Posts
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo:
This was one movie I was not inclined to watch! It released during the Diwali season which coincided with the Flu season and I was one of its victims! So I kept procrastinating a visit to the multiplex! Also, It had a Star cast which ranged from my very favourite Salman Khan to the very artificial Sonam Kapoor, whom I openly dislike! So I decided to give the movie a miss! But such was the popular pressure for my review that I found myself hitting the Bookmyshow.com button this morning.
The movie is about good vs evil, family bonds, loyalty, treachery, the power of forgiveness and romantic love- all glazed in Barjatya style sweetness! It is set in some princely state where one still has the Yuvrajas and their coronation ceremonies! Well why not? It's a fantasy world, after all, Bollywood movies! And if you can have the CMs of modern India celebrating their Birthdays and Swearings-in in such lavish styles, ( this is also the political season, you see! ) then surely Rajshri films is allowed to recreate the days of monarchs and coronations for the viewers' vicarious pleasures! Not to forget the fairy Princess. Also don't forget we have already lapped up the Hollywood versions like Princess Diaries and what have you, so I really had no problem with this make-believe, another era, princely state and the plot moving around its various characters and events. Maybe my Rajasthan background makes these themes sound credible to me!
So, while the Crown prince, Vijay, who is apparently haughty and stubborn, is planning his coronation and wedding his brother is plotting his elimination, not to say anything about the sulking and angry estranged half-sisters! His buggy rides off the cliff as per the plot hatched by his bro, Ajay, but he's rescued by some faithfuls! With the entire global royalty expected for the event, The Crown Prince lies in a secret chamber, unknown to the conspirators, recuperating from Cerebral Concussion and Cerebral oedema, informs the doctor! In walks this Ramleela artist from Ayodhya, Prem Dilwale who is a spitting image of the Yuvraj and is the obvious choice as his substitute to keep the show going for the next 4 days! It falls upon the affable Prem to don the mantle of the Prince, literally and metaphorically, and iron out all the creases in the various frayed relationships, including the one with his betrothed!
What happens thereafter has to be seen, if you care for the Rajshri brand of films, even though this is not from the same stable as their cult films like HAHK, HSSH, etc! I found the first half very engaging and the movie on the whole quite enjoyable in a strange kind of way, even though the second half just dragged on and on! But then so many other Bollywood movies suffer from the same flaw because of their continuing fixation with the three hour slot! 12 -3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12 shows from the days of yore!
Make no mistake, this movie rides on the shoulders of Salman and Salman alone. Every time I see him on screen I impishly pat myself on the back for keeping my faith in his acting prowess! Wow, who else can portray a haughty prince and a village Ramleela buffoon so effortlessly and credibly in the same shot? Even when Prem is enacting the role of the Prince, the Ramleela style seeps in, making the whole act look so real and true to life! There is humour in the little scenes with Anupam Kher and for once I didn't mind Sonam Kapoor! She looks the part of the Princess and manages to exhibit a certain grace! She is an ornamental piece in the movie and no flaws therein! Just don't expect her to emote! Some of the romance between her and Salman hints at good chemistry, not withstanding the 20 odd years that separate them! Oh yes there's Neil Nitin Mukesh as the villainous brother, but when did Strawberry Pastry succeed in generating fear and awe????
The locations are riveting, but then ........it's princely Rajasthan in most parts! Some of the stuff like the mirror palace over the water fall is quite OTT, but when you are talking Royalty you can be forgiven some excesses! The colour palette used by the art director is eye catching and adds to the visual attraction of the movie!
Conquering my dilemma of whether to go for the ever enthralling Salman or avoid it because of the female lead, Sonam Kapoor, I finally went to see the movie entirely because of the youthful and ageless charm of Salman. I was not disappointed! It is not in the same league as Bajrangi Bhaijaan, but this new avatar of Salman, PRDP ( oh I so love these acronyms) would get a 3. But then, admittedly I am partial to Salman.........
