Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is the debut directorial of Arjun Varain Singh but it’s the brains behind the production that give you a clue into its themes. Zoya and Farhan Akhtar, Reema Kagti and Ritesh Sidhwani have been associated with generational tales of friendships and lovelorn hearts while trying to find meaning amidst urban angst. And this fine little movie is an update on similar tales, the brilliant Dil Chahta Hai and the fun Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara; if those spoke to Gen X and Y, this one speaks to Gen Z (I assume that’s the prevailing term) youngsters in Mumbai trying to find meaning in life and love while chasing their dreams. But it is a story which will find resonance with all people, irrespective of age, who are by now enmeshed in this smartphone age.

The story revolves primarily around three friends who mostly live together and seem refreshingly free of any interpersonal romantic entanglements. Imaad Ali (Siddhant Chaturvedi) is a stand-up comedian of privileged background but who has regular therapy sessions to deal with an undisclosed personal trauma. Seemingly incapable of long-term love, he swipes away to quickfire dates and even quicker goodbyes using a fake name on Tnder. But when a certain Tndr profiler/journalist comes into his life (Kalki Koechlin), he may have to finally face up to his insecurities and trauma if he has any hopes of finding a long-lasting relationship with her. Ahana Singh (Ananya Panday), on the other hand, can’t get out of her long-term relationship turned sour when her beau decides he has had enough and dumps her. A management studies graduate, her path is perhaps one which is most relatable to a lot of us. In the throes of heartbreak and wanting to get back with her boyfriend, she goes on an Insta stalking and posting spree masking her heartburn with supremely confident photos and selfies with googled intense quotes on loneliness. The idea of course being that she would attract back her man by showing him how much of a life she’s having and he’s missing. The repercussions are gradual but immensely deflating for her. The third of the trio, Neil Pereira (Adarsh Gourav), is a fitness freak and gym trainer who has dreams of opening his own chain of gyms one day. He is the most middle-class of the lot and carries a chip on his shoulder, surrounded by the affluence of the wealthy clients he coaches. He is also in a sort of relationship with an influencer, that most 21st century of careers, Lala who keeps him hanging without ever really acknowledging him on account of it perhaps hurting her ‘relationship’ with her followers. But when things go belly-up for Neil, his reaction again points to the vicious online trolling we have got used to in today’s age.

The three friends decide to team up to make Neil’s dream come to fruition and perhaps make something for themselves. But things take a turn for the worse between them when Imaad makes a show out of some parts of Neil’s life, and the punchlines catch on with storming effect. Where do the boundaries blur in the evocation of art and friendship? In a perfect embodiment of the Sid-Akash fracas from Dil Chahta Hai for the digital age, they come to blows while an increasingly frustrated Ahana tries to play peacemaker. Eventually, all three must make peace with their demons and their mistakes while trying to rise above them. Imaad’s revelation, in particular, is poignantly done and brilliantly acted by Siddhant Chaturvedi in a sequence which could have otherwise devolved into a tiresome trope. It’s also impressive how Lala’s character, despite having the potential to turn into a cliché, is portrayed as a real human, warts and all and evoking some kind of empathy from us.

Though the city and its interiors are brought to life with chic and cute coziness, the grim depths are revealed wonderfully by the actors and the story. All three leads are perfect in their roles and elevate the material to something which resonates. Both Ananya Panday and Siddhant Chaturvedi aced it in another movie of similarly brilliant hue, Gehraiyaan, and they bring that chemistry here too. Adarsh Gourav, who I recall from the middling good White Tiger, is remarkably good here too and conveys the angst of the misfit middle-class with aplomb. This is a film which should be watched and regaled over; it’s a masterful work of new age cinema that has something for everyone. Highly recommended.