Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
Every week, the very awesome Kiva Ashby gives us her expert take on Bollywood movies.
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
November 2015
Director: Sooraj R Barjatya
Starring: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Anupam Kher and Neil Nitin Mukesh
Length: 2hr 24min
Short summary: Director Sooraj R Barjatya stays true to his love of traditional Bollywood stories with this romantic comedy. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (receive a treasure called love) is all things Bollywood. Even though it takes place in present day, it has touches of very old school Hindi films.
It’s not a great movie. It’s not even a good movie. It’s at best an ok movie. But there are parts of it that I loved.
The storyline is very basic and has been done too many times to count. Salman Khan plays Prem Dilwale (pretty damn cheesy if you ask me). This literally translates into treasure of Dilwali. Dilwali is one of the biggest holidays in India. This Prem is a local actor in a small village. He is a happy go-lucky man who happens to have a huge crush on the princess of the state. Salman also plays the character of Vijay Singh, the wealthy prince of a neighboring state.
An assassination attempt is made on prince Vijay’s life and as luck would have it a small-town actor who looks identical to the prince just happens to be in town. Prem spends the next four days impersonating the prince to keep the general public, as well as the prince’s fiancé, none the wiser.
Princess Maithili Devi (played by Sonam Kapoor) eventually falls for this impostor who is more loving than her real husband-to-be. This of course was inevitable because that’s how the love story normally goes.
Music & Dancing:
****
The dance sequences are amazing, a true work of art. This was one of the most enjoyable parts of the movie. I’m a real sucker for elaborate choreography as well as numerous scene changes and props. The songs weren’t very good, however, and none of them were catchy or particularly romantic. I find it funny that they had these grandiose palaces and horse drawn carriages but at the same time people had iphones and Audis.
Outfits & Wardrobe:
*****
I have to give this the highest rating there is because I really enjoyed all of the outfits. Sonam Kapoor had marvelous dresses for every scene. They weren’t realistic at all, of course. There were scenes where they'd play soccer or run through the rain and all of Kapoor's saris are never wrinkled and never soiled. But I guess you have to suspend reality while watching these fantasy type love stories.
Khan is constantly wearing clothes that are too tight for him and of course too revealing. He has his shirt sleeves ripped off of him numerous times. There are ray bans and designer dresses and fast cars with luxurious leather interiors. It is an over-the-top feast for the eyes.
Overall rating:
**
This Dilwali themed romantic drama is not the best movie to watch if you’re looking for a “good” movie. The acting wasn’t very good, the plot wasn’t very interesting and the songs weren’t very memorable. But if you want to see something visually appealing and traditional, then give it a watch on Netflix.
