By ApunKaChoice Bureau Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com
The chief shortcoming in Saathiya is its hackneyed storyline. The theme of lovers facing parental opposition, getting married in secret and then parting ways is not new.
However,
Shaad Ali’s sense of cinematic presentation lends a novelty to the film despite the fact that the movie is the Hindi remake of the South Indian hit Alay Payuthe.
The film takes off on a mushy note in the first half with Vivek chasing Rani in Mumbai trains. Both Vivek and Rani have delivered commendable performances and the chemistry between the two is superb throughout the film.
The story moves fast in the initial reels and the two get married in spite of the parental opposition. By the interval point the girl confesses to her distraught father that she is married.
In the second half the movie gets serious as Ali focuses more on the petty tiffs and spats that drive a wedge between the once happily married couple. The girl begins to suspect the boy and the boy is caught thick in the daily chores of providing for his newfound domestic life.
It is only before the end that the film gets really emotional and does manage to pull a couple of strings at the viewer’s heart.
