CAST: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Adarsh Gourav and Kalki Koechlin
DIRECTOR: Arjun Varain Singh
Streams on Netflix
“Kho Gaye Hum Kahan,” directed by newcomer Arjun Varain Singh and penned alongside Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, centers on protagonists who are quintessential digital natives, navigating the complexities of the real world while tethered to social media’s influence. Their lives, seemingly vibrant and filled with amusement through the lens of social media filters, are a facade of fun and frolic.
The trio of Imaad Ali (played by Siddhant Chaturvedi), Ahana Singh (Ananya Panday), and Neil Pereira (Adarsh Gourav) are in their 20s, inseparable friends living in a fragile bubble that’s close to bursting. Despite a bustling social life and thrilling adventures, beneath the surface, they’re isolated individuals grappling with an array of issues. Their short attention spans lead to impulsive decisions, tumultuous relationships, and misguided judgments.
This Netflix film, produced by Excel Entertainment and Tiger Baby, treads on familiar territory yet manages to refreshingly reinterpret the coming-of-age narrative with moderate entertainment and occasional insightful moments.
The narrative of “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” unfolds over a year in the lives of Imaad, Ahana, and Neil. Beginning and concluding on New Year’s Eve, it spans 12 eventful months that dramatically shake up the lives of our troubled trio.
One might ponder if “Dil Chahta Hai,” the movie that marked the inception of Excel Entertainment at the millennium’s start, would resemble this film if it were made two decades later among Generation Z. At its core, “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” carves a unique path through the familiar journey of individuals in their twenties facing the tumultuous tide of life and love. They desperately seek to navigate or erase the chaotic parts of their existence, confronting a myriad of issues along the way.
The trio discovers through tough experiences that social media is an unpredictable toy. One moment it’s a safe haven, and the next, it’s a treacherous path. It’s a potent tool that can inflict deep and lasting damage. Imaad, a stand-up comedian, lives a seemingly comfortable life shadowed by a troubling past. He resides in South Bombay with Ahana Singh (Ananya Panday), a business school graduate trapped in a stagnant sales position.
Neil Pereira (Adarsh Gourav), a gym trainer living with his parents (Vijay Maurya and Divya Jagdale) in a modest housing complex in suburban Mumbai, is the inseparable companion of Imaad and Ahana. Dreaming of owning a fitness studio, Neil faces the harsh reality of insufficient funds, often lamenting about the uncertainty of his future—a sentiment his friends share.
The trio is perpetually glued to their phones, oblivious to the world around them. Their living and working spaces are confined, offering no glimpse into the broader world or the lives of others around them. Cinematographer Tanay Satam skillfully crafts shots and sequences, capturing the exteriors of the buildings the friends live in and the interiors of their personal spaces, highlighting their insular existence.
The lens captures the friends in their personal spaces: Ahana and Imaad’s shared apartment, Imaad’s comedy venue, Neil’s gym, and his parents’ humble home. Yet, it rarely ventures beyond its curtained confines to the wider city.
Occasional aerial views of Mumbai suggest a disconnect. The city’s presence is most felt when Ahana’s mother, overwhelmed by the heat, demands the air conditioning be turned on immediately upon arrival. “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” delves deeply into the personal upheavals of Imaad, Ahana, and Neil. They each battle secrets, insecurities, and heartaches. Imaad confronts his troubled past, with glimpses into his struggles revealed through therapy sessions, conversations with his father, and interactions with a mature woman he meets on Tinder.
Ahana is haunted by a recent breakup, leading her down a path of rash decisions, many spurred by social media. Neil navigates a rocky relationship with a client and influencer, his ambitions clashing with the constraints of his upbringing.
Despite their pleas for privacy, particularly Imaad who masks his pain with humor, they paradoxically expose their most intimate thoughts publicly, with Ahana being the most transparent. Their lives are a tangle of private turmoil and public display, each seeking a way out of their emotional labyrinths.
Windows are pivotal in the film, offering glimpses of the Mumbai skyline but never fully revealing the street-level hustle. Simran Kohli, the photographer who enters Imaad’s guarded world, stands distinctly apart.
Embarking on a project to uncover the authentic personas behind Tinder’s façade, Simran represents a stark contrast to Imaad and his friends. A fleeting image of Satyajit Ray’s Charulata, gazing through binoculars from a green louvered window, perfectly encapsulates her essence.
Simran delves into faces, seeking the hidden truths they mask. She values places and experiences, asserting that relocating is the simplest way to shift one’s viewpoint. Unlike the allure and confinement of the digital realm, where perceptions are manipulated, Simran’s approach is tangible and grounded. She embraces the traditional art of film photography, developing pictures in a darkroom where she commands the process. Her method stands in sharp contrast to the Generation Z lifestyle, where social media personas often overshadow reality, highlighting the divergence between tangible artistry and the ephemeral nature of digital impressions.
Siddhant Chaturvedi may lead with the most substantial role in “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan,” but it’s Adarsh Gourav who leaves the strongest impression. Ananya Panday competently portrays a character caught in a repetitive cycle.
While exploring the superficial aspects of insulated lives, “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” uncovers depths and nuances that significantly elevate its stature, making it a thought-provoking and noteworthy film.
