The latest Netflix original Indian movie is Kho Gaye Hum Kahan. It’s a fresh but brutal look at lives lived through and for social media. The film showcases the lives of three best friends with dreams, relationships and trauma who have to navigate it all in an age of social media and apps. While there has been a cinematic exploration of the dangers of social media, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan features the improvements and dependency of social media, and how it has permeated other facets of our lives. Read on for why you absolutely need to experience this movie in this Kho Gaye Hum Kahan review.

Please note that this Kho Gaye Hum Kahan review is completely spoiler-free.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan Boasts Of Subtly Loud Performances

Image via Netflix.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is all about Imaad (Siddhant Chaturvedi) an up and coming stand up comic, Ahana (Ananya Pandey) an MBA graduate, and Neil (Adarsh Gourav) a personal trainer, trying to make their dreams come true. The three best friends come to a crossroads when they decide to go into business together. But they have to face some harsh truths in their personal lives to do so. And that begins to affect their other relationships.

Ahana has to deal with her boyfriend needing a break, as she does everything she can to try to salvage the relationship. Neil struggles with starting his own personal training business, while also dating an influencer who is a lot more high-profile than him; Which has him feeling like she’s way out of his league. Imaad is the only one who actually has a good thing in his life when he meets and begins to like Simran (Kalki Koechlin). But his constant fear of intimacy threatens to screw it all up. How the lives of these three and their obstacles are directly wrapped up in the co-dependency of their social media experiences is truly what this Kho Gaye Hum Kahan review is all about.

A Film That Modernizes The Coming Of Age Story

Image via Netflix.

While telling an intense coming-of-age story where all three characters have to grow up and face challenges, there’s an underlying digital presence that creates an extra layer of tension and conflict. Now, I’ll preface the following statement by advising that I know how cliche it is when people say that the city, town, or some other intimate presence is another character in the story. However, social media is absolutely portrayed here as another character that weaves itself through the lives of these three characters. But not in the way you expect.

We’ve seen a lot of movies where technology is the villain, or it’s a cautionary tale about how progress and reliance on tech make us susceptible to murder or some other elaborate plot. But as I’ll go on in this Kho Gaye Hum Kahan review, social media isn’t demonized, nor is there some sort of larger commentary or PSA about it. It’s just there. It’s provided motivation, support, relief and a resource to these characters. At the same time, it’s feeding into the worst aspects of their personalities which are absolutely unhealthy traits. It’s a nuanced depiction of the digital life of the generation today, who have to balance the every day with the every online day. And Kho Gaye Hum Kahan explores this wonderfully.

The Brilliant Cast Is The Selling Point

Image via Netflix.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan also to a certain degree deals with privilege. The movie does this through the character of Neil, who is trying to make it big in the fitness industry, as an influencer. However, Neil is from a middle-class family, so doesn’t have the same contacts or social circle as others in that industry. The story finds Neil trying to build his business using social media, only to find that emulating or looking up to others is severely hindering his own sense of self-worth. Adarsh Gourav has been building an impressive resume, dealing with a similar theme in his other movie, The White Tiger. Gourav plays Neil with a quiet chaotic energy, as he never displays his vulnerability, but rather it eats him up quietly.

And despite the relationship drama, Ahana herself is dealing with her own sense of self, looking to social media to deal with this difficult time. Pandey really shines in this role, which feels more in line with her range and talents than any previous film. It feels like Pandey has found her groove in roles where she feels more natural, rather than being miscast in roles that don’t fit in with her on-screen presence.

And rounding out the cast is Chaturvedi’s surprisingly dramatic performance. The man has been on the rise since this scene-stealing performance in Gully Boy. He re-teams with the director’s assistant of that film, Arjun Varain Singh, whose directorial debut is Kho Gaye Hum Kahan. Chaturvedi gets an amazing character that he makes the most out of with an incredible reveal that is a further testament to his rise in Bollywood.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan Review Conclusion

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is one of the best Bollywood movies of 2023. The film has heart, humour, and charming leads with a story that feels very much in touch with today’s generation. This, coming from a middle-aged man. But it just feels like a story that properly captures how this generation communicates, loves and lives rather than a superficial surface-level examination of kids on Snapchat. A must-watch for cinephiles and audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is now streaming on Netflix.

What did you think of this new Bollywood movie? Let me know in the comments below, or follow me on X (Twitter) at @theshahshahid for all my takes on the latest Bollywood movies and TV shows.