Bubble Reviews

SatyaPrem Ki Katha REVIEW: Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani deliver strong performances in a dragged screenplay

Akash Bhatnagar

June 29, 2023
2:32 pm
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Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani shine in their performances while delivering an important message in SatyaPrem Ki Katha, but a dragged screenplay and underwhelming music give a disconnect.

kiara advani, kartik aaryan, satyaprem ki katha review

Film: SatyaPrem Ki Katha

Director: Sameer Vidwans

Star cast: Kiara Advani, Kartik Aaryan, Supriya Pathak, Gajraj Rao

Platform: Theatres

Bollywood Bubble ratings: 3.5/5 stars

SatyaPrem Ki Katha rating

Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani starrer SatyaPrem Ki Katha rating

SatyaPrem Ki Katha REVIEW

Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani joined hands for the first time last year for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. The film emerged a success and so does this fresh pairing. Seeing their demand, Sajid Nadiadwala announced his next, a romantic drama SatyaPrem Ki Katha with director Sameer Vidwans. The film had a huge buzz around it ever since the announcement. Even I was excited to see the pair together again.

However, leading up to the film’s release, the makers opted for a limited promotional campaign. There were not many events held prior to the release, no interviews done. It made me question if the makers had lost faith in the project, but seeing the film today I realised the intention behind that step.

SatyaPrem Ki Katha tries to portray a sensitive subject through a heartfelt love story, and credit where its due, Kartik and Kiara give their best to make it possible. The film has its ups and downs but the performances didn’t disappoint. The visuals are appealing, the story emerges from a pure intention and the journey the characters take will keep you engrossed.

Kartik’s Sattu belongs to a family where women are the bread earners and men are the home makers. While there is still a little of the stereotyping on the judgements that come in this scenario, but kudos for showing such a family in a small town. Sattu’s equation with his dad is more friend-like and a big plus point for the film.

There are a few scenes that will tug on your heartstrings. The scene where Kartik’s Sattu goes to beat an ex boyfriend of Katha, simultaneously running with Katha opening up to Sattu’s family is quite overwhelming. Both Kartik and Kiara seem natural and you feel for them.

Then there is a scene where Kartik and Kiara get intimate for the first time and the actress puts up a phenomenal performance there. A huge conversation scene towards the end also hits the mark. All of it could have been savoured better if the screenplay was just a bit tight.

Drawbacks

There are some drawbacks too for SPKK. The screenplay is a bit dragged and since the film tries to make you feel emotional for its lead characters, it somewhere misses that mark at times. As soon as you start to feel a connection, the screenplay will put a scene of completely different vibe that will break the connect.

The film was promoted as a musical, but unfortunately it is a bit underwhelming. Apart from Aaj Ke Baad and one Arijit Singh song, the other tracks are quite average. For a musical, that is a bit disappointing. Aaj Ke Baad though becomes all the more impactful with the wedding visuals as there is a contrast going on the screen in emotions.

While I was okay with everything, there was one point that I felt was a big drawback for the film. The makers were delivering a strong message on an important issue, but involuntarily they used another important issue rather wrongly to establish that. And the effect of it gets bigger as it comes right before the intermission, so you think it might flourish into a whole much-needed and unique discussion on Indian celluloid. But alas, it doesn’t happen.

As a personal opinion, I would have loved if the story was told from Katha’s point of view. Would have left a better impact. Yet, the makers deserve credit for maintaining the balance between Bollywood masala and sensitivity.

Satyaprem-ki-katha-poster-2

Story

Satyaprem aka Sattu is a small town boy in Gujarat, desperate to get married. He lives in a family of 4 where his father is his best friend, while his mother and sister, who are the bread earners, are mean to him. Sattu has a crush on Katha, who is already in a relationship. The day he gets to know about her break up, he goes out to meet her, but the first meeting isn’t what he expected. Situations eventually end up with them getting married, but it’s not all smooth sailing as there is a dark secret lurking over their married life. How they work through this secret and the effect it has on their relationship makes for a heart wrenching story.

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Star performance

Kiara Advani is the star of the film. The nuances that she has picked, that were needed for Katha are just exemplary. Katha has a tumultuous journey of her own and Kiara pulls off each and every part of it with utmost conviction. She is the character you connect with the most and that is because of her performance, and not just the story. The scene where she opens up to Sattu’s family and the first time she gets intimate with him, Kiara shines in those scenes.

Kartik Aaryan has done a great job as well. His frustration with his family is quite evident in the initial part of the film. He is like a lovelorn aashiq for Katha too. He shows the balance of sensitivity and frustration of Sattu to the T. The actor has definitely evolved in his emotions since Dhamaka and it shows with each film. The maturity with which he pulled off Sattu is commendable. His chemistry with Kiara is really a big pulling factor for the film.

Supriya Pathak is heavily underutilised in the film. She just gets one scene with Kartik where she gets to shine, and she undoubtedly aces it. But apart from that, she just feels like another part of the frame in all the scenes she is in. A disservice in my opinion to a talent like her.

Gajraj Rao plays Sattu’s father, but is more like a friend to him. The equation between him and Sattu, especially during the first half of the film, is just so adorable. Gajraj ji is a legend, so his acting skills rarely go wrong.

Other actors don’t leave any impact. They are just there to be a part of the frame. Rajpal Yadav has a cameo which isn’t as impactful. Shikha Talsania is also just another part of frame and doesn’t get any moment to shine.

Conclusion

As my review, I would say that SatyaPrem Ki Katha is a decent attempt on telling a poignant issue. It has its flaws at points but Kartik and Kiara make the film a worthy experience with their performances. Watch it for Kiara’s excellence if nothing else.