Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Hindi Movie
I was in two minds as I booked my ticket for Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. This was for the first show at a Mumbai single screen. I wondered if it would be a good idea to watch the film at the single screen. But then I did book it anyway. And was this an experience!
To simplify PRDP is more like a music concert. Like concerts of yore, which would have fillers of comic acts and skits, this concert too had fillers. So there were songs and there were small acts in between. Songs that are for almost every occasion possible. All songs featured Salman Khan; all skits featured Salman Khan. There was also Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar, Anupam Kher, Armaan Kohli, junior actors and Neil Nitin Mukesh (In order of screen presence). The songs were meant to entertain, the skits probably supposed to connect songs. The problem is that most songs are unbearably bad. They are loud, and unentertaining. And beyond a point torturous!
Returning as a pair after over 15 years, Salman Khan and Sooraj Barjatya have made history with all their previous alliances. Maine Pyar Kiya is a cult, Hum Aape Hain... Koun? was a stupendous hit and Hum Saath Saath Hain was a success too. Needless to say that as Salman returned as Barjatya's Prem, excitement reached sky high. And that was evident when I saw people from the audience breaking into a dance every time there was a song on screen. Obviously there are more people who do not care about opinions of reviewers like me than the ones who do. And that was also evident when I walked out of the theater at the end of the ordeal. There were plenty gushing about 'bhai'. A few did complain that Bhai did not show off his torso. Dressed in heavy royal clothing for most part, Salman never quite took of his vest even in fight sequences.
Nevertheless, ek baar maine commitment kar di toh main apni bhi nahi sunta. So review has to be completed! So be it!
PRDP retells an age old story, rehashed with Salman in focus. It also deals with 'sautela' family - something Sooraj already dealt with in HSSH. But this time the angle is different. Siblings are not at peace and only Prem can fix this family, stitching the torn fabric back into shape like a magician. There are bad people and there are good people. There is revenge, retribution and salvation. And there is love. All these told in between some zillions silly songs, one of which is during a 'football' match. Shudder!
Technically too PRDP looks notches below any other Salman film. The film has been edited badly, where you will not have to strain your eyes to find those bad cuts. The special effects are going to make any sensible movie fan cringe.
Should you watch the film? The question you need to ask is "Are you a Salman Khan fan?" You will find your answer... like all those happy audiences did that poured out of the theaters alongside me after watching this magnum opus from Rajshri!
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