Highlights
Filmy gangs, assemble. Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor starrer ‘Nadaaniyan’ has finally released on Netflix. But the more interesting thing is this film reminded me of ‘Student of the Year’. Is it a good thing, though?
Directed by Shauna Gautam and produced under the banner of Dharmatic Entertainment, ‘Nadaaniyan’ has a running time of 119 minutes. It certainly tries hard to be a memorable romantic comedy. But it seems the makers and actors have to put in more effort.
Nadaaniyan 2025: Plot
Starring Khushi as Pia Jaisingh and Ibrahim as Arjun Mehta, ‘Nadaaniyan’ is based on a ‘quite bland’ plot of a rich girl asking one of her schoolmates to act as her fake boyfriend in exchange for money. Of course, there are usually surprises here and there.
The male lead of the story agrees to play the fake boyfriend. Pia starts to post pictures of them as a couple on her social media in an effort to address some misunderstandings. She fairly succeeds in her plan, too, until the bomb drops.
Essentially, the duo had to appear at a prominent debate competition, but Khushi’s character fails to do so because of a serious family drama. Ibrahim’s character fails to understand the situation and spits out the secret in front of the entire school.
Pia is facing a tough personal situation at the time. Her mother and father are splitting up and there are pictures circulating in the media that don’t necessarily mean the truth. But Arjun is pretty much in the dark (maybe because he should have listened).
Nadaaniyan 2025: Bland plot, to be honest
I’m not kidding if I say there is not much to the story other than the aforementioned section. The plot could have been much better. There are multiple instances during the film I felt this part could have been emphasised to add more depth to the story.
Here is one example. In the end, as things start to become clearer and Arjun learns about the truth behind Pia’s absence in the competition, he also hears about the female lead’s notable role in helping him get a place in one of the top colleges globally.
But this part feels almost negligible as the makers did not prefer to elaborate on it. I also feel it’s necessary to highlight the earlier part of the story as Ibrahim’s character lifts his t-shirt to flaunt his abs during a pressing discussion about his school’s debating society president.
Nadaaniyan 2025: Could-be-better performances from lead
I did not choose the ‘brutally honest’ path this time. ‘Nadaaniyan’ represents Ibrahim Ali Khan’s debut into the Hindi film industry. It is understandable if he doesn’t present himself in his finest. But Arjun Mehta fails to be part of a lasting memory.
Ibrahim has one almost constant confused or disgusted expression in a lot of scenes. He needs to put more effort into his dialogues. Coming to Khushi Kapoor, it is her third film after ‘The Archies’ and ‘Loveyapa’. But she certainly could have done better.
Has Khushi passed the test yet? I’m not sure, but she certainly has improved. She is doing better in emotional scenes. Many of her dialogues don’t carry the impact, and it is the same for Ibrahim, too. Nonetheless, the plot should also be blamed for this.
Nadaaniyan 2025: Supporting cast comes to the rescue
Mahima Chaudhary plays Neelu Jaisingh, Pia’s mother. She has done a sound job, playing a character that seems to have lost her dreams and ambitions. She makes a comeback as an interior designer after the split and supports Khushi’s character greatly.
Suniel Shetty as Piu’s father is notable. His character has been accused of longing for a son, highlighting the issue of patriarchy. Piu has been hoping for the longest time for her father and mother to get back together. But does this happen in the story?
Dia Mirza and Jugal Hansraj play Arjun Mehta’s family. One is a teacher at Ibrahim’s school and the other is a family doctor for the Jaisinghs. They support Ibrahim’s character soundly. Their roles become more impactful in the latter half of the story, though.
Archana Puran Singh is back as Mrs Braganza Malhotra. Does this remind you of ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’? Her focus on acronyms definitely adds a touch of much-needed comedy to the rom-com. Nonetheless, filmmakers may be should reduce using nostalgia for eyeballs.
Nadaaniyan 2025: My honest opinion
‘Nadaaniyan’ does not carry that hook factor. The plot appears bland and the lead stars’ performances could have been much better. The supporting cast does a descent job in adding the much-needed depth to the story.
Perhaps, re-releasing more good old romantic films is not a bad idea for the time being. ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’ did a fabulous job in its recent rerelease, for example. The film industry needs to bring out more effortless stories to pull people back into almost empty theatres.
Nadaaniyan rating: 2/5
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