After Nadaaniyan acting debacle, Khushi Kapoor must watch Sridevi's 16 Vayathinile on loop
Here's why she should be taking notes from her late mother's iconic film
I saw ‘Nadaaniyan’ last weekend. This wasn’t because some random Netflix algorithm suggested the Khushi Kapoor and Ibrahim Ali Khan romcom has to be a must-watch for me. No, I took the organic route – all the vitriol directed at the movie and its lead pair on social media had me wanted to take a closer look at the 119-minute movie had me actually wanting to see how bad it can get. (Mind you, it doesn’t bother me one bit when star kids with connections take the nepo-route to get a few movies. If nepotism was such a bad thing in Bollywood, we would never have got Rishi Kapoor, let alone a Hrithik or a Kajol.)
No, my concern with ‘Nadaaniyan’ had only to do with Khushi Kapoor – i.e., whether it was possible that at some level she could show glimpses of the infinite talent and poise that lighted up cinema screens each time her mom – Sridevi – appeared on silver screens. (It was my first exposure to Khushi’s acting, having decided to give her earlier – weak – attempts in ‘The Archies’ and ‘Loveyapa’ a miss.)
It has to be said, the way Khushi’s acting is shaping up, there will not be many comparing her to Sridevi. (Sridevi could switch on emotional depths even in the worst movies she had been part of in a long and much narrated career.)
Which is why Khushi should be getting some more lessons in precise acting skills from what her mother had done before – and she should not look any further than ’16 Vayathinile’ (At Age 16), the 1977 movie that created a whole new narrative for the Tamil industry. And a performance that had Sridevi walk away with all the accolades despite being pitted against Kamal Hassan, himself reaching the heights of his prowess as an actor, and Rajnikanth, the yet-to-be- megastar.
Yes, it was an author-backed role that Sridevi was cast in, but keep in mind that she was all of just 14 or so during the shooting. She’s there in nearly every frame, first showing up as the credits roll by announcing to the world that she’s passed a key coming-of-age school exam. There is the intense celebration when her character – Mayil - has the first stirrings of love. And her dismissive gestures when Kamal Hassan’s Chappani character – saddled with a limp and a lack of intelligence - talks of his affections to Mayil.
But it is in how Sridevi renders the character’s arc – from wistful teen to someone who clear views on how to lead her life – that’s absolutely captivating. A master-class in acting, where she lets emotions flit over her face. There is a skill that Sridevi calls on even at those moments where Mayil takes on a blank look.
I wish I could say the same about Khushi K. in Nadaaniyan…
She may have the perfect genes, but that doesn’t mean the acting chops too were passed on based on the evidence to date.
Khushi just needs to watch ’16 Vayathinile’ on a loop – she would be doing herself a favour…
