‘Love, Sitara’ Movie Review: Pre-wedding blues with Shovita Dhulipal

A still from ‘Love, Sitara’ Photo credit: Special Arrangements

Love, Sitara Begins with a consent Anna Karenina: “All happy families are alike; Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” says Sitara (Sovita Dhulipala). Unlike Leo Tolstoy’s great novel – whose opening lines are these words – the writing in Vandana Kataria’s film is unquotable, though it tries hard. You can piece together a thin self-help slogan from a conversation between Abbas and Hussain Dalal: “Happiness lies in honesty.” “Idleness means they’re making an effort.” “I’ll fix myself before I fix my relationship.”

Sitara, or Tara, and Arjun (Rajeev Siddharth), have been dating tumultuously for several years. They are both urbane, attractive, career-minded: she an interior designer of some acclaim; He is a chef based in Singapore. When Tara is informed by her doctor that she is pregnant – a surprising diagnosis – she keeps this fact from Arjun while offering her hand in marriage. Both families are in Kerala, at Tara’s maternal grandmother’s house, where fresh bananas are fried and a moment is fixed. 2 states-style comedy.

Thankfully, the comedy is short-lived. Early on, a friend commented with some surprise, how it wasn’t stellar to warm to the idea of ​​marriage. We learn that Arjuna proposed to her three years ago, but she rejected him. Her pregnancy, then, has prompted this turn, but exactly how? As deception and dishonesty emerge – including a potential rift in her parents’ marriage – they find themselves in a deep emotional conflict. Dropping Dhulipala in the Prime Video series is an interesting twist, as she plays another star, a skilled wedding planner who sees through the lies of others, in the Prime Video series. made in heaven.

An acclaimed production designer, Kataria made her directorial debut noble person (2019), A Complex Exploration of Bullying and Toxic Masculinity in a Boarding School Love, Sitara turns its focus on the female experience; Sonali Kulkarni has bagged a pivotal role in Sonia Bahl’s screenplay, and veteran theater actor B. Jayashree is Tara’s sweet mumma. Yet, somehow, the new film lacks the psychological depth of Katya’s previous work. While it aims for real clutter, it also seems to lag.

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The biggest problem is the writing, which tacks arbitrarily between English and Hindi (with a sprinkling of Malayalam). The family drama feels more staged than life: everyone has the right payoff for the right situation (“one mistake can destroy a thousand lives”; “the heart, like a monument, should be made of stone”). A late flare up TV serial with lots of crying, complete with thunder and heavy rain. The Kerala countryside setting is not used effectively; Some character sketches border on caricature, such as Gabby the maid with the alcoholic husband.

Tara and Arjun argue like a believable couple some miles behind them, the scene at the end is even better. If only I could put it made in heavens Tara Khanna is out of my mind, I probably would have appreciated Dhulipal’s performance better. Ikhlaq Khan, who plays Arjun’s retired armyman father, is obsessed with her the country and Duty, one of the best sitters in modern Hindi cinema. My favorite character, though, is Tara’s best friend Anjali (Tamara D’Souza), an award-winning photojournalist who covers human rights issues, and who comes with her camera to shoot the pre-wedding celebrations. A decent side hustle, all told.

Love, Sitara is currently streaming on ZEE5