Kho Gaye Hum Yahan

The Young & The Feckless? Not Quite

This is #Outtake, a column by Amitabh Pande that looks at films and shows from an uncommon lens.

TOUTED as the Gen Z movie of the year, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan marked a sweet finish to Bollywood’s phenomenal comeback in 2023. It felt like a fitting culmination for another reason: 2023 seemed like a year that centred on Gen Z, for one reason or another.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan revolves around three 20-somethings, in the significant life stage of post-college, early working years, where each is trying to figure out their relationships, careers, and themselves, all at the same time. Imaad (Siddhant Chaturvedi) is a stand-up comedian with a troubled past, a Tinder addict with commitment issues. Ahana (Ananya Panday) has boyfriend trouble that consumes her life — online and therefore offline. Then there’s Neil (Adarsh Gourav), a gym trainer who wants to do and be a lot more than his personal and social circumstances naturally allow.

Each of the trio has differing personalities and dreams. What they have in common is their bond of friendship, and their dependence on social media. The film follows their trials and tribulations as they navigate work, dreams and love, with moments of laughter, drinking, sex, heartbreak, misunderstandings, and finding purpose in building something together… a future, their future — at least for the time being.

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KHO GAYE HUM KAHAN: THE A-B-C OF GEN Z

An Oft Maligned Generation Gets A Fitting & Heartfelt Ode

By Amitabh Pande

Nothing really ‘happens’ in the entire two-plus hours of Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, and yet a lot happens throughout the story. Capturing this quintessential reality of a 20-something’s life in a metro today (and the most metro of them all, Mumbai) so perfectly, can only be done by the brilliant Zoya Akhtar-Reema Kagti team, with able direction by Arjun Varain Singh. The film is like a one-time response to all those Millennials and Gen Xers who have been talking about Gen Zs behind their backs, criticising their work ethic, their private lives, their sexuality, their ‘entitled self-obsession’, the self-confidence with which they own and navigate the world.

And the Gen Z response is simply: “Every older generation feels like this about the next one. Your generation had your struggles and challenges that you overcame to become the adults of today. Our generation has our own struggles and challenges that we are overcoming to become the adults of tomorrow. It doesn’t mean that we have it easier than you. It just means we have it different from you. We know you can’t help us, we have to help ourselves, just don’t judge us. This is the world we are growing up in and we are doing the best we can. If you don’t believe us, here — let us give you a glimpse into our lives…”

That is the entire movie: A small window into the lives of urban young adults today. A zoom-in to a year in the lives of these young men and women, who are seeking love and seeking themselves. A freeze-frame of this time in their lives that will possibly end up being their most defining. A day, a month, a moment that is as real and un-ending as it is fleeting and liminal. Speaking on behalf of this generation, the director invites everyone into the world of Gen Z, opening their homes, their hearts, their souls, and most importantly their social media to us all and says: “Aao aakey dekho lo... ki Kho Gaye Hum Kahan”.

Perhaps the most impactful part of the film, and the reason for it being so enjoyable to watch irrespective of which generation you belong to, is beautifully captured in this line from the title song “Hone Do Jo Hota Hai”: “Saari khushiyan hain saath mein... ki apne faisley hain apne haath main”. The film immerses us into this beautiful transition stage of life that all of us have been through — the early to mid-20s, when we get the first whiff of independence. When we’ve just gotten out of college and out of decades-long dependence on our parents, to finally be able to make our own choices and decisions. When we may not have a whole lot of money, but it’s enough to feel that it’s all up to us now. That our fate is in our hands. That we don’t need to seek permission to make our own decisions.

It’s that rush that comes with losing the helplessness of being a child and simultaneously realising the openness of the world. The joy and intoxication of this time (and many of us remember it like it was yesterday), when anything is possible. The heady cocktail of freedom and not-much-to-lose possibly makes this the best life stage of our lives. Even as we are acutely aware of how quickly this phase is going to pass away. Unlimited Space. Limited Time. And it is this ephemeral yet eternal time and this emotion that the movie captures brilliantly.

Of course, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan also has a message for youngsters, because we just can’t help being the parents of this generation! Social media lives are not real lives. Get your face out of your phones. Look up, love the people around you, and move forward. The world is waiting, and it’s out there. Not in your screens.

The three lead actors do a really good job too, perhaps because they are just being themselves. Even Ananya and Siddhant (after the disaster of Gehraiyaan) redeem themselves. They are loveable and easygoing. And you can’t help feeling for them. But the main shout-out goes to Adarsh Gourav, who does another seemingly-simple-but-emotionally-complex character role very impactfully. He is really a discovery. From hating him intensely in Mom (2017) to being impressed in White Tiger (2021), to being fascinated by him in Guns and Gulaab (2023), to adoring him in this film, he has shown a versatility in his acting beyond his years. Kalki, by now the predictable side character in every young urban narrative, is radiant and lovely to watch.

All in all, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is a thoroughly enjoyable and easy watch for anyone who wants to feel like a Gen Z, for just a brief moment. And just like everything Gen Z, it’s easily reached on a screen next to you. Go for it!

The writer has a blog with more of his thoughts on "books, booze, box office and other bakwaas". Click here to read.

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