Sameer Vidwan’s outing is so so obviously making no claims to being innovative. Or he is banking on the success of the Bhool Bhulaiyaa team. Getting Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani also signals that it is going to be no great shakes. At its very best it could be what mainstream Bollywood perceives as entertainment and a money earner.
Our film makers must come to understand the value of time. Even from the perspective of the presentation, precision is vital to art forms that go through a mechanical productive process. Unfortunately, our cinema refuses to grow. At the crux, the mindset on characters and incidents often affects the final product. In the process, an often-seen malady is that more space is occupied in establishing the premise rather than executing the challenge or the conflict that is central to the story. Director Sameer Vidwan who is still finding his feet in the industry, is making the right noises. This time over, he realises only half way through the film that he has a story to tell, a challenge to deal with, and for the takers an echo of what NO means in the gender equation.
We have Katha (Kiara Advani) who after a very filmi performance of a Garba is to pace up her balancing act between a non-descriptive boyfriend and the piling on admirer. Even before we head there, we are served a “the works” dance item by quick footed Satya Prem alias Sattu (Kartik Aaryan) in full cry, only to be woken up and restored to his real world-a middle class existence. Not the flashy clothed fancy sets the choreographer raced him through just a while ago. In his real world he is a no gooder who failed to get a law degree. How ever, on the way to his final year at law school he seems to have his criminal law in place. Smitten by Katha, Sattu has no time for logic, reality, or social norms. His virtue: speaks from his heart, truth specially when it hurts or embarrasses has the knack of getting to the tip of his tongue.
Sattu’s aggressive world is not filled with multiple friends as is the usual case with the guys. Egging him is dad Narayan Bhai (Gajraj Rao). The middle class Gujarati family also has mom Diwali (Supriya Pathak) and unwed sister (Shika Talsania). You get a subtle feel of women empowerment in this home where the women folk are the ones who keep the kitchen fire burning and consequently are non-hesitant to play bully.
Narayan Bhai is scheming for his son. Mom does not have too many expectations from Sattu. Sattu however is smitten by Katha. He wins over his affluent parents-in-law to be (Siddharth Randeria and after a long long time Anuradha Patel). After the abortive suicide attempt Katha falls prey to her dad’s emotional blackmail and agrees to marry the aggressive if fit for nothing Sattu. It much however be said in his favour that he is charming and wears his heart on his sleeve.
The ill-suited matrimony involving the affluent and elusive Katha with the middle class, unemployed aggressive Sattu is a recipe for disaster. Her parents are hoping that the marriage will give the family some respectability which was lost when the daughter failed in her suicide attempt. There is also the other daughter waiting in line for matrimony with a fiancé to match.
The Sattu-Katha marriage hits the rocks. She shies away from matrimonial norms. Asexuality is the defense pleaded. This far the film meanders and not only lacks direction but Sattu’s energy levels not withstanding is inept and dull. The film maker dulls his way to the conflict. Once there, the narrative picks up and leads to some interesting twists and turns which are best left unstated here.
How ever, one must hasten to add how the character of Supriya Pathak evolves. A fine role-even better performed!! For a while you wonder what the talented duo Gajraj and Supriya are doing. How ever as the film progresses Gajraj justifies his approach and Supriya becomes the fulcrum of this middle-class Gujarati household who sure knows what women liberation truly is. Both her character and her performance are milestones in the context of social prejudices and gender bias we accept as a matter of course. It is in dealing with this that Satyaprem Ki Katha makes decent head way and leaves the viewer with a thought or two. This is Supriya Pathak’s strongest role till date and has come a full circle from the helpless adolescent girl in Kalyug and Bazaar. She in a way is central to the theme of film.
Kiara and Kartik share a reasonable on-screen chemistry. Their Bhool Bhulaiyaa success is an indicator. Kiara is a show stopper who continues to look like Esha Deol and look blank at the camera very often. While she does attract eye balls, she fails to translate the trauma, she is suffering. Certainly, more punch was required. May be a Tapsee Pannu. Kartik Aaryan is in form. With the box-office smiling at him he can afford to shed the Akshay Kumar style and construct his own legitimate space. The fact that the Nadiadwalas are backing him is an encouragement to his career at this stage. He is not afraid to play the glamour boy with a degree of cinematic loudness. He must know where to draw the line and not go the Mithun Chakraborty way. Often during dull moments, specially, during the initial power play it is his presence and energy that saves the day.
Satyaprem Ki Katha is an interesting film provided you have the patience. Of course, Kartik Aaryan makes it good and Supriya Pathak special.
