‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’ Unfolds Like Series of Instagram Posts That Reveal Layers of Gen Z Lives
- Perhaps, the film will make young people realize that they have to create success on the terra ferma rather than losing themselves in the virtual world.
This year, as in all the past years, I did not make any New Year resolutions. In fact, I was so busy doing my “Eat, Pray, Love” trip that I fell asleep on the bewitching hour when the clock struck twelve! The first person to wish me was a random airline employee, followed by my grandson and his friend Kanishk who were dancing away their last year’s high school blues!
I happened to catch the movie “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” on Netflix while I was still jet lagged and sort of in the”kho gaye hum kahan zone.” I tried to keep one sleepy eye open like Garfield the comical cat and one brown ear perked up like her frenemy “Odie, Jon’s dog” to register meaningful conversations.
Directed by the debutante Arjun Varain Singh and backed by the dynamic trio of Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, and Ritesh Sidhwani, this is a coming-of-age drama of another Gen Z tribe, deeply imbued in the digital abyss of a make-believe hashtag world. I identify with their generation to some extent because I have lived my life in an Alice in Wonderland bubble where I could manifest my own reality to some extent… but as Alice would say: the lives of the digital age generation has become “curiouser and curiouser” to say the least.
Premise: The kids are growing up glued to their devices, being deprived of the ‘humdrum’ but relaxed existence of childhood spent in family conversations, visits to cousins and grandparents homes, reading for hours on end, playing outside with neighborhood children, building palaces out of repurposed glass bottles, castles in the sand and lights out at 9 pm! Nowadays anxiety is prevalent in school-age children and adolescents who are graduating or “not graduating” college with no set path to success or happiness’. Their lives have transformed into a chaotic dance of fake friendships, “love on instagram” and a troubling quest of self-discovery in the miasma of hashtags and hundreds of emojis.
Plot: Meet Imaad (Siddhant Chaturvedi), Ahana (Ananya Panday), and Neil (Adarsh Gourav), a trio of friends whose lives are entwined in the intricate web of social media. Ahana’s quest for love takes a wild turn when her boyfriend, Rohan, hits the pause button on their relationship, leaving her “confused and angry.” She becomes an obsessive stalker, following his every move online. Imaad, the stand-up comedian, takes his dating game to Tinder and meets a mature professional photographer: Kalki Koechlin, who adds a whiff of sophistication as always! While Neil, the fitness enthusiast, grapples with the complexities of being an influencer’s secret lover.
The Plot thickens: The film unfolds like a series of Instagram stories, each post peeling away the multiple layers of their lives. From Ahana’s post-breakup stalking saga to Imaad’s Tinder escapades, and Neil’s covert relationship with Lala, the narrative captures the essence of modern relationships, where every emotion is filtered through the lens of social media.
The performances by Siddhant, Ananya, and Adarsh are easy, believable and enjoyable to watch, making them relatable avatars of the millions of urban youth navigating the digital conundrum. One feels inclined to ignore the covert nepotism, as cameos by Malaika Arora and Farhan Akhtar sprinkle starry vibes. A raw nerve is hit when Imaad opens up about getting expensive chocolates as a ten-year old from his father’s business associate leading to fifteen years of therapy.
The music, a fusion of beats and emotions, is the anthem of our digital lives. From the soul-stirring “Hone Do Jo Hota Hai” to the groovy “I Wanna See You Dance,” the soundtrack captures the heartbeat of the generation that lives in the fast lane of likes and shares.
However, as the film receives acclaim, critics point out the airbrushed portrayal of conflicts, questioning the authenticity in a world where chaos often defines reality. But isn’t that the irony of our social media existence? We filter, edit, and present the best version of ourselves, leaving little room for the raw, unfiltered mayhem that is “real” life.
“Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” is not just a film; it’s a commentary on the generation that lives life one post at a time. It tackles the superficiality of influencer culture, the complexities of modern relationships, and the struggle for genuine connections in a world dominated by how many likes and follows one can achieve. The younger generation do not realize that all that “appears” on social media is “not real,” it is paid content and millions of views are being generated by paying people and bots to make them!
In the end, as the friends in “#KhoGayeHumKahan” choose to accept their failures and open their eyes to their “true strengths.” They come up with a plan to open a gym together. Whether they will succeed is not the question but at least they bond together to “give it a go.” That is the message of this “Where Did We Lose Ourselves? Perhaps, it will change the mindset of the young people that they have to create success on the terra ferma rather than losing themselves in the virtual world.
So, are the youngsters ready to take on 2024 with the resolutions as “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” suggests? Look up. Meet life without filters, without lenses. Take it easy. Keep it real. You don’t need too much to be happy. Stop the comparisons. Be grateful. Find your tribe, if you have a couple of friends, you don’t need followers!
With one foot in Huntsville, Alabama, the other in her birth home India, and a heart steeped in humanity, writing is a contemplative practice for Monita Soni. She has published hundreds of poems, movie reviews, book critiques, and essays and contributed to combined literary works. Her two books are My Light Reflections and Flow through My Heart. You can hear her commentaries on Sundial Writers Corner WLRH 89.3FM.