Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani review: Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani isn’t a theatrical release, it’s streaming on JioCinema. I didn’t have to purchase a ticket to watch it, but I want a refund even then. I also want a refund of the one hour 57 minutes of my life, which I spent watching this joke of a film. It doesn’t take the subject it revolves around any seriously, let alone entertaining you as a viewer. (Also read: CTRL review: Ananya Panday's thriller on artificial intelligence is a desi, pacy version of Black Mirror)
Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani story
Story? Two guys meet, fall in love, want to spend the rest of their lives with each other. And all this happens in a span of 15 days.
There are no problems, no conflicts. Hardik Gajjar, who has written and directed this film— I will have some of what he was having while making it, so I too can stay in la la land, hallucinating about a world where half-baked films like APKPK don’t exist.
Sunny Singh and Aditya Seal are Amar and Prem. They meet at the Delhi airport, travel to London together (we are told Amar feels suffocated, unable to reveal his gay identity to his family in Punjab. He wants to experience freedom in London). They have puppy eyes for each other while on the flight. And then they meet again in the washroom of a strip club in London. Sparks fly (non existent, zero chemistry) and they suddenly fall hard for each other. I wish they never met so we didn’t get a film like this.
Now they can’t live without each other. Amar decides to stay back in London beyond the 15 days allowed to him by his family, who manage to call him back on some pretext. From the minute Amar leaves for India, Prem is a mess, constantly trying to reach Amar. And since he doesn’t get through within two hours of Amar reaching India, the first thought Prem has is: Kahin uski shaadi toh nahi kara di? Cut to- he’s calling up Hindi news channels asking if there’s been any road accident on the Delhi- Punjab highway. Is this supposed to make us laugh? Because it doesn’t.
Final thoughts
{{/usCountry}}Now they can’t live without each other. Amar decides to stay back in London beyond the 15 days allowed to him by his family, who manage to call him back on some pretext. From the minute Amar leaves for India, Prem is a mess, constantly trying to reach Amar. And since he doesn’t get through within two hours of Amar reaching India, the first thought Prem has is: Kahin uski shaadi toh nahi kara di? Cut to- he’s calling up Hindi news channels asking if there’s been any road accident on the Delhi- Punjab highway. Is this supposed to make us laugh? Because it doesn’t.
Final thoughts
{{/usCountry}}I am angry as I pen down this review. What were the makers thinking? Who is greenlighting such projects for major streaming platforms? Is this what we deserve as viewers? A film which talks about the LGBTQIA+ community finding love, but blurs the one sole kiss between the two male leads. What is the message trying to be conveyed?
The music, the performances- everything is subpar here. Sunny and Aditya both exude male bestie vibes more than two people in love. Miscasts, the already dull script (if there was any) is further sent to the pits with such dull efforts by them. The rest of the cast is not even passable. At one point in the film, while both sides of the families are okay with their sons being gay, they get upset over their community differences. Amar’s a Punjabi, Prem’s a Bengali. Plenty of stereotypes play out here, much to my dismay.
APKPK, to sum it up, can be given a miss. Even on OTT. And that's saying something.
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