I think so too, capturing raw emotion or expressions has that interesting appeal that is very difficult to replicate with a staged or posed shots. Candid shots appear natural 🤩.
Oh my, I'm not sure about the culture back then but nowadays public pranks is a thing and people are usually okay with. Some will even play along.
Your best friend was ahead of her time doing public experiments. People tend to make the best reaction in public places. They will appear shock or surprised at first and then smile or laugh after knowing that it's just a social experiment 😁.
But of course, there are instances that it won't turn out well 😁.