Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is underwhelming yet immersive in parts

Zoya Akhtar and her production house are famously infamous for making films exclusively about first-world Indians and ir problems, set against backdrops that are not remotely relatable to a common Indian. In Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Zoya Akhtar and her writing team take this very piece of criticism in ir stride. y attempt to paint lives of characters in film from a lens that makes m relatable by exploring a me relevant in present times -- society's collective obsession with social media and external validation in present times. 

Hot Take

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan tells story of three urban yuppies - Ima (Siddhant Chaturvedi), Ahana (Ananya Panday) and Neil (arsh Gourav) who have been friends since ir childhood. 

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan promised to be a film about friendships and current generation that increasingly lives on internet, and it largely delivers on its promises despites its inclination to preach.

Does film live up to hype?

narrative is moody and effective

Directorial debutant Arjun Varain Singh clearly has a talent for telling stories that are visually striking and telling. It’s evident in more than a handful of moments that director knows how to use ambient sound and edit in a way where viewer feels more emotionally immersed in narrative, like we do with music, inste of following plot and trying to ‘think’ about film or analyse it. re are many scenes where characters seem to be a part of a dark thriller directed on lines of Black Swan - that’s kind of equation current generation shares with social media after all - loving world out re as much as y are irredeemably consumed by it. 

film falters when it tries too hard to preach

weakest portions of Kho Gaye Hum Kahan emerge when film indulges its writers’ - - Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Yash Sahai, Rahul Nair, Arjun Varain Singh, inclinations towards verbalising and summarising what film is about. Kalki Koechlin is infectious and exudes warmth, playing a 30-something woman who seems at home with people a dece younger than her, and yet her character fits in narrative more as a reflective voiceover trope, than a flesh-and-blood person of her own.

What furr amplifies film’s preachy undertones is way writers decide to conclude ir script - it appears that re are very easy solutions to se very complex love-hate relationship we share with social media. At least that’s what makers would have you believe. Unfortunately, this narrative choice looks awkwardly at odds with some of rawness film captures orwise. 

Film allows les to shine in ir naturalness

It isn't a surprise that Siddhanth Chaturvedi emerged as go-to actor for parts about se laid back, carefree men characters. Gully Boy actor pulls it off with great ease, including underwritten stand-up comedy scenes. However, actor’s limitations come through strikingly where Ima is required to be really vulnerable.

Perhaps Chaturvedi feels underwhelming in se portions because he is outshone by two or les. arsh Gourav, who became a big name with crossover film White Tiger, captures anxiety and underdog angst with a great blend of internalisation and atricality. 

But it’s Ananya Panday who turns out to be most surprising performer of three. Playing a young professional who is consistently battling with a need for external validation, Ananya Panday brings vulnerability to her part. Even in mundane, conversational portions, re is a disarming ease to her performance where she manages to look most unrehearsed in any casual friendly banter in ir group. 

Stream it or skip it?

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan definitely deserves a watch for capturing a story about platonic relationships and for also giving us an empatic (albeit occasionally sermonising) look into anxiety of current generation.

Bottomline

If only writers could have resisted urge to preach, to le viewers towards introspection,  Kho Gaye Hum Kahan team could have ended up with a much stronger film in ir hands. 

Rating - 3 out of 5 stars