Pranav Birje | Senior Correspondent
Bollywood loves a star kid, but few manage to turn expectations on their head quite like Khushi Kapoor has with Loveyapa. Before the film’s release, she was seen as a promising new face, with the Kapoor legacy but still untested on her own. Post-Loveyapa, the conversation has shifted. Khushi has emerged as the film’s biggest surprise, effortlessly holding her own in the rom-com space.
Romantic comedies demand more than just good looks – they require a certain lightness, impeccable timing, and the ability to make audiences root for love. Khushi brings all this and more to Loveyapa. As the female lead, she’s full of spunk, wit, and an emotionality that elevates the character beyond the usual banal rom-com template. There’s a quiet confidence to her performance, a self-assuredness that makes even the simplest moments – be it a flirtatious exchange or a heartfelt confession – engaging making you invest in her.
While the industry had its eyes on Junaid Khan, expecting him to take the lead, it’s Khushi who ends up stealing the show in key moments. Her chemistry with Junaid is natural, but what truly makes her shine is her ability to soar even in scenes where she’s alone. She understands the genre, the rhythm of a rom-com, and delivers a performance that feels unrehearsed.
It would’ve been easy to write off Khushi as yet another Kapoor making her way into films, but Loveyapa has shifted that perception. Unlike her debut in The Archies, where she was part of a larger ensemble, this film allows her to take center stage and she delivers. The nervousness one might expect from a second film? Nowhere to be seen. Instead, she brings an ease and effortlessness that makes her a natural fit for this space.
If Loveyapa is anything to go by, Bollywood has found a fresh new rom-com star in Khushi Kapoor.