complete opposites!
View this post on Instagram
However, when Pia’s friends get mad at her and a misunderstanding arises, she asks Arjun to pretend to be her boyfriend. Arjun doesn’t easily get ready to do it, but he agrees to do it in the end. At first, it’s just a fake relationship. But, as they spend time together, they start to like each other for real.
However, things aren’t easy. They face problems with their families and have different goals. There’s jealousy, fear and too many emotions. Will Pia and Arjun’s fake romance turn into true love? Can they overcome their differences and make their relationship work? The film explores the famous fake dating-to-real trope, the complete opposite of the strata of society falling in love with each other and navigating it through.
Performance
Ibrahim Ali Khan’s debut is a complex affair. While it’s okay to cut him some slack given this was his first role, his performance wasn’t natural. The delivery of lines, particularly during emotional sequences, felt incredibly forced. It’s challenging to invest in a romantic comedy when the emotional core fails to resonate. I found it difficult to connect with his character on an emotional level. However, it’s undeniable that Ibrahim possesses an amazing screen presence. He looks the part, and we can only hope he uses this debut as a learning experience, refining his craft and moving forward with greater confidence.
Khushi Kapoor, following her previous work, showcased a comfort level with the genre. She appears at ease within such roles. However, her performance in Nadaaniyan was hampered by a noticeable struggle with dialogue delivery and comic timing. Jokes that should have landed with a punch instead fell flat, and even simple banter felt forced and struggling. The natural flow of conversation was often lost. Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor, while undeniably charming, struggle to bring their characters to life. Their dialogue delivery often feels robotic, lacking any real emotion. It’s as if they’re reciting lines they’ve memorised rather than engaging in genuine conversation.
Special mention to senior actors because, thank you for carrying this stumbling film as much as you could! Talking about supporting characters now: While the senior actors delivered good performances and showcased the naturalness the younger leads lacked. The senior actors are the few bright spots. Whereas, some of the remaining supporting characters were simply unbearable.
Music
On the positive side, the film’s soundtrack is quite enjoyable. The songs are catchy, well-produced, and genuinely have good lyrics. It provides a pleasant experience amidst the film’s other shortcomings (which are a lot.)
Comedy
The film’s humour relies heavily on dialogues that seem to have been lifted straight from internet meme pages. While some might find a fleeting chuckle in these references, they were boring, outdated and lacked the fun a rom-com needs.
Verdict:
The film had a lot of potential, but it didn’t quite reach it. The performances of the lead actors felt too stiff, and the story wasn’t very exciting. The way they spoke their lines and the funny moments felt forced, which made it difficult to really get into the film. The storytelling was flawed, and it was struggling to follow and feel connected to what was happening. The film had major dubbing issues as the audio wasn’t matching with the video at all. Chemistry was average, humour was off, and performance was poor. The music was really good. But even good music can’t fix a movie with bigger problems. Well, a film needs to possess natural performances and proper execution. So, if you are looking for a good rom-com, it’s better to rewatch your old favourites!
First Published: March 07, 2025 2:19 PM
