Movie Name : Nadaaniyan

Release Date : March 7, 2025
123telugu.com Rating : 2/5
Starring : Ibrahim Ali Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Lakshya, Aditi Saigal, Chaya Kadam, Jugal Hansraj, Dipannita Sharma, Varun Buddhadev, Akshay Oberoi, Anjuman Saxena, Aamir Khan (Child Artist)

Director : Shauna Gautam
Producers : Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra
Music Directors : Sachin-Jigar, Tushar Lall
Cinematographer : Anuj Samtani
Editors : Vaishnavi Bhate, Sidhanth Seth
Related Links : Trailer

Nadaaniyan is the latest Bollywood movie that premiered on Netflix today. The film marks the debut of Ibrahim Ali Khan, son of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, alongside Khushi Kapoor as the female lead. Let’s see how this rom-com fares.

Story:

Pia Jai Singh (Khushi Kapoor), a wealthy teenager from South Delhi, is determined to maintain her social status at school. To impress her friends, she hires Arjun Mehta (Ibrahim Ali Khan), a studious middle-class boy from Noida, paying him Rs. 25,000 per week to act as her boyfriend. What begins as a simple transaction soon entangles them in a web of unexpected emotions, forcing them to confront their stark differences, hidden insecurities, and the fragile nature of the world they’ve built around them.

Plus Points:

Ibrahim Ali Khan makes a decent debut and, at times, reminds us of his father, Saif Ali Khan. He looks confident on-screen and performs well in a few scenes. His chemistry with Khushi Kapoor is average, but he manages to hold his ground.

Dia Mirza, who plays Ibrahim’s mother, does well in her limited role. Jugal Hansraj, who plays Ibrahim’s father, delivers a sincere performance, and his scenes with Ibrahim are well executed. Their father-son bond is one of the better aspects of the film.

The film’s production design is one of its strongest points. The makers have invested significantly to give the movie a grand and stylish look. The sets, costumes, and visuals perfectly capture the high-class South Delhi vibe.

Minus Points:

The title “Nadaaniyan” translates to ‘innocence,’ but the film comes off as more foolish than innocent. The storyline is predictable and lacks depth, which makes it clear why the filmmakers chose an OTT release over a theatrical one. It seems they were aware that it wouldn’t succeed on the big screen.

Khushi Kapoor looks good on screen, but her acting needs significant improvement. In several scenes, her expressions and dialogue delivery feel weak, making her performance unconvincing.

The film attempts to depict Gen Z culture but presents an exaggerated and unrealistic version of teenage life. The high school students in the movie constantly bully, party, or fake relationships as if it’s the norm. While this might appeal to a niche audience, most viewers will find it over the top and hard to relate to.

The supporting cast includes some well-known faces, but they are barely given anything substantial to do. The focus remains entirely on the lead pair, making the other characters feel like fillers. The writers seemed too busy making the protagonists look “cool” and neglecting the rest.

Despite having a runtime of less than two hours, the film feels stretched. The biggest issue is the unnecessary songs. Just when the story starts moving forward, a song pops up, slowing the pace. Tighter editing could have avoided this drag.

Technical Aspects:

The production design is excellent, giving the film a vibrant and polished look. The cinematography is decent, effectively capturing the upscale setting. However, the direction is weak, and the storytelling lacks impact. The film needed better editing, as many scenes could have been trimmed to maintain a smoother flow. The music is just average and doesn’t leave a lasting impression. However, the Telugu dubbing is fine.

Verdict:

On the whole, Nadaaniyan is aimed at Gen Z, but even they might find it hard to connect with its unrealistic take on teenage life. While Ibrahim Ali Khan shows potential, the film doesn’t do much to leave a strong impression. Khushi Kapoor still has a long way to go in terms of acting. Skip it and save your time.

123telugu.com Rating: 2/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team 

AUSTIN, Texas — Any concerns that the recent legal wrangling involving star Blake Lively might overtake the world premiere of “Another Simple Favor” at SXSW were tucked away well before the film began on Friday. Lively bounded into the Paramount Theatre and greeted friends in the aisle and posed for pictures with fans, a security guard kneeling behind her to stay out of the shots. Lively then took her seat among the rest of the film’s cast and crew, with co-star Anna Kendrick sitting a row in front of her.

