Movie Review - Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani Streaming on Jio Cinema
Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani tries to tell a bold, dare I say 'unconventional' tale by making sure that an unabashedly queer love story is front and center in Indian cinema, but the execution could have been better. Even if the film is able to achieve via its narrative a progressive discourse on LGBTQIA+ identity, it becomes restrained and lacks an overall impact thematically due in part to uneven storytelling. Rating - 2.5/5
Movie Review: AMAR PREM KI PREM KAHANI
Streaming on: Jio Cinema
Cast: Sunny Singh, Aditya Seal
Directed by: Hardhik Gujjar
Storyline:
Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani is centered around Amar (Sunny Singh) and Prem (Aditya Seal), two guys who accidentally get entangled in the societal pressure of falling in love with one another. The story sheds light on the obstacles they encounter as play becomes real, while a hostile world cannot accept their love. Although these are deeply important things, the plot is too simple to ever really develop the fullness of such a relationship in context. While the characters have layers, they seem shallow at times, and it is hard to feel any real depth in their emotional journey.
Performances:
His work here is better than most of his mainstream outings, but it just isn't layered enough for Amar's demands. There are flashes of vulnerability from Singh but as a whole he feels barely there, almost putting the performance into cruise control mode rather than really throwing himself into it. Aditya Seal, playjng prem has bigges stock if emotions to deal with but script hardly gives him situation of high vulnerability. While their chemistry is definitely real, it isn't exactly knockout and stirring enough to shoulder the emotional heft of the story.
DIRECTION + CINEMATOGRAPHY
The direction of Hardhik Gujjar is well-intentioned but it gets trapped in his stock-standard approach. Instead the film maintains a careful safe distance from any of the difficult or challenging parts of being in same-sex relationship and finds more surface level conflicts to lay at their feet. What hurt the film the most was that none of it felt very daring; and instead of polarizing all but the simplest of minds, could have been even more powerful had it played with audience expectations or manipulated their emotions to larger extremes. Uneven pacing — there are too many moments that drag on longer than they needed to be, stretching the film out more than it has any right to be.
From a visual standpoint the film is gorgeous, with soft intimate lighting and natural backgrounds that add to the romantic aesthetic of the film. Nonetheless, as pretty and full of charm as the cinematography was, it cannot make up for the shallow script.
Themes and Treatment:
One of the major flaws of the film is that it does not delve into a queer relationship and its complexities in Indian society to full effect, This movie is ultimately about love (for the self and for the others), acceptance, and issues of identity, but all are tackled in a rather surface level manner. It is presented through the saccharine lens of Amar and Prems courtship and the film steers clear of showing the real nitty-gritty struggles that come with relationships in orthodox families. The conflict comes across as pedestrian, and the resolution lacks any real emotion behind it which results in the film feeling more like a sanitized romantic fairy tale rather than telling something truthful.
The film does make an attempt to have us feel for the cast of this film but it just doesnt seem to take things as far as it should and we dont walk away the happier either. It does come across that the film makers were too busy making sure they didnt upset mainstream sensibilities and as a result this is an half hearted tale which feels more like a turning of the blind eye rather than some thing significant or cinematically challenging.
Final Verdict:
Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani (2012), is a commendable film that strives to bridge the representation gap that the identity form of homosexuality exudes in Indian cinema; however, it remains incomplete due to its nonchalant narrative and flawed character detailing. While Sunny Singh and Aditya Seal have definitely tried their best with what they've been given, the script hardly gives them an opportunity to dig into any complexities of their own characters. Unambitious seem to be Hardhik Gujjar’s direction of Rebel, which despite its eye-pleasing visuals just does not have the emotional intensity needed for it to become a truly effective movie.
Although the film may strike a chord with some viewers for its positive depiction of a gay relationship, it essentially squanders opportunities to elevate itself into an idiosyncratic piece of LGBTQIA+ representation.
Rating: 2.5/5
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