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‘Nadaniyaan’ Review: How can a Dharma Productions film not have glamour, class divide, high-fi school and stylish students? ‘Nadaaniyan‘ is another Bollywood romcom made on the same template, in which elements of old hit films have been lifted and given a new look.
After watching the film, it seems that parts from ‘ Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ‘, ‘ Student Of The Year ‘ and other classic romantic-comedy films have been taken and presented in a new style. So if you like glamorous schools, stylish students and high-fi drama of classicism, then Nadaaniyan is made for you.
Hi-fi school, glamorous students and the same old drama
The story of the film revolves around Pia Jaisingh (Khushi Kapoor) , who studies in a high-fi school in Delhi. This school looks no less than a five-star resort. Pia herself describes the school as having ‘no-uniform, resort-type vibes’ .
If you have seen ‘ Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ‘, you will find an old character again here – Archana Puran Singh once again appears as Ms. Braganza , she may have grown older, but her wisdom is the same as before. And yes, for those viewers who were missing the ‘shooting star, so cute ya’ moments, a special place has been given in the film for them too.
Student dramas and class divide
While the rest of the students in the film come from high-fi backgrounds, Arjun Mehta (Ibrahim Ali Khan), a boy from Greater Noida , seems to be a misfit in this world. The film also highlights that Arun’s parents (Jugal Hansraj and Dia Mirza) are working – a factor that sets him apart from the other rich kids in the school.
The class divide is depicted in a very stylish way in the film. Rich kids are described as ‘pampered puttars and bigdail betis’ – and yes, this is not a joke but a dialogue from the film!
Piya and Arjun- A unique love story?
Piya also has two best friends in the film – Rhea and Sahira (or Saira?) , but they are only on screen when Piya is in the frame. They do not seem to have any life of their own, which has been seen before in typical Bollywood romantic-comedy films.
Piya’s parents (Suniel Shetty and Mahima Chaudhary) do not have a very good married life either. The film shows that they always wanted a son, but they got a daughter. Piya’s biggest problem is that no one takes her seriously.
Arjun, on the other hand, is a simple, hardworking guy, but the film shows him flaunting his six-pack abs time and again. The funny thing is that he is made the leader of the school’s debating team just because he has a good body – the film doesn’t even explain where this logic comes from!
A story full of social media culture and hashtags
The most interesting part about the film is that it is completely filled with social media culture and hashtags. Piya tells Arjun that if he joins her in one of her plans, she will give him a place on her Instagram grid – that is reason enough for Arjun!
Words like ‘red flags’, ‘green flags’, ‘elitism’, ‘classism’, ‘adulting’, ‘parenting’ are heard everywhere in the film . An attempt has been made to present these in a very cool manner, but all these seem to be forced.
Should one watch ‘Nadaaniyan’?
If you like Dharma Productions films and want to refresh your memories of films like ‘Student Of The Year’ and ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ , then this film can entertain you.
But if you are expecting a new and fresh storyline , then this film might disappoint you. It follows the same old ‘rich vs middle class’, ‘cool school life’, ‘love triangle’ formula that we have seen many times.
Final Verdict:
Plus Points:
- Stylish setup and glamorous students
- Grand visual treatment by Dharma Productions
- some funny dialogues
 Minus Points:
- There is not much new story, it feels like a remake of an old film
- Attempts to force classism and social media culture
- No attempt to go deeper into the characters
If you want to see a fashionable school, a rich kids story and social media culture in one film, then this film is worth watching. But if you want something fresh and innovative , then you can skip it.
