DON'T BE SHY rests on a relatable idea but falters in the treatment Movie Review: DON'T BE SHY rests on a relatable idea and sincere performances

Star Cast: Aarushi Bajaj, Ansh Duggal, Piyush Khati, Bianca Arora

Director: Sreeti Mukerji

Don't Be Shy Movie Review Synopsis: DON'T BE SHY is the coming-of-age tale of a girl. Shyamili Das, aka Shy (Aarushi Bajaj), lives in Mumbai's Girgaum with her father, Joy Das (Anurag Basu), and mother, Jaya Das (Anju Alva Naik). Her parents run a saree shop called 'Shyamili Sarees', which is running at a loss. Shy is embarrassed by her middle-class life and, in college, pretends to come from a wealthy background. She claims to her friends that her parents are based in London and that they run an exclusive boutique store. Her boyfriend is Mayank Jhunjhunwalla (Piyush Khati), the heir to the Jhunjhunwalla Group of Companies, and who also studies with her in the same college. Shy has her life completely planned out. She intends to convince Mayank to let her intern at one of his companies and become its CEO within a decade. In the interim, she also plans to marry Mayank, who, by then, would have taken over the sprawling family business, thus making Shy rich. Sadly, her plans go for a toss when Mayank, on his 21st birthday, announces that he won't be joining his family business and will instead pursue a career as a singer. A stunned Shy reacts sharply and belittles Mayank's ambition, prompting him to break up with her. Meanwhile, her friend Tara Verma (Bianca Arora) and childhood friend-cum-neighbour Dhruv Kumar (Ansh Duggal) add to the fun and chaos in her life. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Don't Be Shy Movie Story Review: Sreeti Mukerji and Sunanya Kumari have written a story that sounds promising on paper. However, Sreeti Mukerji's screenplay (additional screenplay by Sehaj Kaur Maini), though breezy, doesn’t fully convince the viewers. It also gives a déjà vu of several films and shows in this space. Sehaj Kaur Maini and Sreeti Mukerji's dialogues are fine, but a film like this should have had more humourous lines.

Sreeti Mukerji's direction is average. To give credit where it's due, she has handled certain moments well. The idea of a girl pretending to belong to a higher social class in order to ‘fit in’ is relatable. Some of the moments shared by Shy and Dhruv are lovely, while the bond between Shy and Tara is also sweet. Films in this space are often under two hours long. DON'T BE SHY, however, has a runtime of 2 hours and 28 minutes. Though the film gets stretched, it's bearable.

At the same time, the narrative doesn’t completely involve the viewer either. The biggest issue is that it comes across as pretentious. The film feels like a bhel puri of various titles such as AISHA [2010], STUDENT OF THE YEAR [2012], NEVER HAVE I EVER, TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE, etc. Dhruv seems to be inspired by the character of Mr Darcy from PRIDE & PREJUDICE (and also BRIDE & PREJUDICE). The sequence where Shy gulps down alcohol and sets the stage on fire gives a déjà vu of ‘It’s The Time To Disco’ from KAL HO NAA HO [2003]. Though Sreeti tries her best to add desi elements, including the use of old classics, the film feels too Western and rarely comes across as a story rooted in India. Some of Shy’s actions are unconvincing, while certain developments feel forced. For instance, Shy injuring her wrist seems to serve no real purpose except to facilitate the sequence where she and Dhruv get locked inside a supermarket. As a result, several developments don’t flow organically.

Don't Be Shy Movie Review Performances: However, the performances are of a tall order. Aarushi Bajaj delivers a sincere performance and tries her best to play the character with conviction. Bianca Arora is a great find and puts up an entertaining character without going overboard. Ansh Duggal looks dashing and gives a first-rate performance. Piyush Khati, too, puts his best foot forward. However, his character ends up being a caricature in the end. Anurag Basu and Kunaal Roy Kapur (Mr Q) are adorable and bring in some much-needed humour. Anju Alva Naik (Jaya Das), Aditi Jha (Aashni), Ami Trivedi (Tinaz) and Tahira Nath (Mrs Joshi) lend able support. Neha Dhupia (Nandini Verma) is fair in a cameo while Raghu Ram and Rajiv Lakshman play their usual selves.

Don't Be Shy movie music and other technical aspects: Ram Sampath's music is lovely and the songs are well-woven into the narrative. 'Jhoomo' and 'Re Bawri' stand out, while 'Tum Ho Vahi', 'Tere Sang' and 'Bandey' are decent. Ram Sampath's background score is satisfactory.

Pratham Mehta's cinematography is classy. Amrita Mahal Nakai's production design is too Western. Veera Kapur Ee's costumes are appealing. Redefine's VFX could have been better in the fantasy song. Dipika Kalra's editing is functional.

Don't Be Shy Movie Review Conclusion: On the whole, DON'T BE SHY rests on a relatable idea, sincere performances, appealing music and a few endearing moments. However, the treatment is pretentious, several portions lack originality and the narrative fails to achieve the freshness and emotional connect needed for a coming-of-age entertainer. As a result, it fails to leave the desired impact.

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