Last Updated: June 29, 2023, 14:22 IST
SatyaPrem Ki Katha is a complex and emotionally charged movie that intertwines the themes of family dynamics, love and sexual violence. It delves into the challenging and often painful experiences of its characters, exploring the impact of trauma on their relationships and their journey towards healing. Amidst the turmoil, a love story emerges, exploring the power of love and the strength of the human spirit.
Katha (Kiara Advani) plays a garba singer who belongs to a rich business family in Ahmedabad. She is allowed to do what she wants to without any restrictions because of which she ends up making a wrong decision.
This becomes her father’s (played by Sidharth Randeria) biggest nightmare. No wonder daddy dearest wants to get her married soon. After several failed attempts to find a suitable groom for his daughter, he finally coaxes her to tie the knot with SayaPrem (Kartik Aaryan), a good-for-nothing guy from a middle-class family who’s already fallen head over heels in love with her.
The first half makes for a frothy and fizzy experience that seems to be there just to adhere to the quintessential Bollywood template that rides high on (too many) song-and-dance sequences, (quite unnecessary) comical situations and (too many) character dynamics. It is only in the second part that director Sameer Vidwans decides to focus his attention on the crux and theme of the narrative.
And if you know the beginning and you know the end, the challenge lies in making the middle so interesting and so unique that you’re willing to stay with the film even though you know where it’s all leading up to. The same is true for SatyaPrem Ki Katha. It’s a Hindi film, where you know our hero is going to melt our heroine’s heart in the end, now we just need to know how he does it.
Vidwans along with his writers use the old-fashioned approach – true love conquers all. And that is where the problem lies. The film certainly has its heart in the right place. But sadly it goes about making its point in a stupid manner. Why is it essential to portray every Gujrati family eating khakhras all the time? Ditto for that scene where Katha is explaining to SatyaPrem about first, second and third base in intimacy.
Don’t get me wrong but I feel this movie is so wrapped up in its own bragging that it isn’t even aware of its flaws. There are many characters which are unnecessarily introduced in the film. Their presence doesn’t add anything except the length of the film.
For a film that’s billed as a musical, there are hardly any songs that stay back with you. However, the chemistry of the lead pair gets perfectly captured in the songs, Pasoori Nu and Aaj Ke Baad. What makes up for the loopholes in the film are solid performances by Kartik and Kiara. We already got a glimpse of Kiara’s acting prowess in the emotional scenes of Jugjugg Jeeyo but with SatyaPrem Ki Katha, she takes it a notch higher. She proves that underneath the glam avatar lives an actor waiting to be explored. Kudos to Kiara for taking up a role which is unconventional. Kartik too handles a complex part with remarkable ease. Despite being a love story, the actor shows a different side of him. Be it romance, comedy or even the emotionally heavy scenes, there is not even a single frame where the actor loses his grip.
By the time the end credits begin to roll, you feel like you’ve been in that hall for what seems like an eternity. SatyaPrem Ki Katha is too long for a story that’s too familiar to begin with. It’s not a bad film, but it’s often dull and you can pretty much predict every next step.
