Satyaprem Ki Katha movie review: Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani make you fall in ‘prem’ with their earnest performances in a ‘katha’ that has its heart in the right place.
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani, Gajraj Rao, Supriya Pathak, Shikha Talsania, Rajpal Yadav
Director: Sameer Vidwans
Writers: Karan Shrikant Sharma
“Look aur feel kut kut ke bhara hain,” says a character quite early in Satyaprem Ki Katha. As the film progresses, you slowly realize that these words ring true with director Sameer Vidwans, in his Bollywood directorial debut, painting an engrossing picture with ‘sensitive’ strokes and solid performances by the leads.
What’s Yay: Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani
What’s Nay: Undercooked supporting characters, a few hiccups in the light-hearted portions
Story
Satyaprem Ki Katha begins on a light-hearted note with Satyaprem aka Sattu’s (Kartik Aaryan) dreams of being a ‘Gujju patakha’ being rudely interrupted by his father (Gajraj Rao). After flunking in his final year LLB exams, Sattu’s life now revolves around doing domestic chores and serving flavoured khakras to the women in his household who are the sole breadwinners. His mother (Supriya Pathak) runs garba classes while his sister (Shikha Talsania) is a zumba instructor.
Sattu’s vanilla existence gets some flavour when he comes across Katha (Kiara Advani), the garba-singer daughter of Ahmedabad’s most popular farsan-seller. Of course, the latter cheekily dismisses his flirty proposal with “Mereko dekhke aisa lagta hain ki main single ho sakti hoon” and zooms off in a car with her stinky rich boyfriend.
However, fate has some other plans in store for these two as a year later, Katha ‘literally’ falls into Sattu’s arms and later ends up as his bride. Unknown to Sattu who is still in disbelief about his ‘naseeb’, Katha harbors a dark past which soon comes into light. Will their hashtag Satyaprem Ki Katha become a true love story?
Direction
Acclaimed Marathi director Sameer Vidwans succeeds in extracting an earnest performance from his lead pair, Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani in Satyaprem Ki Katha. With a sugary and entertaining coat of old-fashioned rom-com, he makes us gulp down a pill of strong message sans being preachy. What begins as some razzle-dazzle and silly fun later translates into a tale of a woman who learns to be her own hero.
Keeping aside a few problematic elements in the first half, Satyaprem Ki Katha shines the most when Vidwans and writer Karan Shrikant Sharma allow emotional intimacy to simmer between Sattu and Katha. There’s another poignant moment when Sattu’s mother tells him, “Agar kiska dard samjh nahin sakte, toh badhao mat.”
Talking about the creases in the storytelling, one wished that the supporting characters had some arc to them rather than being mere cardboard figures. They barely contribute to Sattu-Katha’s world which is rather unfortunate since these actors are a bundle of talent.
Performances
While Kartik Aaryan has his own charming way when it comes to sitcom humour, in Satyaprem Ki Katha, the actor leaves maximum impact when he isn’t flaunting his extra white pearlies or going all bonkers. Watch out for the scene where his Sattu and Katha break down on the either side of the door or when his character finally learns Katha’s big secret! There’s a certain vulnerability that he brings on screen which makes you root for him.
With Satyaprem Ki Katha, Kiara Advani proves that there’s more to her than being just a pretty face. There’s no doubt that she looks radiant in every frame, but she never lets that takeaway the pain and emotional turmoil of her character. Her performance as Katha speaks loud even in moments of silence which is a big win for her. Some more of this Kiara, please!
ALSO READ: Kartik Aaryan On Satyaprem Ki Katha: In My Filmography, I Am Most Proud Of This Film
Coming to the rest of the cast, Gajraj Rao, Supriya Pathak (except for one scene) and Shikha Talsania barely get a chance to bring their best on screen.
Technical Aspects
Ayananka Bose’s cinematography is one of the biggest strengths of Satyaprem Ki Katha. Be it the hustle-bustle and simplicity of a middle-class household or the vibrant dandiya culture of Gujarat, he serves you a platter filled with visual delight. Charu Shree Roy’s editing scissors goes blunt at a few places which could have been easily avoided.
Music
Hitesh Soni’s background score gives major old school romance vibes. When it comes to the soundtrack of the film, Kartik Aaryan’s introductory song ‘Gujju Patakha’ has some quirky lyrics. While ‘Naseeb Se’ and ‘Pasoori Nu’ has its share of ups and downs, it’s ‘Aaj Ke Baad’ which wins you over with its simplicity of words and tune. ‘Sun Sajini’ might make its way into the dandiya nights this year.
Verdict
Not once but twice in the film, Sattu quietly tells Katha that he is happy to be a ‘supporting hero’ in her story. Sometimes, love makes most sense when it isn’t restricted to loud proclamations and grand gestures. Kartik Aaryan-Kiara Advani’s Satyaprem Ki Katha is a much-need tiny step in that direction. Afterall, ‘Sach bolne ke pehle sochne ka kya‘.
