Sep 25, 2026 9:30am IST
‘Don’t Be Shy’ Review: Alia Bhatt’s Campus Rom-Com That Plays It Safe
From the iconic styling of “Clueless” (1995) to the sharp social satire of “Mean Girls” (2004), the modern charm of “The Kissing Booth” (2018), and “Off-Campus” (2026), Hollywood has a rich history of delivering brilliant campus romances and coming-of-age cinema and series. In sharp contrast, Hindi cinema has largely left this youth-centric subgenre unexplored, making any new entry a rare and highly anticipated experiment.
“Don’t Be Shy” directed by Sreeti Mukerji serves as a rite of passage story for Shyamalee Das (Shy), offering a somewhat gender-flipped version of the classic “Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar” (1992). However, it lacks the humor and emotional resonance that made the Aamir Khan starrer so memorable. The narrative beats are nearly identical: much like Aamir’s character, Shy fabricates a wealthy persona to fit in with an elite crowd while remaining completely oblivious to the love of the friend next door. The film checks all the boxes —awkward adolescent romance, inevitable heartbreak, and a final-act realization where the protagonist tries to mend broken ties with family and friends. Nothing new here.
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The reliance on campus clichés is aggressive. Every single character fits into a neat, overdone archetype: the elitist Jhunjhunwalas, the humble and loving Das family, and the loud neighborhood aunties and uncles with hearts of gold. The campus ecosystem is just as uninspired, checking off boxes with the easy-going counselor, a nerd crushing on the cool girl, the new girl on campus, a cheating boyfriend, and finally, Neha Dhupia—playing a well-meaning but mean mom in a brief cameo. The film has better punch lines than plot. In recent years, “young adult” has become such a real and popular genre that “Don’t Be Shy” didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. It just had to get the basics of a rom-com fare, right?
The strength of this Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt production lies in its spot-on casting, which features actors who are not only age-appropriate but deeply in tune with their lived-in, believable characters. Furthermore, it accurately captures the nuances of high school lingo, jokes and subculture. The authenticity extends to the Das family, beautifully framing the couple’s relationship with each other and their only child. The film also manages to capture that feeling of growing up and finding your own path. The narrative breaks the fourth wall to create emotional intimacy for the character.
“Don’t Be Shy” is a playground for a melange of fresh, new faces. Aarushi Bajaj (as Shy) exudes vulnerability, is likable, and acts well, except when she gets chirpy. But it’s Ansh Duggal (as Dhruv) that gives the film its heartbeat. Bianca Arora (as Tara) delivers a winning performance. Anurag Basu’s mere presence adds charm to the film.
Ultimately, “Don’t Be Shy” is just another teen drama that offers a standard coming-of-age lesson for its protagonist. In conclusion, a popular genre can be revisited, but it must be thoughtfully reinvented to truly resonate.
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