Alia Bhatt-backed 'Don't be shy' gives a fresh and polished look at a coming-of-age love story.

A Hindi campus drama focuses on four young actors in a tale about friendship, first love, and discovering where you belong.

Alia Bhatt is supporting a new group of young actors with Don't Be Shy, a Hindi movie about growing up. It takes viewers into the familiar but complex world of college friendships, first love, and discovering yourself.

The film is written and directed by Sreeti Mukerji. It is produced by Alia and Shaheen Bhatt. The main roles are played by Aarushi Bajaj, Piyush Khati, Bianca Arora, and Ansh Duggal. The film started streaming on Amazon Prime Video on September 25.

Bhatt shared the release on her Instagram Story, writing: "Our little film, our core four, and our amazing director... all yours from tonight." This message highlighted the four young actors and the director as the film reached the audience.

At the heart of Don't Be Shy is 20-year-old Shyamili "Shy" Das, played by Bajaj. She enters college sure that she has her life and future fully planned out. But college quickly turns out to be much less predictable than she expected.

Her carefully planned life gives way to first love, close friendships, heartbreak, and surprise problems. 

This forces Shy to face the difference between the life she thought she wanted and the person she is actually becoming.

Piyush Khati plays Mayank, Bianca Arora plays Tara, and Ansh Duggal plays Dhruv. Together, they form the film's central group as Shy's college life becomes more chaotic and unpredictable.

A familiar story about growing up

Variety India says Don't Be Shy fits a well-known college romance style. It calls the film smart and funny like Mean Girls, fresh and modern like The Kissing Booth, and similar in tone to Off-Campus.

The magazine also says the film covers many usual growing-up topics, like awkward teen love, the pain of a broken heart, and a final moment where the main character tries to fix things with family and friends.

But Variety also criticizes the film for using these common ideas too much. Its review says the college scenes feel heavy with stereotypes, showing characters that are easy to recognize—like rich snobs, the warm Das family, the typical school advisor, a shy guy who likes the popular girl, the new student, and a boyfriend who cheats.

What makes Don't Be Shy different is that it puts newer actors in the main roles.

Instead of using famous Bollywood stars to play students, the film lets Bajaj, Khati, Arora, and Duggal handle the friendships and romances at the center of the story.

Variety notes that some actors don't exactly match their characters' ages, but that's similar to American teen movies, where older actors often play younger roles.

This choice also gives the film a slightly exaggerated, real feel: the campus isn't a true-life look at college, but a colorful setting for the emotional ups and downs of growing up.

For Bhatt, this project is another step toward creating stories that help new actors and directors get their start.

The Hollywood Reporter has already noted her growing work as a producer and her focus on supporting fresh creative talent.

For Mukerji, Don't Be Shy is a chance to add a clear Hindi touch to a type of movie that people all over the world already know well.

As Variety's review points out, the film follows many of the usual rules of a college romantic comedy instead of trying to change them completely. At the same time, it lets its four young lead actors become the new faces audiences...

Bhatt's Next Movie Appearance

Meanwhile, the first look at Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming big romantic drama Love & War, featuring Bhatt alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal, was also shown.

Gulf News reported that the official poster showed Bhatt in a "cabaret-style look, sitting on a chair in a dramatic split skirt and fancy headpiece. A rich, old-fashioned backdrop matches her glamorous style, giving a peek into the unique world Bhansali has built for the film".

The production company also shared more details on its social media page.

Don't Be Shy is now available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, while Love & War is set to come out on January 21, 2027.

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