Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, that released on Netflix the day after Christmas, has been receiving a lot of praise for its relatable theme — how so many of us have lost ourselves and our self-worth to the never-ending addiction called social media — many a heartwarming moment and also of heartbreak, the endearing friendship that forms the core of the film directed by debutant Arjun Varain Singh, and the central performances from Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Adarsh Gourav. With the film going great guns even 10 days after release, t2 chatted with Siddhant, Ananya and Adarsh on their film and more.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is fun and yet meaningful, which is a rare combination to have. There are so many things that one can identify with in the film, irrespective of age, because we are all in this social media pit, aren’t we?

Adarsh Gourav: I was at one of the screenings and Maheep Kapoor’s mother told me that she could relate to the film. She is probably in her late 60s. I felt so happy that even she felt like it was a relevant story and that she could connect with all the characters. The beautiful part of this story is that you see glimpses of yourself in each of these individuals, and not just the three main characters.
Ananya Panday: The sweetest responses are from the people who have sent in pictures of their trio of friends. They have said things like: ‘We hugged our friends’ or ‘We called our friends up after the film.’ Those are the kinds of feelings that are hard to invoke in someone. It was definitely what we wanted to do with the film but the fact that we could achieve that and people did feel that way was the most heartwarming.
Siddhant Chaturvedi: The film has worked across all ages, and not just Gen-Z or millennials. It has connected with a lot of viewers beyond the TG (target group) that it was initially aimed at. That is a good feeling. Also, I have been getting a lot of DMs from victims of childhood abuse and how the film dealt with it with so much sensitivity. My character’s (Imaad) stand-up monologue talking about his abuse has given them a voice and made them feel that it is okay to talk about it, it’s okay to kind of let it out of your system. That, for me, is a winner.

Has the way you handle and perceive social media changed after this film?

Adarsh: I feel like I have got more sucked into social media but in a positive way. I have been spending more time on social media but I also have the clarity of what I want from it, which is about promoting my music primarily.
Ananya: Right before the film released, I was doing well honestly. I was not using social media that much. I was not going into that loop, that spiral. But since the film has come out, because of the love and the response, I have been checking it more. I feel like I am going to get stuck in this validation loop again.

On social media, what is most important is to take the love and the hate equally. You can’t get carried away with either and I am scared that is what is happening with me because when it is something good, you are chasing a high and you are like: ‘I want more gratification.’ That is what is happening to me after this film. I am feeling happy and I am feeling like it is filling me up with a lot of self-worth and happiness.

But then I remind myself of Ahana (her character in the film) and I am like: ‘You have to snap back to reality, you have to keep working hard, you have to do better with the next film.’ It is about catching yourself before you get carried away in either the love or the hate because I have felt the other side of it (negativity) as well. It is about staying neutral in both situations.
Siddhant: I haven’t been very active on social media over the last year because I felt there was nothing to talk about, especially the films I did before, there was not much chatter about them. I felt the audience had found different means to entertain themselves and I didn’t know how to engage them back, but only with my work. And finally, that has happened. Over the last two weeks, my phone has been buzzing. Earlier, I was consciously keeping my phone aside and checking it only thrice a day. But now, I am on it more because it is rude to go through the messages and not respond.

People are showering us with love. They are writing paragraphs about the film, describing every moment and writing about our performances. I feel there is an audience for my social media right now and so I can share things which I haven’t been sharing for a while. I am also using that portal to give a glimpse that I am happy and I am in a very good space that the film has worked.

The chemistry and the camaraderie that the three of you share on screen is so easygoing and organic. Did you have to go the extra mile to build that rapport off-screen as well?

Siddhant: After the release of the film, no one has even talked to me!
Ananya: We talk on the group! We have done a group call also. But we have all been doing our private travelling and before that, during the promotions of Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, we were so in each other’s faces, every single day!

But the thing is that it is always the same when we meet each other even after a while. So even if we have a reunion after six months, nothing really changes. For me, after this film, they will always be Neel and Imaad, and not Adarsh and Sid. They have just become those characters for me and that will always be the relationship. We don’t have to talk all the time or meet all the time. The biggest thing is that all our parents feel like we will be friends forever, which is a big thing because they have seen us with our other longtime friends, and for them to see that resemblance with the friendship that the three of us share is huge.

If you had to imbibe one aspect of each of your characters and lend something of yourself to each of them, what would it be?

Adarsh: I wish I had the number of sneakers Neel has. It is crazy! And if I had to give something of mine to Neel, it would probably be a little more self-belief.
Ananya: I would take Ahana’s business acumen. The way she comes up with business plans... I would take her college degree! What I would want to give Ahana is a little self-love and confidence, which I don’t have such a large reserve of anyway (smiles), but whatever little bit I have, I would like to share with her.
Siddhant: I would want to be funnier. I think I am okay, but I can work on my sense of humour. From Imaad, I would want the property that his mom has left behind for him! (Laughs)

What do you think it is about the trio of friends in films that makes for such a potent combination? Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is being compared to Dil Chahta Hai, which is a landmark film on the friendship between three friends...

Siddhant: I always knew that in terms of dynamics, we had a solid friendship story in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan. But I started to give it more thought when people started comparing it to Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Dil Chahta Hai. The relationship between three friends gives rise to drama as well as conflict. That doesn’t happen in the case of four friends because even if you fight, it will invariably split into groups of two. The dynamic is different when it comes to a trio of friends... woh bolte hain na ki teen tigada kaam bigada. There is always more conflict, and if there is a fight between two friends, one friend will be the one suffering in the middle and trying to balance things. In the case of our film, Ahana is the one who is caught in the middle when Imaad and Neel have a fallout.

I feel that a trio of pals is very beautiful, it’s almost a geometrical thing, like a love triangle of sorts. It is beautiful and it is chaotic.
Adarsh: My favourite trinity is Delhi Belly.
Siddhant: Also, 3 Idiots.
Ananya: For me, it will be Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani because of the Manali trip and the fact that Aditi (played by Kalki Koechlin) is one of the boys.

Like the friends in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, if the three of you had to start a business together, what would it be?

Ananya: Adarsh is the one who comes up with the most random ideas, so he should be the one answering this.
Adarsh: I love the lottery business! It’s a thing that entices people so much that you can sell lottery tickets to the same set of people all their lives and in the bargain, you can become rich!

Is that even a thing anymore?!

Ananya: Ya! My dad (Chunky Panday) buys lottery tickets even now!
Adarsh: If you go to any city in Kerala, you will find almost zero beggars but you will see everyone selling lottery tickets. There are massive prizes, but then only one person wins the big prize and almost every person buys that ticket, so it is a very profitable business.

So are you three planning to relocate to Kerala?

Adarsh: No, no, we will start it here only. Mumbai branch! (Laughs)

Priyanka Roy
Which is your favourite film involving three friends? Tell
t2@abp.in