‘Love, Sitara’ Movie Review: Sobhita Dhulipala’s Relationship Drama Is Undermined by Shallow Writing and Cultural Disconnect (LatestLY Exclusive)

Love, Sitara Movie Review: Interestingly, this week brings us two Hindi films centred around loving your family, no matter how dysfunctional they may be. One is Binny and Family, the flashy yet bland launchpad of a new star kid. The other is Love, Sitara, starring Sobhita Dhulipala, which comes with the added quirk of being her first film following her real-life engagement to actor Naga Chaitanya, which also happens to revolve around her character's marriage. 'Love, Sitara' Trailer: Sobhita Dhulipala Starrer Family Drama Deals with Complexities of Relationships.

Directed by former production designer Vandana Kataria, Love, Sitara stars Sobhita Dhulipala as the titular Sitara, a famous interior designer in a relationship with the ultimate green-flag boyfriend, Arjun (Rajeev Siddhartha), a professional chef. At the start of the movie, Sitara discovers she is pregnant, but she hides it from Arjun while manipulating him into proposing marriage.

She insists they get married at her grandmother's (B Jayshree) ancestral house in Kerala. While at her ammumma's house, Sitara begins to suspect that her father, Govind (Sanjay Bhutiani), is cheating on her mother, Lata (Virginia Rodrigues), with her spinster aunt, Hema (Sonali Kulkarni). Tension builds around her, but it soon becomes clear that her own doubts about marriage may also be at play.

Watch the Trailer of 'Love, Sitara':

Love, Sitara uses the backdrop of a wedding to explore the fragility of marriage, which can be shattered by a single act of mistrust or dishonesty. The three key relationships in the film are tested by the secrets lurking beneath the floral facade, and how the characters navigate these challenges to find their version of a happy ending is the core of the film. So what if infidelity occurs along the way—families are meant to stick together, right? The film is populated with flawed and imperfect characters, perhaps with Arjun, who is often chastised by his ex-military father, being the least flawed. Even Sitara has her secrets, which predictably come back to haunt her marriage. As more secrets unravel, every relationship is put to the test, reopening old wounds, though all anyone really wants is happiness in their own way.

While this makes for an intriguing character study, particularly with Hema seeking happiness with her lover, even if it means destroying his marriage, the writing feels shallow in parts, not allowing us to connect with these characters. Additionally, the rift and the eventual reconciliation feel mechanical as the film rushes towards its happy conclusion, where all's well that ends well. Sobhita Dhulipala Shows Off Her New iPhone 16 and Sparkling Engagement Ring in Stunning Mirror Selfie (View Pics).

The Kerala tharavadu setting adds a quaint charm to the proceedings, but the use of Malayalam in the film left the Mallu in me utterly irritated. Most of the main characters, except for Arjun, his father, and Sitara’s best friend Anjali (Tara D'Souza), are Malayali. However, it’s clear from their dialogue delivery that it’s all rehearsed. While Dhulipala and Kulkarni are good actors, they aren’t Malayali, and this affects not just the authenticity of their characters’ roots but also their spoken language, making their performances feel artificial at times. And it particularly jars when you have junior artists speak genuine Malayalam, and even they sound contrite. It begs me to ask, if you have characters who speak Malayalam, then why would they resort to speaking in Hindi even when not around characters who are not Mallus?

'Love, Sitara' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

While Love, Sitara tries to delve into the complexities of relationships and the fragile nature of marriage, it ultimately falls short in execution. The film is filled with interesting character dynamics and promising storylines, but the shallow writing and rushed resolutions prevent it from reaching its full potential. Love, Sitara is streaming on Zee5.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 27, 2024 11:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).