Satyaprem Ki Katha : A musical love story against the melodrama on rape

Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani, who earlier made a splash at the box office with 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2', have reunited again for 'Satyaprem Ki Katha'. Directed by Sameer Vidwans and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala in collaboration with Namah Pictures, Satyaprem Ki Katha that released on Eid have grossed Rs 8.50 crore on opening day.

Released in about 2000 screens across the country, Satyaprem Ki Katha is a musical love story based in Ahmedabad about Satyaprem aka Sattu (Kartik Aryan) who has failed in his LLB exams and is unemployed. Currently living with his parents and a sister, he is the only bachelor left in the locality. Its natural of him to dream of his marriage every day. Eager to get married, Sattu proposes to Katha (Kiara Advani) whom he met at a Garba night. But she does not reciprocate his feelings as she already has a boyfriend. No sooner Sattu comes to know that Katha has broken up, he again reaches her house to take a chance. Due to coincidences, Katha's father gets her married to Sattu. Katha was not ready for this, buckles up under the pressure of her father. However, after marriage, Sattu's family members awaken to a reality related to Katha's life, which shakes them to the core.

Some films fall into the 50:50 category - Half lousy and half good. Satyaprem Ki Katha falls in this rare category. 'If tea is not cooked completely, it does not taste good, but if it is cooked too much, it becomes bitter' is a line from the film. Some parts it looks good, some are more bitter to even sit through. Moreover, it seems, the film's director Sameer Vidwans took the idea of tea making quite seriously as he put the film on the slow burner. Naturally, at times the film definitely tests the patience of the audience as it veered towards boredom with things taking place at a snail’s pace.

However, in the climax, the film does try to give a strong message of women empowerment that a woman's no means no. however, despite its goal of battling against date rape and marital rape, the film at times seems inconsistent as the director did not have the sensitivity and commitment to uphold them effectively. The only thing that is constant and consistent in the film is the scripts inconsistent quality. The film however ends on a note that says that new age couples can go to any extent for each other's sake and that is what love is all about.

Karthik Aryan tried doing a great job in the film, but falls flat at times. Moreover, his acting has hardly matured over the years. Kiara tried to give a fine performance in some of the emotional scenes. But it is Supriya Pathak who steals the show. On the contrary, Gajraj Rao needs to get out of his typical Badhai Do acting which has become a continuity in all the projects that he is doing. Apart from the witty dialogues, Rajpal Yadav adds some comic into the film. The only saving grace is the cinematography and the music that has already become a chartbuster. Pasoori Nu and Gujju Pataka with the vibrant colors and Dandiya Raas may swoon the Gujratis and the Ahmedabad crowds.

Though the film grossed Rs 8.50 crore on opening day, it remains to be seen if it picks up the pace during this weekend. However, that seems most unlikely as there has been a minimal drop from its opening day collections. In short, if you have nothing much to do and the OTT fare doesn’t seem to entice you, then you can go ahead and buy the tickets for the film and Enjoyy!!