A Riveting Narrative Of Our Times, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Gets An Instant-Like

"She is so out of his league that it looks like a paid partnership," mocks Siddhant Chatruvedi's Imaad to his best friend Neil (Adarsh Gourav) who is in a relationship with an influencer. On the other hand, their best friend Ahaana (Ananya Panday) has created a fake account to stalk her ex-boyfriend.

As we seek digital connections over human relationships, social media algorithms take over to manipulate and curate our lives for us. Our interests and behaviours are constantly under scrutiny by an unforeseen force.

The constant obsession with selfies, seeking validation from strangers and finding your tribe in the nameless faceless followers and constantly comparing our lives to others, is the story of all our lives. As we turn into a generation obsessed with the screen and our thumb pads constantly on the scroll, debutante director Arjun V Singh brings us "Kho Gaye Hum Kahan".

A befitting title as he focuses the lens on his generation, of twenty-somethings whose lives are constantly updated from one post to another and whose privacy settings are set up for public scrutiny. After all, if you are not on social media, do you even exist?

Three best friends Imaad( Siddhant Chaturvedi) is a stand-up comic, if not on stage, he is busy swiping through dating apps. He has emotional baggage, but humour serves as the best medicine.

Ahaana (Ananya) is Imaad's flatmate and a marketing whiz. She is a pushover who gets manipulated by both her boss and her boyfriend.

Neil Pereira (Adarsh Gourav) is a gym trainer and is conscious about his middle-class upbringing, he is the most aspirational of the three.

Neil is in a relationship with his client, the self-obsessed La La (Anya Singh), whose life is all about her Instagram grid, posts, and collaborations. Though he is baffled by the same, he soon discovers its powers and uses them to his advantage, which could well be to the disadvantage of others.

As the underconfident Ahaana goes on a spree of posting touched-up pictures of herself, it's her way of getting back at the man who has dumped her.

Imaad who is called emotionally stunted by Neil for his playboy nature, is hiding a dark secret. As these three navigate love, heartbreak and even abuse,

Theirs is the story of many, the perils of social media which has not only impacted our well-being but the fabric of society as well, as detached from the real world and people.

Arjun V Singh who wrote the screenplay along with Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti weaves a realistic narrative.

What's refreshing is the portrayal of friendship between the three characters. No uncomfortable triangle or bestie hooking up, it's strictly platonic, breaking away from Hindi cinema" 's cliched " Ek Ladka Aur Ladki Dost Nahi Ho Sakte"( A boy and girl cannot be friends) line. Imaad and Neil are Ahaana's Jai and Veeru, whilst she cracks her whip and plays mediator between them.

Siddhant Chaturvedi is a natural on screen and he gives a nuanced performance bringing forth Imaad's complex layers beyond his easygoing personality,

Adarsh Gourav is as splendid as Neil and gets the character on point.

Ananya Panday is impressive as Ahaana and is natural in her performance. It is one of her best to date and comes across as relatable.

A coming-of-age story set against the chaos of the digital world, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan" gets its point across.

Rating: 3:5/ 5