
19/03/2025
𝐍𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝐙'𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞
𝑵𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒚𝒂𝒏 the latest cinematic offering by Dharmatic Dharma Productions making waves among the younger crowd and gives middle finger to anyone who thinks cinema should cater to their dusty tastes, a film that unapologetically caters to a specific audience—those aged 10 to 25. For anyone above 25, don’t expect profound life lessons or a nostalgic trip down memory lane and to walk away with some grand epiphany. This isn’t your typical cinema, and it doesn’t pretend to be. Instead, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒂 𝒗𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕, 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 in the age of social media, fleeting attention spans, and innocent missteps. While some dismiss it as frivolous or irrelevant, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒆’𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚—and the fact that its target audience can’t stop raving about it. And that’s who this film’s for.
And because some of the snobs need it to be spelled out, at its core, 𝑵𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒚𝒂𝒏 is a story of relevancy—being it, chasing it, screaming it. It’s a classic rich-girl-meets-poor-boy narrative, but with a modern twist: social media. as 𝐏𝐢𝐚 𝐉𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡 is a super wealthy teenager from a broken family, finds solace in her two best friends, forming a trio obsessed with fun, loyalty, and documenting their lives online. as 𝐀𝐫𝐣𝐮𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐡𝐭𝐚 on the other hand, is a grounded, ambitious guy with little interest in the digital spotlight—after all, what’s he got to post about? This contrast sets the stage for a plot that’s as much about connection as it is about clashing worlds.
Pia's life revolves around her friendships, which are as fragile as they are fierce. Misunderstandings over dumb s**t like “𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏 𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑩𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒅.” and boycotting Pia over such trivial thing is painfully real for teens. To protect this bond, she spins a white lie, claiming she has a boyfriend to dodge an annoying suitor who’s complicating her trio’s dynamic. Enter Arjun, a handsome guy she pays to play the part. What starts as a transaction blossoms into genuine attraction, offering a glimpse into Gen Z’s definition of love: a deeply personal friendship that defies traditional romance tropes.
This isn’t a fairy tale, though. The hero isn’t a flawless Prince Charming swooping in to save the day. He’s raw, flawed, and unapologetic—most notably 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒆 by revealing he was paid to be her boyfriend. It’s a moment that draws gasps and “shame-shame” chants from their peers, but it’s also refreshingly real. The filmmakers deserve applause for 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄 as the teenagers watching him on screen. And true to Gen Z’s short attention span, the drama fizzles out as quickly as it ignites, forgotten in days.
The movie also weaves in broader themes, like patriarchy, through a teenage lens. Pia’s mother, played with finesse by , pursues her own interests and financial independence, subtly breaking free from societal norms. Arjun, meanwhile, encourages Pia to join his debate team and challenge the status quo—though teenage misunderstandings derail her participation, leaving him to settle for second place in the competition. His ambition shines through, but so do his imperfections, making him relatable rather than idealized.
For those paying attention, 𝑵𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒚𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝑬𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒈𝒈𝒔. Suniel V Shetty turn as a super-rich tycoon echoes his commanding presence in “𝗗𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗸𝗮𝗻,” while Mahima Chaudhry’s role feels like a continuation of that film’s emotional depth. Then there’s 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒛𝒂 𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒓𝒂 played by ever beautiful —a cheeky nod to “𝗞𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗞𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝘁𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗶”—leaving viewers to wonder if she tied the knot with Mr. Malhotra off-screen. Figure it out, nerds.
Even Arjun mentions "𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗮 𝗞𝗲𝗵𝘁𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗶𝗻" among his friends effortlessly, his parents portrayed by and Dia Mirza, bring a nostalgic boy-next-door and girl-next-door vibe that resonates with Gen X now watching their own kids grow up.
𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 25 𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒎 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚. 𝑵𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒚𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎—𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝑮𝒆𝒏 𝒁, capturing their innocence, their impulsive mistakes, and their obsession with reels, TikTok, and Instagram. The plot mirrors their scattered attention, jumping from friendship crises to fleeting romances, all underscored by the omnipresence of social media. If you can’t relate, it’s not the movie that’s irrelevant—it’s you. Look around at the malls, metro stations, or fast-food joints teeming with teenagers; their world is everywhere, yet so easy to ignore.
The casting is a stroke of genius. The young leads embody the awkward, earnest spirit of Gen Z, while the veteran actors ground the story with gravitas and a touch of nostalgia. Karan Johar , often a lightning rod for criticism, doesn’t deserve the bashing here dismissing the film for not pandering to older tastes is a choice to misunderstand its intent.
So, when watching 𝑵𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒚𝒂𝒏 on Netflix, don’t watch it expecting a universal masterpiece. Instead, tap into that buried innocence you’ve long forgotten. If you’re above 25, it might not click—and that’s okay. This movie knows its audience, and they’re loving every second of it. For the rest, it’s a reminder: cinema doesn’t always have to be for everyone. Sometimes, it’s just for the young people screaming their hearts out—and that’s more than enough.