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Best Friends, breakups, and bad decisions: Prime Video’s Don’t Be Shy! promises a messy, funny, and heartfelt young adult rom-com, premiering September 25. The trailer was launched on September 11 at the Hotel Taj Land’s End.
Don’t Be Shy! is all about friendship, first love, heartbreak, questionable decisions and the wonderfully messy journey of figuring out life when it refuses to stick to the script. Written and directed by debut-making Sreeti Mukerji, produced by Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt, under the banner of Eternal Sunshine Productions, and co-produced by Grishma Shah and Vikesh Bhutani, the film is led by four fresh faces, Aarushi Bajaj, Piyush Khati, Bianca Arora and Ansh Duggal, alongside Kunaal Roy Kapur, Anurag Basu, Neha Dhupia, and Anju Alva Naik playing pivotal roles.
The trailer takes us into the meticulously planned life of Shyamili ‘Shy’ Das (Aarushi Bajaj), a fiercely independent young girl whose seemingly perfect world starts to fall apart when things take an unexpected and dramatic turn. As she navigates the messy aftermath and finds herself caught between her romantic feelings for the rich and popular Mayank (Piyush Khati) and her estranged childhood friend Dhruv (Ansh Duggal), the sudden arrival of the mysterious yet sparkling Tara (Bianca Arora) at her college and in her life makes things even more complicated. What begins as a carefully thought-out plan to get her life back on track soon spirals into a hilarious whirlwind of twists, new connections and complete chaos.
An excited Alia Bhatt went down memory lane remembering her own debut 12 years ago as actor, in Student of the Year. “Today, I am myself introducing four newcomers!”
Writer and director Sreeti Mukerji says, “Don’t Be Shy! came from a place of missing the movies I watched growing up—movies I still return to when I want to feel safe, comforted and entertained. This is my tribute to that time in our lives when we’re on the brink of adulthood but still young in so many ways. It’s about that feeling of being reminded that, no matter how weird or wild life gets, we can always find our way back home to ourselves. I’m extremely grateful to Alia and Shaheen for trusting me to write this story and helping me build it. Of course, none of it would have been possible without Prime Video, who believed in this story and in me to bring it to life, and the incredible cast of Aarushi, Ansh, Bianca and Piyush, who took the words on paper and turned them into living, breathing, beautiful characters.”
Aarushi Bajaj added, “Playing a character so different from who I am was both challenging and exciting, and stepping into Shy’s shoes pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way. Playing the role of Shy also came with a sense of responsibility—I wanted to give her everything I had and do justice to her journey. I think that making mistakes in life is fine, for that is what makes you grow.”
Bianca Arora stated, “My character has a very different way of looking at things, and that’s what made this role so much fun for me. Tara almost felt like she gave me permission to be my most expressive self on camera, and I found a lot of joy in discovering that side of her and myself. After everything we’ve put into Don’t Be Shy!, I’m beyond excited for audiences to finally watch it.”
Ansh Duggal shared, “There’s something surreal about knowing that my very first film is about to be watched by audiences around the world. I’m nervous, excited, and just incredibly grateful to be starting this journey with Don’t Be Shy!. It’s a feeling I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
Piyush Khati added, “Mayank is a character with so many layers, and getting into his shoes was both a challenge and a really fun exercise. I found little parts of myself in him that surprised me along the way. And what makes this film even more special is the journey we’ve had as a group, from being four newcomers figuring things out together to now seeing our film ready for the world to experience.”
Don’t Be Shy! will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi with English subtitles, across India and over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
