Ibrahim Khan and Khushi Kapoor’s ‘Nadaaniyan’: 119 Minutes You’ll Never Get Back

The most awaited Netflix OTT, Nadaaniyan, premiered on “March 7, 2025” and let’s just say it didn’t go as planned. This “cringe fest” is directed by Shauna Gautam and produced by our very own Karan Johar under the banner of Dharma productions. People were anticipating this as a supposed “Gen-z Rom-Com” but instead it only disappointed the audience. And surprisingly, they are still in denial.

Another Nepotism Disaster

The movie marks the acting debut of Ibrahim Ali Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Saif Ali Khan, alongside Khushi Kapoor, daughter of the legendary late Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor. Of course, this was just another nepo-baby film, after all, it’s a “KJO” film.

 

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People already didn’t expect much from Khushi after her Archies and Loveyappa performance, but they were excited for Ibrahim Ali Khan as he was liked by many. The star kid had already made a name for himself due to the Indian paparazzi, with playful interactions that would go viral almost daily. People liked how he reminded them of young Saif and were rooting for him. However, when Nadaaniyan hit the screen, people were beyond disappointed.

It’s not like “Nepos” are always bad. We have Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Kareena Kapoor and many more being examples that some nepos know how to gracefully carry their parents’ legacy and live up to the opportunities they get. This is the main problem people have, Nadaaniyan’s star kids had such an opportunity, yet they didn’t try hard enough.

Typical “Student of The Year” Plot

The movie starts with Pia Jaisingh (Khushi Kapoor), who is a wealthy high-schooler and has severe daddy issues (are we even surprised?) Nobody takes her seriously in her old-money clan (turns out nobody did on screen too). Then we have Arjun Mehta (Ibrahim Ali Khan), the “IT nerdy, token boy.” He is a “brainy” student who got into Falcon High through a scholarship.

After a spat with her Insta-famous squad (Rhea and Sahira), Pia hires Arjun as her fake beau for ₹25k a week. Yes, love is just a paycheck. Overall, if you have seen the two “student of the year” movies, believe me you already know everything that is about to happen. And of course, the high school life shown is so different from reality. They have a history of giving us trust issues.

The movie is just forced flirty encounters, misused Gen-Z slangs and cinematography the same as your typical Instagram reels.

“AI-Generated” Dubbing

The main problem of this movie was not just nepotism but the “low quality” dubbing; it almost feels like it’s done by AI. It’s a sore to one’s ear. The visuals may have looked polished, but they certainly didn’t compensate for the underwhelming substance.

The camerawork? It will give you nausea. Just when the bad acting wasn’t enough. By now, you’re either numb or laughing at the glorious nonsense.

The Movie is Trending For “Hate-Watching” 

One might assume that the movie is doing well due to it trending. Well, this is because, firstly, people were looking forward to it due to their crush on Ibrahim Ali Khan. Secondly, everyone disliked it so much that it got viral for all the bad reasons and now people are watching it just out of sheer curiosity or “hate-watching.’

Read More: Harry Potter Reboot Series Finds its Snape and McGonagall

The Veteran Side Cast: A Ray of Hope

Not everything is bad about the movie. The side cast of the movie has one of the most polished names of Bollywood: Suniel Shetty, Dia Mirza, Jugal Hansraj (yes our “Mohabbatein” chocolate boy) and Mahima Chaudhry. They gave the audience the perfect dose of nostalgia. A much needed one!

Honestly, they are the ones who carried the whole acting department on their back. The debutants only enjoyed the PR created hype and didn’t bring much to the table themselves.

Final Verdict: Ibrahim Ali Khan Better as a Concept

“Ibrahim Ali Khan was just better as a concept… in those pap vids,” said an X user. Maybe, people just expected too much from a newbie and the newbie definitely was unaware of that. It’s too harsh to already close the door of expectations for them. Khushi got 3 chances already, Ibrahim deserves some too and then we will consider his credibility as an actor. Hopefully, until then, they will make use of criticism and work on their acting skills.

As for Nadaaniyan, we would suggest to instead go re-watch Mean Girls or even Student of the Year to save your mood. It’s just 2 hours of disappointment.

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