Netflix’s Promised Hearts, directed by Anggy Umbara, is never able to make the audience feel invested in its characters or story, largely because it doesn’t offer anything unique. The story, the conflicts, the characterization, and every other aspect of the film seemed ridiculously outdated. At times, the twists and turns seemed so absurd that one couldn’t help but question how somebody could write such a story and feel that the audience would connect with it in 2025. With that said, let’s explore everything that happened in the film.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Niyala decide to marry Roger?
Niyala and Faiq were classmates growing up, and they were inseparable from the very beginning. There was never a dull moment when Niyala was with Faiq, and the latter always looked after his friend and made sure nobody troubled her. At the beginning of Promised Hearts, we saw that one of Niyala’s classmates, Roger, bullied her, but Faiq came to her rescue and taught the brat a lesson. Niyala’s life changed drastically after her mother passed away. The fact that Niyala couldn’t do anything to cure her mother’s illness left her feeling helpless, which was one of the main reasons why Niyala decided to become a doctor, though she had no clue that no woman from her village had ever achieved such a feat. Niyala was academically gifted, and she got an opportunity to study at a university in Jakarta. The best thing was that Faiq, too, got admitted to the same college, and they were both excited to start their new journey together. But unlike Faiq, Niyala came from a humble background where her father had to toil day and night to make ends meet. But Niyala’s father loved her, and he knew that his daughter was meant to achieve greatness. So Niyala went to Jakarta, and her brother, Herman, stayed back to look after their father.
Niyala went on to become a doctor, while Faiq went to Cairo for higher studies. The woman was quite heartbroken as she couldn’t see her friend for a couple of years, but Niyala also knew that it was his dream to go to Cairo. Niyala wished Faiq good luck and then came back to her village to spend some time with her family. That was when Niyala’s father broke the news to her that she was going to be married to the son of a wealthy businessman named Cosmas. Niyala’s father told her that he owed a lot of money to the businessman, and because he was unable to pay it, Cosmas had forced him to arrange for his daughter’s marriage with his son. Niyala obviously didn’t want to get married to some guy she didn’t even know. Also, she had developed feelings for Faiq, and she couldn’t see herself with anybody else other than him. Meanwhile, Faiq came back from Cairo, and he did something unprecedented, which was why Niyala decided to get married to Cosmas’ son. Faiq was unaware that he, too, had feelings for Niyala, and so he had decided to get married to another girl, Diah. The moment Niyala got to know about it, she felt as if somebody had shot her. She didn’t say a word, and she decided that if, by agreeing to marry a person, she could help her father’s cause, she would play along.
What was Roger hiding from Niyala?
Niyala’s brother, who was sick and tired of being harassed by Cosmas, decided to take matters into his own hands. He tried to kill Cosmas, but the latter survived and also filed a complaint against him. Herman was arrested, but Cosmas’ son, the prospective groom, withdrew the case because, apparently, he knew that his father was not a very nice man. Niyala, for the longest time, didn’t meet the prospective groom, and when she did, she was shocked to find out who he was. Cosmas’ son was none other than Roger, the same guy who used to bully Niyala back in school. After Roger confessed his feelings for Niyala, he assured her that he was a changed man and that he was ashamed of what he had done in the past.
Niyala made herself believe that it was not such a bad thing to get married to Roger. Roger was trying very hard to make an impression, and Niyala liked his earnestness. But little did Niyala know that Roger and his father were hiding something from her. When Niyala took Roger to Faiq’s house, Diah realized that she had seen Roger before. On further investigation, Diah came to know that Roger had had an affair with a girl named Sharin in Australia, and after he realized that she was pregnant with his baby, he’d left her. Moreover, what was even more terrible was that Roger had forced himself on Sharin, and the poor girl was too scared to say anything against him. Faiq informed Niyala about it, and she confronted Roger. Roger admitted that he had had an affair, but he denied having raped the girl. Niyala believed Roger when he said that he never had any intention of harming the girl. But then Niyala’s trust was broken once again when Cosmas’ assistant, whose kid she’d saved, told her about why the father-son duo wanted her to get married. Roger had aspirations of becoming the village leader, and his father knew that marrying the first female doctor of the village would do wonders for his son’s image. Roger on many different occasions underlined the fact that he didn’t actually love Niyala, and had no real feelings for that girl. He was only putting on a show to get what he’d always wanted: power. Promised Hearts further revealed that it was Roger who had tampered with the boat of Niyala’s father to force him to marry his daughter to him.
Did Niyala and Faiq end up together?
Niyala had given enough hints to make Faiq realize that she loved him, but she’d also made it very clear that she wasn’t going to come in between him and Diah. In the end, Niyala confronted Roger, and the latter lost his temper. It didn’t take him more than a second to become his real self and warn Niyala about the outcome of not marrying him. Faiq came to Niyala’s rescue just at the right time and saved her life. Faiq taught Roger a lesson, and he informed the law enforcement authorities about what he had done. The police took Roger and his father into custody, though the confidence on their faces made it certain that they would find a way to use the loopholes of the legal system to their advantage.
After everything that went down, Faiq realized that he could never love anybody else more than Niyala. But he knew that Diah was not at fault, and she shouldn’t suffer because of his actions. But call it destiny; something unexpected happened on their wedding day. It came to be known that Faiq’s mother had donated her breast milk, and Diah had consumed it back in the day. So, according to Islamic law, they were not allowed to get married to each other. I believe Diah was relieved in a way. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to call off the wedding, but she was aware of what Faiq and Niyala felt for each other. Ever since she saw Faiq together with Niyala, she felt as if she had come in between two lovers.
In Promised Hearts’ ending, Faiq went to meet Niyala and proposed to her for marriage. Niyala couldn’t have been happier, as that was all she wanted. It all ended well for Faiq and Niyala; they looked forward to creating memories and seizing each and every moment together.
