‘Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani’ Movie Review: Loud Comedy Drowns the Queer Voice of Sunny Singh and Aditya Seal’s Gay Romcom (LatestLY Exclusive)

Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani Movie Review: Imagine this: a protagonist asks their strict elder for permission to enjoy life in a foreign country before settling down for marriage. After getting the green light, they meet a fun-loving playboy and sparks fly between the two. They fall in love, and the protagonist returns home to Punjab, only for the reformed playboy to follow, determined to win over their lover's family and get married. Sound familiar? Yes, this is the basic plot of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, and Hardik Gajjar’s Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani generously borrows from it. But if you’re a fan of the SRK-Kajol romantic classic, steer clear of this one—not because of the LGBTQ+ twist and I am accusing you of being a homophobe, but because Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani is a bland ripoff that fails to do justice to its (admittedly) admirably progressive love story. Amidst the din of bad jokes, the message of inclusivity is completely lost. ‘Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani’ Trailer: Sunny Singh and Aditya Seal’s Same-Sex Relationship Faces Life’s Tough Challenges in Hardik Gajjar’s Film!

Amar (Sunny Singh) is a rugged guy from rural Punjab, adored by his extended Punjabi family and the local girls, particularly Mandy (Pranutan Bahl). However, Amar knows he is gay, although he hasn’t come out yet. When his grandfather insists on him settling down, Amar requests some time to travel to London before marriage.

Watch the Trailer of 'Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani':

At the airport, Amar meets Prem (Aditya Seal), a dashing young man, and it's instant attraction. Despite London being one of the world’s largest cities, the screenplay somehow forces Amar to keep bumping into Prem. Prem, initially uninterested in long-term commitment and preferring casual flings, soon develops serious feelings for Amar. And quickly, too. At least Raj had to wander around half of Europe to develop feelings for Simran! The rest of the film focuses on the couple trying to win the approval of Amar’s Punjabi family and get their blessings for their union.

'Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani' Movie Review - Inspirations and Stereotypes Galore!

If you think the plot of Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani is already too close to Aditya Chopra’s timeless classic, there’s more. The film also tries to channel 2 States by bringing in a cross-cultural clash between Punjabis and Bengalis (Prem is Bengali), as if an LGBTQ+ romance wasn’t already a challenge enough for a still hesitant society like ours. And you know what that means in a film like this.

Yes, you guessed it: stereotypes galore.

Punjabis are portrayed as loud and crass, while Bengalis are shown with thick accents, who are dying to dance to "Ekla Cholo Re" and obsessing over their superior intellect and love for fish. These scenes made me appreciate Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani even more, which at least handled these clichés with better engagement.

There’s the ever-yelling grandpa, who becomes bedridden after discovering his grandson is gay. Instead of this being used for emotional depth, the film borrows a gag from Singh is King, where Sonu Sood’s character reacts helplessly to the chaos around him. Nothing is funny, and even though I wanted to give some points to Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani for being a gay romcom in the mainstream arena, I was too annoyed by Amar and Prem for bringing this irritating bunch of characters on my screen.

'Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani' Movie Review - Scrambles Its LGBTQ+ Plot

And yes, since Sunny Singh is involved, the film inevitably draws comparisons to his biggest hit as a lead, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. Unfortunately, this only highlights how he had better sexual chemistry with Kartik Aaryan in that hetero-bromantic relationship than he does with Aditya Seal here. The two feel like straight men awkwardly pretending to be gay (which is, in fact, the case), and it’s painfully obvious. Even Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham in Dostana seemed more convincing as a couple. Kaathal The Core Movie Review: Mammootty's Subtly Superlative Performance in Jeo Baby's Deeply Moving Drama Deserves Highest Acclaim.

Sunny is too stiff in his role, and while Aditya Seal fares slightly better with his body language, the entire film feels rigid around them. There’s hardly any visible intimacy between the two characters, as if the filmmakers were too cautious to fully embrace the same-sex romance. There’s a proper heterosexual kiss in the movie, but when it comes to a same-sex kiss, the film relies on cheat edits and camera angles. If the movie itself doesn’t care much for its own ‘Prem Kahani’, why should we? It's not like Bollywood cannot make a decent LGBTQ+ romcom; we do have Badhaai Do, don't we?  Chuck it, even Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan was more bearable than this.

I liked Pranituan Bahl's performance here as a besotted chaos-maker - she was genuinely funny, even if her motivations make little sense. But even Ms Bahl gets a pretty raw deal character-wise, turned into a forced conflict trope before the movie goes for its predictably happy ending.

'Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani' Movie Review -  Final Thoughts

Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani had the potential to be a heartwarming LGBTQ+ love story, but it is totally car-wrecked by its lazy writing, bland humour and over-reliance on tired clichés. With weak performances, lacklustre chemistry between the leads, and a timid approach to its subject matter, Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani ultimately feels like a movie that wants to feel progressive but doesn't have the boldness or intellect to be that. Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani is streaming on JioCinema.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 04, 2024 10:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).