Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015)

Salman Khan and Sooraj Barjatya coming together after over two decades should have definitely been a momentous occasion for all fans but unfortunately it is not. The film is not bad but there is something missing as compared to the earlier Barjatya movies like Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.Story: Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (PRDP) has a simple plot and tells the story of a royal family, family feuds, power struggle among siblings, illegitimate children fathered by kings etc.The film has Salman Khan in a double role, which should certainly enhance its box office collections since you get 2 Salman's for the price of one (we could have done with a third one too if the plot had permitted !!!! )In one of his two roles, Salman is a Ramleela actor who, along with a friend (Deepak Dobriyal), finds himself in the middle of a plot to eliminate a righteous prince (also played by Salman) who is days away from his coronation. The would-be king has enemies in the palace. So a trusted minister (Anupam Kher) hatches a plot to save him by installing a lookalike in his place. The efforts put in by the lookalike in order to bring together the real prince's estranged family comprising of brother Neil Nitin Mukesh, 2 step sisters and his beautiful fiancée , Sonam Kapoor forms the crux of the plot.Cast: Salman plays both the roles earnestly namely: 1)Ramleela actor, Prem Dilwale who provides the much required comic relief in the film with his witty one-liners. 2)The righteous Prince Vijay who suffers a vicious attack on his life just days before his coronation.Sonam Kapoor: Looks great as she always does. Decent job done.Neil Nitin Mukesh: Looks great as the prince's estranged brother, but there are very few scenes where he can actually show his acting prowess. His role has either suffered at the editing table or it hasn't been properly etched out.Arman Kohli: Looks great for a change as the antagonist, but again like Neil Nitin Mukesh, does not have a role which can create an impact.Rest of the cast namely Anupam Kher, Swara Bhaskar, Deepak Dobriyal and others do a decent job. Sanskari Babuji (Alok Nath is sorely missed in the film!!)Songs: Too many of them in the film, apart from the lead number, all others are passable.Direction: Barjatya does a good job but has to remain in tune with the times as plot is stale and seems dated especially with scenes like the Price traveling on a horse carriage and the princess traveling in an ordinary train. VFX is used to create a magnificent Sheesh-Mahal at the edge of a menacing waterfall.You have to give him credit though for the tasteful recreation of Rajasthan's royalty which is enhanced by the great locales. See this movie if :1) you are a die hard Salman Khan fan 2) a true Sooraj Barjatya fan 3) Dimaag baju main rakhkar picture dekhne ki aadat hai. A normal trait seen among Salman fans .My Verdict :3 Stars ( 2 and a half for the movie and an additional half star for Prem Dilwale's earnestness)

I feel that the movie is really not as underrated as some say. Its pretty decent with has a lot of emotions flowing throughout the movie, nice songs and lyrics throughout as well. As usual Salman has done it again with his brilliant acting as double roles with different characters. The ending was very touching and it would be a life lesson to some with family issues. There are some lessons to learn out of this movie actually. And if there was 1 complaint that i could make, it would be that the movie is a bit too long...apart from that, give it a go and watch it..because to some it may not be good but for the majority would say that its a pretty good movie!!

As has been mentioned this is a take on the Prince and the Pauper story that may not appeal to those who are into art films and like to sit around discussing and dissecting a film's philosophical nuances. If, on the other hand, you simply like a fun story, gorgeous sets, and yes, the occasional over-the-top scene, this can be a thoroughly enjoyable tale of a man who is willing to put the woman he loves ahead of himself. I speak neither Hindi nor Punjabi, so I can only go by what I read into the English subtitles, and the first ones I had were out of sync by 20 to 60 seconds which was a bit confusing to say the least, but after obtaining a proper sub file I enjoyed the show.

Only Salman Khan with his twinkling mischievous eyes and tongue in cheek style of acting can make such plots enjoyable.This is a fairy tale feel good love story with lavish sets, stunning scenery, exotic costumes and a plot that doesn't pretend to be anything other than entertainment.Salman as the look alike of the prince is of course typical Salman, making this movie eminently watchable. He has a knack of making the viewer enjoy the most slapstick and the most ridiculous of themes. Well done Salman!Sonam Kapoor was charming, essaying the role of a sweet young princess rather well. She gets a lot of flak for her acting and obsession with fashion but I feel she is good in roles like this, in Bhag Milkha Bhag, Dolly ki Doli, Ranjhana and similar. Sonam gives the impression of being sweet natured in real life too. At this age if one is not fashion conscious especially being a film actress, then when should one be? Nothing wrong in that at all.Anupam Kher is a class actor and expectedly portrayed his role as the late Maharaja's trusted Dewan saheb very well indeed.Prem Ratan Dhan Payo does not pretend to be an art movie. It is out and out fairly tale entertainment with lavish sets, beautiful costumes and plenty of song and dance sequences. If anything, I found the songs too many but as I was watching on DVD I had the luxury of the fast forward button :)The them song Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is catchy and superb. I've been humming it for quite some time and yesterday while watching the movie I cranked up the volume real high when the song played.All in all worth a watch, though not necessarily the effort of going to the theatre. Its showing on TV on Feb 14th Valentine's Day. How apt.