Kho Gaye Hum Kahan director Arjun Varain Singh: They said, throw it in the bin and start again

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan

It all started with casual conversations. While assisting Zoya Akhtar on Gully Boy (2019) and Ghost Stories (2020), Arjun Varain Singh would chat with her about social media, and how it exasperates yet comforts the current generation. Singh remembers, "At some point, Zoya said, ‘This is a movie.'" That marked the birth of Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, which is winning praise since its release last week.

Writing the Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Adarsh Gourav-starrer took time. As the debutant director sat down to pen the story of three friends whose joys, deceptions and frustrations are all influenced by social media, Akhtar and Reema Kagti joined him as co-writers. "When Zoya and Reema read the first draft, they said, ‘Throw it in the dustbin and start again.' I'm blessed they came on board as it allowed the story an outsider's lens and made it cross-generational. But many things remained true, like two boys and one girl, and the core idea of learning to be authentic to yourself," Singh says.

Singh, Kagti and Akhtar

The Netflix film is a rare young adult drama in Bollywood, which has ignored the genre in the last few years. "If we look at Dil Chahta Hai [2001] or Wake Up Sid [2009], it's important that these stories are told by people at that age or who have just passed that age. It's important to trust younger creators and give them the space to explore [such stories]."

Among the film's many highlights is its depiction of an online troll. Singh shows the transformation of Gourav's character from a middle-class boy seeking validation to an anonymous troll. The director says his intention was to capture how a person going about his life turns hateful. "We wanted to show that no one is entirely good or bad. Everything we do is a reaction to circumstances. Even in the case of trolls, their hate is coming from a place of hurt or loneliness." Another highlight is the seamless performance of Panday, who is often subjected to online hate. "She has been good in other films as well, but unfortunately has got a lot of hate. The work and energy she put into making this role her own is incredible. Despite all of the hate, people have come to love her. That tells you so much about the fighter she is."