Kho Gaye Hum Kahan director Arjun Varain Singh: ‘It all began while I was working on Gully Boy as Zoya Akhtar’s DA’

Siddhant Chaturvedi:  I think people have resonated the most with the world, because it's a film about today and about what's happening between friends and in relationships. The story is so basic, yet it kind of penetrates into your life. So, I think that's what's most striking. We're not talking about big things; we are not saving the world. It's just us in a room or having interpersonal relationships. I think that's something which Arjun got right — the friendship between these three friends and their chemistry.

Adarsh Gourav: I think two themes have been that have resonated are the platonic nature of our friendship. In the movies one has consumed, at some point you expect maybe two characters to get together but that doesn’t happen here. Also, in life we all have friends who are women and we don't necessarily ever get involved with them. Which was very relatable. The other is the class divide. That was captured in the scene where Neil is confronted by his client after he uses the shower. A lot of people felt very strongly about that because when you go to certain buildings they have notices outside lifts for staff only, of for members only. One lift will be swanky and the lift will be falling apart.

Siddhant and Adarsh, you were required to learn specific skills — stand-up comedy and fitness training, including body transformation.

Adarsh: I act because I get to do things like this that I wouldn't normally get to do in my life. Nobody's going to pay for my gym training and my nutritionist, but because I'm doing this sort of film, there's somebody who can do that, and then I have the best access to the best kind of people and can do it the right way. It's very fulfilling, especially when it comes to a physical transformation. This experience completely changed my perspective on fitness. I never understood it till I went through it and I was like, man, this is difficult. Getting there is hard, but maintaining that is harder. Now when I look at people like Tiger Shroff, who are so ripped for years together, I have a newfound respect for that effort and the sport.

Siddhant: I was working with comedian Sapan Varma, kind of shadowing him. I was a bit nervous, initially. I chose this film because of the character dynamics and the relationships, a story about the coming of the digital age, but also because I wanted to play a stand-up comedian. I like the idea of acquiring a new skill and exploring a different profession, different kinds of aspects of life too. These are new and upcoming professions. Like rapping was not as celebrated before Gully Boy, and that film kind of changed the whole game. I think stand-up comedy has been evolving since the last few years. It was very difficult. I was very nervous. Arjun helped me through it. I had to perform real sets in front of real audiences. Initially I would go blank, but eventually I learned the trick. I like doing things which are not close to me, something which is challenging. I worked on it for three to four months. As for Adarsh, he has gone from The White Tiger to Tiger Shroff. He has put in the most amount of work of all three of us, and he maintained it throughout the film, which is not easy when you have body shots, you're not eating, having ice baths, cutting down salt. You can see that effort in the film.

As the director, what do you feel about the trio’s preparation?

Arjun: Both Sid and Adarsh have picked up nuances for their characters. Adarsh worked out with a calisthenics trainer, Robin, and picked up a lot of nuances from him. Sid picked up a lot of mannerisms and style from the way Sapan delivers his one-liners. Ananya’s process was different. She worked a lot with me. We would go through the script over and over again, looking at the objective of each line. This helped her understand and build layers into the character. For Ananya, I think it was a process of going within.

Ananya, in some way, Ahana represents what a lot of women today are going through. There is internalized conflict, which she is dealing with on her own. Could you resonate with her need for validation?

Ananya: Like my Instagram bio says, private investigator, I think I was fully owning the stalker part of myself. But yes, it did feel like I was baring a part of myself. I felt personally attached to Ahana. Before I have said she's relatable and exactly like me. But once the film came out, I realized she's like almost every young girl. So, it became less personal. I think the tough part is just being so vulnerable and emotionally naked. In a lot of my scenes, I am sitting alone in a room and crying and I just tapped into the times in my life when I probably felt that way. So, it did feel a little too personal, a little too close to home. But it definitely changed me a lot, in terms of inhibitions. Just being vulnerable in front of the camera and letting go of that part of you changes something and then you can never go back. It unlocked something in me, I guess.

Arjun, what was the starting point for this story? Social media obsession is obviously the underlay but where did it begin?

It all began while I was working on Gully Boy as Zoya Akhtar’s DA (director’s assistant). We had multiple conversations about my generation and her generation, our friendships, etc. That lent into our relationships, our moments and things that concerned us the most, whether it's Imaad’s inability to connect with other people or Neil's constant want for more, or Ahana not feeling good enough. I could see those things among my friends and myself. So, I think that that's kind of where it came from, on some level.

Why the voiceover at the end, which is a little bit of a sermon, because we got the point and yet it's kind of reinforced?

I feel like the resolutions neatly tied it together, tying into the fact that it is New Year's and we do make New Year's resolutions. Of course, what is being seen is kind of being said, but it is just to underline it, along with the song in the background. It just seemed to fit cohesively. Honestly, I tried taking it out as well, to see how it would play out, but it just hit home that bit nicer with it.

Neil doesn’t face the consequences of his cyber-bullying actions. Why did you steer clear of the fallout of his actions?

The way it works is that you have three resolutions that succeed one another. I think going into this could have possibly led it into a different space. I left it somewhat ambiguous in the time from where the film ends and where it goes. I think the idea is that he's ready for whatever consequence comes his way, even if that means being arrested and having to deal with that. I don't think we needed to see that specifically in this movie. Of course, cyberbullying has to be taken extremely seriously. But kudos to Adarsh. There is such a fine line between you completely disliking him and also understanding where he comes from. He played the part such that you just empathise with him. That's such a testament to what a great actor he is.