#SatyapremKiKatha review: Kiara Advani's 'Katha' is the real star here
What's the story
Kiara Advani and Kartik Aaryan's festive release, Satyaprem Ki Katha is the latest that Bollywood has to offer to the theater-going audience. It may seem like a regular romantic drama but it isn't. In fact, it addresses a very serious issue but gets lost in the mediocrity of half-a-dozen songs. Not Aaryan, Advani is the real star in this movie. Read our review.
Plot
Satyaprem and Katha's marriage comes with its share of troubles
Satyaprem (Aaryan) is an unemployed young man who thrice failed while studying law. He does the household chores with his father (Gajraj Rao) while his mother (Supriya Pathak) and sister (Shikha Talsaniya) are the bread earners. "Sattu" is in love with Katha (Advani), the singer-daughter of a rich eatery owner. They get married but it's only the beginning of their troubled marriage.
Sloppy screenplay
It lacks crisp editing and screenplay
The movie will bore you to bits till the interval, only after which it picks up but continues to lose its grip every now and then. There is some sort of unpredictability in the movie but it doesn't sustain for long. Where it lacks most is the editing and screenplay. I wish they could have chopped it by 20 minutes or so.
Overdose of music
Music doesn't work in this musical film
It begins and ends with songs. Before the interval, it has four songs, including entry numbers for the protagonists. In second-half, I gave up on counting. For a film pegged as a "musical love saga," that's not unusual but not a single song is catchy, including the disastrous mix of Pasoori. Add to it, the loud background music which, on occasion, overpowers the dialogues.
Positives
Things that did work for the movie
If there's one actor who I truly enjoyed watching on screen, it was Advani. After having watched Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, which barely gave her any space to show her acting prowess, Advani has proved that she's an actor with substance. Some of her scenes, crucial to the plot, are moving. Her vulnerability as Katha is conveyed to the audience, effortlessly.
Verdict
Better to skip it than watch it in theaters
Sameer Vidwans's Satyaprem Ki Katha is an honest effort that talks about a serious issue but gets bogged down by a sloppy screenplay. The comic parts, including Aaryan's famous Pyaar Ka Punchnama monologue (Can makers please stop adding that to every film?), don't save the boat. Verdict: 2.5 stars out of 5 (half a star each for Advani and for selecting the important topic).