Don’t Be Shy Review: Alia Bhatt’s Production Venture Is Charming, Fluffy & Occasionally Artificial

Title: Don’t Be Shy

Director: Sreeti Mukerji

Cast: Aarushi Bajaj, Ansh Duggal, Piyush Khatri, Bianca Arora

Where: Streaming on Amazon Prime

Rating: ***

Review

Written and directed by Sreeti Mukerji, Don’t Be Shy is a coming-of-age romantic comedy built around one inconvenient truth: no matter how meticulously you plan your life, life has a wicked habit of ignoring the itinerary.

The film follows Shyamili ‘Shy’ Das, a fiercely independent young woman who has carefully mapped out the life she believes will make her happy. Her plans begin to unravel when the image she has created of herself and her future proves difficult to reconcile with reality. Caught between her desired boyfriend, Mayank, and her childhood friend, Dhruv, Shy must confront the gap between the life she planned and the person she is becoming. Tara, who enters her life unexpectedly, adds another complication to an already unsettled journey.

The story unfolds in four chapters. The structure gives the film a neat progression, although the narrative itself can feel somewhat fluffy and artificial. The premise initially appears self-conscious, even pretentious, but as the story progresses, its contrivances loosen their grip, and the film becomes surprisingly engaging.

Mukerji captures the turbulence of young adulthood well: friendships fracture, romances disappoint, ambitions wobble, and carefully constructed identities begin to crack. The film’s weakness is that it often captures the surface of these experiences more convincingly than their emotional depth. We become curious about what happens to the characters before becoming deeply invested in them.

Shy’s early declaration, “Life’s set, I’ll be happy,” is deliciously ironic. The universe, as usual, has other plans.

Actors’ Performance

The young cast brings freshness and energy. Aarushi Bajaj convincingly charts Shy’s movement from confident control to bewilderment. Piyush Khati as Mayank and Ansh Duggal as Dhruv make the romantic triangle engaging, while Bianca Arora gives Tara the enigmatic sparkle required.

Anurag Basu and Anju Alva Naik are appealing as Shy’s supportive parents, Joy and Jaya. Kunaal Roy Kapur, as college counsellor Mr Q, is amusing but underused, while Neha Dhupia makes her brief appearance as Tara’s mother.

Music and Aesthetics

Ram Sampath’s six songs complement the film’s youthful energy. The songs are aesthetically choreographed, and the background score effectively lifts the dramatic moments.

Visually, the film is glossy and picture-perfect, sometimes almost suspiciously so. The polish suits its buoyant tone, although it occasionally makes youthful chaos look rather too well organised.

FPJ Verdict

The film is charming when it stops trying so hard to be charming. Fluffy and occasionally artificial, it nevertheless finds enough wit, warmth and youthful energy to make its journey worthwhile.

Published on: Friday, September 25, 2026, 12:10 AM IST