SATYAPREM KI KATHA is the story of an unusual couple. Satyaprem (Kartik Aaryan) lives in Prahlad Nagar, Ahmedabad with his father Narayan (Gajraj Rao), mother Diwali (Supriya Pathak Kapur) and sister Sejal (Shikha Talsania). He has attempted to pursue law but failed the entrance exams multiple times. Narayan, too, hasn’t been able to do much in life. Diwali and Sejal run the house with their dance classes. Satyaprem wants to get married but since he’s not earning, no one is ready to tie the knot with him. He is meanwhile besotted with Katha (Kiara Advani). He met her a year before during Navratri. At that time, she tells him that he has no chance since she’s dating Tapan (Arjun Aneja). Nevertheless, Satyaprem eagerly waits for Navratri in the current year so that he can bump into her again. On top of it, his hopes are up as he learns that Katha has broken up with Tapan. On D-day, he arrives at the venue only to realize that Katha is nowhere to be seen. Her father Harikishen (Siddharth Randeria) informs Satyaprem that she’s at home as she’s not well. Narayan advises Satyaprem to go to her house since she’ll be alone. Satyaprem does so and sees that Katha has tried to commit suicide. He immediately rushes her to the hospital and saves her life. Harikishen is impressed with Satyaprem and decides to fix Katha’s marriage with the former. Both get married and Katha avoids consummating. She doesn’t even allow Satyaprem to sleep with her under the pretext that he snores loudly. One day, Satyaprem asks her if she’s trying to avoid him. This is when Katha drops a bomb. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Karan Shrikant Sharma's story might seem clichéd but is unexpected land also progressive. Karan Shrikant Sharma's screenplay is neat and most importantly, sensitive. Karan Shrikant Sharma's dialogues also complement the script. A few dialogues are very funny while certain one-liners in the second half are sharp. Sameer Vidwans' direction is exemplary. He has done justice to the challenging subject at hand and treated it in a correct manner. Despite a story like this, he has added commercial elements in such a manner that it doesn’t seem out of place. While doing so, he has given the film a mainstream appeal. The way love blossoms between Satyaprem and Katha is lovely. This aspect along with the message will be wholeheartedly accepted by the female audiences.Read more

A failed law exam, no job or friends and constant jibes from his maa -behen (as he likes to address them) at home - Satyaprem’s life is far from ideal but that doesn’t ever dim his toothy smile that he wears so confidently, no matter what. His father (Gajraj Rao) is his only friend, who understands him. He eggs him on when his son falls head over heels for the first girl he sets his eyes on – a strikingly beautiful Katha, who besides being way out of his league, also has a boyfriend, who is equally rich. But Sattu finds a ray of hope when his gossipy father known as Panchayati Kaka brings him the good news that Katha’s prem kahani with her boyfriend has ended for good. Armed with his smile and unconditional love for Katha, Sattu marches on to confess his love to her, without bothering to find out the reasons for her breakup. And that’s when a new chapter opens up in his doomed one-sided love story for the girl, who is harbouring a big secret. Revealing anything more than this about the plot would be a sureshot spoiler. But let’s just say that Satyaprem ki Katha isn’t the kind of film that you would’ve expected it to be from what you saw in the trailer. Far from a rib-tickling comedy featuring some of the finest talents from the world of Gujarati and Hindi cinema, this film is hard-hitting, poignant and delivers a strong message. The film falters at the screenplay level, which is laborious and gets stuck in a loop of repetitive conflicts. Writer Karan Shrikant Sharma throws in a few socio-cultural comedic punches, taking swipes at typical Gujarati families and their staple foods like dhokla, khakra and gota. But the overall theme of the film is committed to driving home a social message. While doing so, the narrative often drags with scenes that don’t make the best use of the talents at hand. Kartik Aarayn once again wears his heart on his sleeve and flashes his pearly whites way more than required while playing the simpleton Sattu, who believes in calling spade a spade because ‘sach bolne se pehle sochna kya’. There is no denying that playing a relatable boy-next-door is Kartik’s core strength and he does it with immense ease once again. It’s so easy to root for him even when his Gujarati accent is all over the place. Somehow, it’s endearing, and sits well with his character of a dim-wit loser. Kiara Advani has a more difficult role to portray here. Katha’s story has an unspoken emotion that needs to be understood and the actress gets the accent and the feel of the character spot on. Kiara delivers a fine and restrained performance in a complex role, by far the best of her career. Director Sameer Vidwans and his writer give their women a voice, by showing us an unconventional Ahmedabadi middle-class family where the ladies not only run the house but also ensure that the men are well aware of the deeply non-patriarchal dynamic. But, there are also dialogues like ‘aap pe aise sau baidiyan qurbaan’ as Sattu tells his father, which goes squarely against the very core of the film’s message. But even with such uneven dialogues, the battery of talented character actors like Gajraj Rao, Supriya Pathak and Siddharth Randeria perform their parts with full conviction. Rajpal Yadav is utterly wasted in a cameo that had a huge potential to bring good comic relief. The film’s music (Manan Bhardwaj and Payal Dev) blends well with the narrative and is quite melodious. Cinematographer Ayananka Bose captures the essence of Ahmedabad’s cosmopolitan, yet conventional vibe quite beautifully. Satyprem Ki Katha is driven by its need to preach and give a message. The subject does move you and leaves you with much to think about, however, it tends to take the more emotional route than an entertaining one.Read more