'SatyaPrem Ki Katha' movie review: More pariksha than prem katha

A still from the film

SatyaPrem Ki Katha
U/A: Drama, romance
Dir: Sameer Vidwans
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani
Rating: 3/5

SatyaPrem Ki Katha opens with our hero dreaming about being a Gujju pataka (Casanova), surrounded by a bevy of beauties hoping to marry him, until he is rudely woken up and kicked back into reality by his father. Satyaprem, aka Sattu (Kartik Aaryan), has failed his LLB exams and is jobless. While household chores keep him busy, he has to fight ‘maa' Diwali (Supriya Pathak Kapur) and ‘behen' Sejal's (Shikha Talsania) barbs. His father, Narayan (Gajraj Rao), is his only confidante, always encouraging him to follow his heart - Katha (Kiara Advani). It was love at first sight for Sattu, who saw Katha at a garba, albeit with her boyfriend. Never mind that she is way out of Sattu's league.

Little does Sattu know that his love story is not going to be a bed of roses, even when Katha's parents, Harikishen (Siddharth Randeria) and Rasna (Anooradha Patel), come to him with a marriage proposal. Saying anything more would be revealing too much. Suffice to say that the narrative is different from what the trailer lets on. Under all the Gujarati fun and fluff, the drama and twists pave the way for a strong message.

Aaryan is in his element as the relatable guy-next-door. He is endearing in the emotional scenes, and makes up for the rest with his toothy grin. However, it is Advani who moves the crowd. Attribute it to her character being more complex, but she amazes with her performance. The supporting cast adds value to the family drama, as is expected from veteran actors and Talsania.

With this narrative, director Sameer Vidwans puts women in the spotlight, gives them a voice, and delivers a hard-hitting message. For the most part, he has got the Gujarati flavour bang on, as the story is set in Ahmedabad. However, Karan Shrikant Sharma's screenplay is a letdown. While the first half takes too long to develop, the second half is too packed as it delivers the core message. Perhaps that's why a few of my fellow moviegoers resorted to playing games on their phones while waiting for the plot to gain momentum. Cinematographer Ayananka Bose has beautifully captured the vibrancy of Ahmedabad. We wish he had been more generous with lighting in the garba numbers too. The soundtrack created by Payal Dev, Manan Bhardwaj, and Meet Brothers - who collaborated with Anjjan Bhattacharya after eight years - is hummable. Rochak Kohli's recreation of Pakistani artistes Ali Sethi and Shae Gill's Pasoori just doesn't work.

SatyaPrem Ki Katha makes an interesting watch for its wonderful performances and its central message. It will tug at your heartstrings more than it will bring a smile to your face.