The film is a sequel to “A Simple Favor,” which was a modest hit when it was released in 2018 but has grown in popularity since due to its availability on streaming platforms. In the original film, directed by Paul Feig from a screenplay by Jessica Sharzer, Kendrick played Stephanie Smothers, a widowed mother who strikes up a friendship with glamorous Emily Nelson, who draws them both into a tale of intrigue, murder, cocktails, false identities, increasingly complicated backstories and fantastic hair.

In introducing “Another Simple Favor,” Feig said: “I don’t normally make sequels because I’m terrified of them, because most sequels aren’t great. And it was really scary, but we just kind of thought, ‘I just love these characters so much.’”

Feig, dressed in an elaborate western-themed outfit, complete with boots, hat and fringed jacket, added: “It just felt like there’s something more to be done with these characters. But if you don’t want to repeat the first movie, what can we do? Well, let’s take them to Italy. And so that’s what’s going to happen with this film. So I think you’ll have a great time. We had so much fun making it.”

From a screenplay credited to Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis, the new film opens with Kendrick’s Stephanie under house arrest in Capri, accused of murdering the new husband of Lively’s Emily. The film then flashes back to show Emily, apparently freed from prison, reinserting herself into Stephanie‘s life and ready to jet off to a glamorous wedding in Italy to a mysterious, handsome and wealthy suitor Dante (Michele Morrone).

With Stephanie once again uncertain of Emily’s true motives, she takes in the gorgeous surroundings and finds the mystery deepening when she meets Emily’s mother (Elizabeth Perkins) and aunt (Allison Janney). When Dante ends up dead barely an hour after marrying Emily (and having impulsively set his prenup on fire), somehow Stephanie is blamed for the murder. And things only get more complicated from there.

After the screening, Feig came back onstage with Kendrick and Lively, along with Perkins, Morrone and fellow cast members Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin and Alex Newell.

Lively said: “I love this character so much. It’s probably my favorite character I’ve ever been fortunate enough to play. And so when Paul asked us to come back, I was so excited. I was really nervous on the first one because we didn’t know if we were making a drama or a comedy. And when we asked Paul, he said ‘Yes,’ which is not really an answer to the question. But it worked out. So I was like, ‘OK, no nerves. I know what I’m doing this time.’ And then right before shooting he said, ‘I have a little bit of a curveball idea.’”

Without giving away one of the film’s big twists, Lively added: “It definitely upped the ante. It was very uncomfortable to watch in the theater with you guys.”

On returning to her character, Kendrick added: “Stephanie is, as the kids say, addicted to not serving. So I was like, ‘Can I just be not very well dressed but comfortable?’ I was really excited to play Stephanie, but in sneakers.”

Kendrick spoke about how she had recently rewatched “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” before shooting and based some of her performance on the blasé attitude to murder and mayhem of Robert Downey Jr.’s character. As she noted, “I think on this one I was like, ‘OK, if I’m going with her into certain peril, I think maybe I start out just not taking any of it that seriously.’”

Throughout the Q&A Kendrick and Lively were cautious about explicitly talking about some of the story’s bigger twists. When Feig pointed out that the audience had just seen the movie, Kendrick countered that there were countless cameras in the audience.

“There’s this thing called the internet, Paul,” Kendrick said to a great laugh from the crowd.

Returning to Paramount+ is the hit series “1923,” which explores the origins of the Dutton family and the Yellowstone ranch. This installment of the Yellowstone origin story introduces a new generation of the Dutton family and explores the early twentieth century. Film Critic Tony Toscano says, “1923 is as good a series as you can get. Masterfully written and acted, “1923” is a compelling continuation of the Yellowstone story.” He gives it an A and it’s rated TV-MA.

Streaming on Prime Video is the biblical series “House of David.” The series follows David from his life as a shepherd boy to being anointed King. Tony says, “House of David is a surprisingly well done biblical film mixing scripture with dramatic license to explore the life and times of King David.” He gives it a B and it’s not rated.

In selected theaters is the historical sports biopic “Queen of the Ring”. In a time when pro wrestling for women was illegal all over the United States a small town single mother, Mildred Burke, dominates America’s most masculine sport and becomes the first million dollar female athlete in history. Tony says, “Simply put, Queen of the Ring is a must-see film. Don’t miss this incredible true story on a big screen.” He gives it an A and it’s rated PG-13.

You can see Tony’s full interviews as well as much more movie content by going to screenchatter.com.