Satyaprem Ki Katha Movie Review

After Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, Satyaprem Ki Katha is yet another romantic drama that pushes a progressive thought in what appears like a dated envelope in the first half. It takes time to get used to the world of Satyaprem (Kartik Aaryan) because, for a while, the film feels more like a promotion video of all things Gujarati and a jewellery brand but once the social drama finds its voice, this Katha becomes worth listening to.

Addressing the idea of consent in a relationship in a fast-changing society where men want to embrace modernity and liberal values but don’t want to give up on the patriarchal notions of dignity and honour, the title is a play on the traditional Satyanarayan Ki Katha, a common ritual in many Indian homes. In the climax, director Sameer Vidwans blends the ritual which can’t be completed without the woman of the house, with women’s rights to pave the way for change.

Satyaprem Ki Katha Movie: Director

Sameer Vidwans

Satyaprem Ki Katha Movie: Cast

Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani, Gajraj Rao, Supriya Pathak Shah, Siddhrath Randeria, Shikha Talsania

Satyaprem Ki Katha Movie: Story

It’s love at first sight for Satyaprem aka Sattu (Kartik Aaryan) the minute he sees Katha (Kiara Advani), a beautiful and aspiring singer from an affluent Gujarati family in Ahmedabad. But their love story isn’t as simple as Sattu would have imagined.

Satyaprem Ki Katha Movie: Script Analysis

The script of the film feels like Writer Karan Shrikant Sharma had the central plot planned and he layered it up with the rest of the story. Despite all the wrong tags the film has been labelling itself with like ‘Romantic-Drama’, and ‘Musical’, it has a strong social message as the heart of the film. The entire story is layered around the said social message, some of which add to the delicacy while some clutter it up.

The first half goes like a breeze despite some characters doing some questionable things which could be passed off without much debate. It’s the second half, especially towards the climax when Director Sameer Vidwans and the team just couldn’t figure out where to end. There will come multiple occasions when you’d feel, ‘Okay, it ended’ but nope, don’t be fooled by it again.

Ayananka Bose’s camerawork is mesmerizing as he takes some bold decisions on the go. From camera focusing & dancing along with Kiara Advani on ‘Piyaji abhi raat baaki hai’ to capturing the suffering of Sattu & Katha as they face each other’s back with a door between them, Bose makes the most of things allocated.

Satyaprem Ki Katha Movie: Star Performance

Kartik Aaryan delivers an earnest performance as the dim-witted golden-hearted Sattu. His natural innocence helps a lot to make the character feel more relatable to all the introverts in love out there. He shines in emotional scenes and doesn’t miss a single note while delivering the drama.

Kiara Advani is the winner! Despite all the flaws in the script, she just grabs the opportunity to make it the best use for her. She gets into Katha, carrying a blank face for most of the film and still managing to hold your intrigue until the last. This is a Kiara Advani film all the way!

Gajraj Rao as Sattu’s ‘bro’ father lives up to the expectations. He shares a few scenes with Kiara’s Katha, but I wish it would’ve been way more than that because that angle could’ve included some solid dramedy. Supriya Pathak’s character is the most undercooked one along with Shikha Talsania who plays Sattu’s sister. Supriya’s character is hastily penned making her come across as a confused and a non-diligent mother. She deserved a lot better than this.

Satyaprem Ki Katha Movie: Direction, Music

Sameer Vidwans, post directing a couple of Marathi films, is making his Bollywood debut with this and it’s a great first attempt. Barring a couple of routine dance songs, Sameer doesn’t follow the same old rom-com template to say his thing. He uses love to create an emotional dialogue between the viewers and the characters only to drop the social message bomb on them (in a good way). Also, to all the future filmmakers who are directing Kartik Aaryan, can we please stop with the monologue already? It’s been over a decade, c’mon.

Hitesh Sonik’s background score is so soothing that it’ll take you back to the Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein days. Apart from Aaj Ke Baad, none of the other songs would find a place in my playlist. Even ‘Aaj Ke Baad’ would be reconsidered after a couple of listens.

Satyaprem Ki Katha Movie: Conclusion

So, Satyaprem Ki Katha educates while it entertains, but many of the creative choices that the script by Karan Shrikant Sharma makes and the directorial sleights that Vidwan’s resorts to lead to avoidably mawkish convolutions that the film is unable to snap out of, especially in the second half.

All said and done, this is not your routine rom-com-drama, it has to say something apart from how madly the guy and girl are in love with each other. Though it overstayed its welcome, I’m glad it was at least here.