Film: Satyaprem Ki Katha

Cast: Kiara Advani, Kartik Aaryan, Supriya Pathak, Gajraj Rao, Shikha Talsania, Siddharth Randeria, Anuradha Patel

Director: Sameer Vidwans

Rating: 2.5 Moons

“You're the hero of your own story, I'm the supporting character,” says Kartik Aaryan's Satyaprem to Kiara Advani's Katha at a crucial point in Sameer Vidwans’s directorial debut Satyaprem Ki Katha. The film orbits around Sattu, a Gujju desperate to get married. During Navratri, he meets Katha, a dancer-singer. It is love at first sight, but she doesn’t reciprocate. Katha holds a secret within her and refrains from letting it out. 

This is an old school Bollywood story. It has drama, romance, songs, dances and a twist. The director wraps a sensitive and mature topic within a family entertainer. In it, there is a gender twist. Satyaprem's mother (Supriya Pathak) and sister (Shikha Talsania) are the breadwinners whereas his father (Gajraj Rao) and himself cook and manage household chores. The story hovers around women with the primary focus on Kiara's Katha. 

The first half has opulent sets, stylish costumes and tenderness in Satyaprem's love story with Katha. The second half is a whole new world. As the drama heightens, intrigue grows and so do clichés. The conflict is created in a subtle way, paving way for a cathartic climax. The treatment given to the film is mature and tight. It could have been tighter and more compact. 

Satyaprem Ki Katha is a heart-tugging film but compromises on entertainment. It gets serious and extra dramatic in the second half and just about saves itself from being another vanilla and popcorn Bollywood film. Kiara is the heart and soul of the film. Her mature performance proves why she is the next superstar. Her Katha is an antidote to the dim-witted Sattu. The actress looks stunning in those gorgeous ghagras. Her softness and strength come into play together creating hope for other women who have dealt with the kind of trauma Katha goes through. The scene where she and Sattu share a moment of love and intimacy in their room for the first time will be remembered for eternity.  

While it is Kiara's film, Kartik manages to leave behind an impact in the crucial scenes. Kartik wears Sattu as his second skin. His wide and gleeful smile touches the heart. Supriya Pathak is phenomenal. She adds a tadka to the Gujarati flavour of the film. Gajraj Rao's comic timing is bang on. Siddharth Randeria and Anuradha Patel as Katha's parents are lovely to watch. Shikha Talsania shines in a brief role. 

Songs like Aaj Ke Baad and Naseeb Se click whereas Pasoori Nu is questionable. Sun Sajni is a peppy song and so are the other garba numbers. But Satyaprem Ki Katha is dragged beyond a point. Kiara is the best thing to have happened to it.

PeepingMoon gives Satyaprem Ki Katha 2.5 Moons