‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’ Trailer Previews Dreamy Bollywood Coming-of-Age Drama

Three friends navigate relationships in the era of social media in debutante director Arjun Varain Singh’s coming-of-age drama, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan. The Bollywood film stars Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi and BAFTA nominee Adarsh Gourav in the lead roles, and will be released on Netflix on December 26. Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, which roughly translates to “where are we lost” in Hindi, is co-produced by Tiger Baby Films, the Indian production company behind the recent Netflix film, The Archies.

That film’s director and co-writer, Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, returned to write the script for Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, which is set in contemporary Mumbai. Chaturvedi, who broke out with Akhtar’s rap drama Gully Boy, plays a stand-up comedian named Imaad, while Gourav, who scored a BAFTA nomination for his performance in The White Tiger, plays a social media influencer named Neil. Panday, who plays Ahana, previously worked with Chaturvedi on the Prime Video domestic noir Gehraiyaan, which similarly dealt with thorny relationship drama in modern-day Mumbai.

Much of the trailer is devoted to the three friends hanging out together and dealing with the ups-and-downs of dating life. Sometimes, they lean on each other for support, but they often clash as well. Imaad makes a joke about Neil having landed a girl way out of his league, which creates friction between them. It is also implied that Neil comes from a middle-class family, and perhaps doesn’t have inherited wealth to fall back on. Ahana has her own battles, as her partner asks for some time off from their relationship. Meanwhile, Imaad admits to having cheated on his girlfriend, an act that he blames on his low self-esteem and inherent sadness.

Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s ‘The Archies’ Was Recently Released on Netflix

All of this is ripe for interpersonal drama, and the trailer suggests that Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is a spiritual successor to coming-of-age Bollywood hits Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara — both movies remain cultural touchstones, and have developed massive cult followings in the years following their release. While Akhtar directed Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, her brother Farhan Akhtar made his directorial debut with Dil Chahta Hai. These are big shoes to fill for Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, which comes across as more restrained than either of those movies. It doesn’t, for instance, feature any of the requisite Bollywood song-and-dance, and the universe feels more lived-in than the usual elevated reality of Hindi movies. Also starring Kalki Koechlin and Vijay Maurya, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan will be released on Netflix just a couple of weeks after The Archies opened to mixed reviews but strong viewership on the streamer. You can watch the trailer here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.