Never Ending Movie Carnival
Never Ending Movie Carnival
Kho Gaye Hum Kahan review: "An excursion into the hollows and shallows of social media”
What: Kho Gaye Hum Kaha - embellished with smart performances, the Adarsh Gourav, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ananya Panday starrer is an excursion into the hollows and shallows of social media.
In one scene, Kalki Koechlin asks Siddhant Chaturvedi who plays a stand-up comic in the film when did he first realize he was funny. To which he answers, when he was probably most sad.
That's a profound response to the glaring indulgence of today's generation in social media. The Gen Z which is too much immersed into each other's digital profiles in the internet age probably don't realize how lonely they have turned into.
Arjun Varain Singh directs this tale of three friends – Imaad (Siddhant), Ahana( Ananya) and Neil(Adarsh Gaurav)who manage friendship, romance and ambitions amidst heartbreak and healing in the heart of Mumbai. The troika lives together, shares its happiness sorrows and booze and there is a remarkable, easy-going chemistry between them.
What is also evident is their scarred souls. Ahana is nursing her break up with his BF Rohan, Neil who is a fitness trainer has daddy issues and seeing a lowbrow YouTube influencer (Anya Singh) and Imaad is a loner with a facade of quirky stand-up comic antics!
Tussle brews gradually when they plan to flesh up Neil's dream of 'Jungle Gym' with marketing strategy and pitch design by Ahana and Imaad investing a major chunk of his Mom’s money into it.
Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, the line plucked from Nitya Mehra's Baar Baar Dekho, has its heart at the right place - planted by the soulful writing by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, brimming with raw emotions and conflicts.
Much of the film's commentary and messaging around the stark realities of social media resonates with Imaad's stand up acts, wonderfully demonstrated by Siddhant Chaturvedi. Armed with the right calibre, the actor lends depth and gravitas to Imaad's inner demons and unhealthy Tinder habits against the thriving metro culture, which works as a portrait for Kho Gaye Hum Kahan.
Arjun, who had assisted Zoya in Gully Boy, extracts the best of performances from Ananya and Adarsh. As Ahana,Pandey is confident, impulsive and looks ravishing in the trendy getups. Much of the film's complex and dark sentiments is attributed to Adarsh's terrific embodiment of Neil's stunted soul.
Kho Gaye Hum Kaha – Final Words
There are portions which feel redundant - like the celebrity culture, a phenomenon dear to Miss Akhtar. So implanting Malaika Arora in the plot and the stand-up jokes look forced. Neil's problem with his dad (played by Vijay Maurya) also finds its roots in the age old debate between needs and wants. Even Kalki's character finds her abode in the same space conjured by Zoya in her earlier ventures. But it’s the packaging and uninhibited performances that works in favour of the film.
I go with 3.5 stars out of 5 for Kho Gaye Hum Kahan.
The 2-hour 14-minute film jointly produced by Tiger Baby and Excel Entertainment is streaming on Netflix from 26th December 2023.
Please do watch our video review of Kho Gaye Hum Kahan
Ahwaan Padhee, is an IT Techie/Business Consultant by profession and a film critic/cinephile by passion, is also associated with Radio Playback as well, loves writing and conducting movie quizzes. More By Ahwaan Padhee