International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

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Volume 8 Issue 4
July-August 2026

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Generation Misrepresented: A Social Psychological Analysis Of Youth Identity In Nadaaniyan

Author(s) Ms. Aakriti Sharma
Country India
Abstract Cinema has historically shaped how societies imagine youth, identity, and social belonging. However, contemporary streaming films claiming to represent Generation Z often blur the line between observation and distortion. This paper critically examines the representation of youth identity in the 2025 Indian Netflix film Nadaaniyan, with particular emphasis on its portrayal of Gen Z through exaggerated stereotypes, elitist social settings, unrealistic beauty standards, and digitally mediated selfhood. The purpose of this study is to analyse how media portrayals influence societal schemas surrounding youth and how these representations shape audience perceptions of identity, behaviour, and belonging.
Using a qualitative, interpretive methodology grounded in social psychological analysis, this study examines themes such as social cognition, stereotyping, self-identity, group behaviour, and mediated social perception in Nadaaniyan. The analysis draws upon theoretical frameworks including Stuart Hall’s Representation Theory, Tajfel and Turner’s Social Identity Theory, Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, Erving Goffman’s work on self-presentation, Jean Baudrillard’s concept of hyperreality, and Rosalind Gill’s scholarship on media representation and gender.
Findings suggest that Nadaaniyan presents an exaggerated and commercially aestheticised image of Generation Z that privileges elite lifestyles, superficial social dynamics, and narrowly defined beauty ideals while marginalising the emotional complexity and diversity of contemporary youth experiences. The study concludes that such portrayals risk reinforcing distorted social schemas, contributing to identity confusion, unrealistic aspirations, and problematic perceptions of young people in contemporary Indian society.
Keywords Generation Z, Social Cognition, Media Representation, Social Identity, Cultural Psychology, Stereotyping, Bollywood, Youth Representation, Schema Theory
Field Arts > Movies / Music / TV
Published In Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On 2026-07-05
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E-ISSN 2582-2160
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CrossRef DOI prefix of IJFMR is 10.36948/ijfmr

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