Love, Sitara Review: Dysfunctional family dynamics portrayed well

To capture the nuances of suffering families who have buried their skeletons in the closet within the cinematic experience, Love, Sitara is a project that tries to explore but, regrettably, it does not counter the emotional clay. The narrative centers around Sitara (Shobhita Dhulipala), a powerful interior designer who remains single until she finds herself pregnant out of the blue. In an abrupt clash, she refers to and proposes to Arjun (Rajeev Siddhartha), a Singapore-restricted restaurant worker her turbulent boyfriend.

This plot is giving me the hopeful optimism as I presume any romantic story will have a happy ending as the storyline begins with the couple sitting together and making the plans for the wedlock at Sitara’s house but after a few scenes the story begins to tarde as the family begins to unfold its dark sides. Sitara learns of her father's infidelity with her aunt, causing heartbreaking deliberations leading to sibling conflicts that are played out in an extreme manner.

There is nothing new to be learned from watching Love, Sitara. Clearly the ‘acting’ is more like neck muscle exercise rather than any performance art as none of the ‘dramatic’ sounds near convincing. Most of the attempts at comedy in the film however were quite poor, certain jokes like the cow’s ovary stimulating electric bell depicted in one of the scenes came off as more stupid than funny.

In addition, the characterization of South Indian characters is of problematic nature in the film which only minimises the enjoyability. The dialogues are very immersed with drama to the point where the audience feels no connection with the struggle of the characters. Fresh talent brings energy to the film. The female cast shares great chemistry, enhancing their performances. Bhutiani, as Sitara’s father and hotel owner, convincingly plays the charming yet untrustworthy character, making it easy to spot the dishonesty in Hema's relationship. Dhulipala and Siddhartha have a natural rapport, making their portrayal of a couple feel genuine, though a few of their interactions, especially during a family dinner, come off as a bit forced. It’s refreshing to see Sonali Kulkarni in more substantial roles, while Rodrigues is equally convincing as a long-married woman who knows when to acknowledge things—and when to look the other way.

Though it has to be said that Love, Sitara did have aspirations to investigate family matters, it appears as the screenplay had writer’s block. Filled with clichés and predictability, the film lacks in performance and even more in emotional value. “Cancel it,” as Anjali says really well when discussing about the wedding plans – “Cancel it.”