Satyaprem Ki Katha is an example of why trailers are extremely important as a window to the film; If they’re not unique or exciting, you’ve lost your audience well before any gimmicky pre-release promotional strategies.
That was my sentiment until I watched Satyaprem Ki Katha and boy, was I pleasantly surprised.
What seems like a silly rom com, with a starry-eyed good-for-nothing boy falling for a popular rich girl, is a progressive film touching upon some serious social issues that should come with a trigger warning.
With some brave and sensitive subjects being explored in the film, it’s a shame that the makers chose to promote only the fluff that offered nothing new.
I understand the safe approach, but it almost disrespectful to the audience’s sensibilities and capacity to appreciate delicate subjects such as consent, suicide and more.
The same goes for the treatment of the film – it never spends too long in moments of agony, jumping from serious to romance to humour and even borderline slapstick in places.
Without giving away too much, here’s my take on the film and its narrative arc:
Set in Gujarat, India, Satyaprem Ki Katha opens with a song introducing the “Gujju Pataka” Satyaprem or Sattu (Kartik Aaryan), followed by showing us his world, and his desperate desire to get married. Cut to, flashback to another song introducing Katha (Kiara Advani) performing at a Garba night where Sattu falls in love at first sight.
The exposition of the film takes over an hour that is nothing to write home about – basically covering most of what we see in the first one minute of the trailer.
There are several rising actions in the first act pushing the story along, but none that reveal the true nature of the subject… until the second act.
After much lingering, choppy screenplay, and lazy dialogues we arrive at the crux of the film – a traumatic, distressing reality that breaks your heart. Again, something I wish was at least hinted at in the film promotions.
What follows is a (slightly) preachy yet important and relevant portrayal of patriarchy, trauma, relationships, friendship, and love.
Speaking of performances, lead actors Advani and Aaryan own their characters with all its shades. Watch out for the scenes when Katha finally breaks down while reliving her ordeal and Sattu confronts the culprit/s. It’s heartrending.
The supporting cast of Gajraj Rao as the friendly father, Supriya Pathak as the nagging wife and mother, and Siddharth Randeria as regressive sinister patriarch strengthen the screenplay. Unfortunately, Shikha Talsania as Sattu’s sister is wasted and completely side-lined during the course of the film.
Directed by Sameer Vidwans, the subject of the film is its USP. However, the poor writing and bumpy narrative is its weakness. It picks up and drops at several points overstretching the runtime, which tests the patience of the viewer.
Each time a conflict comes to a resolution, the arc dips into another action and reaction cycle.
Overall, Satyaprem Ki Katha is a brave film failed by its gimmicky treatment. It dares to be brave and deserves a watch with the family.
Popcorn Rating – 
[3/5]
PS – Pasoori remake is blended rather seamlessly in the film, but it’s still quite unnecessary.
