If it’s a Rajshri film directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya (returning after almost a decade), featuring Salman Khan in the lead, with an ‘already hit’ title song presented with a surprising grandeur not usually related with the esteemed banner, then what does one expect?
Obviously not something great in its story department, but certainly something highly likable, emotional and relatable with all lovable, homely characters on screen, giving the worth of our money spent on the entire family tickets bought after a long time.
Obviously not something novel in terms of presentation, but surely something moving enough to feel the warmth between our close relationships, dangerously missing in our present films specifically made just for the quick weekend returns.
And obviously not anything path breaking, but certainly something worth watching that satisfies us both in terms of emotional fulfillment as well as entertainment exactly like the three films directed by the big name as MAINE PYAR KIYA, HUM AAPKE HAIN KAUN & VIVAH.
However what Sooraj delivers in his much talked about and awaited PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO after a gap of nine years, turns out to be nothing even comparable to the above three names, straight away reminding you of his two mistakes made in the past as HUM SAATH SAATH HAIN and MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON, clearly indicating towards no lessons learned from their big failures at all in a highly ignorant and casual manner.
Giving you the clear picture, nothing works in this latest venture of Rajshri-Sooraj-Salman, nothing whatsoever……except the man… Salman Khan, taking two steps backward from his last mega-hit BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN. The film neither has some great characterizations in its shockingly routine screenplay, nor any memorable well written sequences or simplistic dialogues continuing the tradition started by MAINE PYAR KIYA. Above all in PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO, the team comes up with such pathetically overused, clichéd storyline that makes you wonder that how confidently they keep on making films on the same stories again & again assuming the people to be dumb enough to keep on accepting them year after year with closed eyes without any complains as such. Yes, at times even the same stories become hugely entertaining due to the writer/director’s exceptional novel treatment & presentation. But sadly that is not visible anywhere in this film that unexpectedly even starts boring the viewers in its second half.
Recalling the experience of watching it in the theater, I was really surprised to see simply nothing executed on screen with the backing of some solid writing (post the decent opening Ramlila sequence) and the film progressing so casually without incorporating any kind of much needed suspense or enjoyable tension involving the double role. In fact, a few catchy songs and comic scenes remain the only relief moments in its first half, with the second turning out to be so painfully long that you keep looking at your mobile/watch repeatedly as if it’s already gone beyond 3 hours shattering all kinds of expectations raised.
The cast ensemble including a couple of forgotten names, seem to be only interested in carelessly completing their given jobs establishing no emotional connect with their ultimate viewers, contributing ‘nothing’. And the names include veterans like Anupam Kher followed by Swara Bhaskar, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh and the snake-man Arman Kohli. To be fair, there is only one person who randomly makes you laugh in his few scenes and he is Deepak Dobriyal who sadly remains under-utilized in the entire film displaying a shocking lack of vision.
Rephrasing the above, in PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO we have two lovers but no loving chemistry between them despite the hit tracks, brothers and sisters with no depth in their vaguely written characters placed just to get united again, villains with no emphasis given on their evil intentions or villainy and many deliberately inserted sequences like the unexciting football match post interval lacking the much-desired universal appeal and joy. Moreover except a couple of catchy compositions, both the lyricist and composer desperately keep trying to get into the Ravindra Jain/Ram Laxman mood making a conscious effort.
Ruining it further, it was hard to understand the director’s obsession with the highly outdated mirror sequences towards the end that had no charm at all reminding you of the famous climax sequence of Bruce Lee's ENTER THE DRAGON. Besides the never-ending final hour of the film becomes so tough to bear, exactly like watching the last few overs of a one day cricket match that has already been lost in its 40th over.
To be honest, in the entire film I kept wondering that,
A. Was this the story Sooraj R Barjatya kept searching for since 2006 which is clearly a take-off from famous novels such as “The Prisoner of Zenda” and “The Prince and the Pauper” (with the shades of BAWARCHI), already adapted several times in the West as well as in numerous Hindi films changing the theme from Kings to Dons since the mid of last century? Ironically Rajshri itself had earlier made a film with a similar subject as “Rakta Bandhan” in 1984 featuring Mithun Chakraborty in the double role of a simple villager and a dacoit.
B. Was this the film Salman approved of - full of old time obsolete feel, based on a ridiculously stereotyped theme, having only a few engaging moments, at your face brand promotion, lackluster background score, unimpressive ‘big-empire’ grandeur (that only worked in the promos) and loads of full length songs thrown in just like that, assuming that the viewers are still living somewhere in the 90s?
C. Or Was this a mess, wherein Sooraj was not allowed to do what he was willing to, with the major suggestions/interventions coming from the now much bigger STAR with no intentions of breaking through his own comfort zone?
In all, a big unexpected let-down, PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO actually has nothing Rajshri, Sooraj and Salman together are known for, not even the emotional warmth they used to offer in their earlier films. But here I will like to end on a much alarming note addressing the younger brigade born post the 90s, watching just Hindi films alone and nothing else.
If you fondly consider yourself as a true lover of cinema, but still watch just the mainstream Hindi movies only due to any kind of personal reservation or assumptions, then you are actually keeping yourself deprived of the REAL INDIA – that is a land of diversified cultures full of uncountable great stories told in its different languages.
And since Cinema is simply ‘The art of Story-telling’ using the combined impact of sound & visuals on the screen, you are actually not watching Cinema if they are not giving you all ‘new virgin stories’ in these films conceived by your favourite writers, directors or the influential actors.
So if you are seriously interested in the REAL CINEMA capable of adding a lot into your personal perspective towards life, then boldly ask for new stories, new insights into relationships, breaking new grounds in these films coming from your lovable icons and not just be satisfied by the same old dull, routine, overused stuff they keep on offering in the name of mainstream entertaining Cinema on regular basis.
But admittedly, since that is not going to change in the near future, therefore shed off any of your childish inhibitions and start watching the HINDI CLASSICS and REGIONAL CINEMA being made within our own country that will shockingly stun you in such a way that you would start cursing why I wasn’t told this eye-opener truth before……… saving all those years spent just watching the new Hindi mainstream movies released every Friday.
For instance, the day I watched PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO in the morning, I also witnessed the National Award winner Malayalam movie titled INDIAN RUPEE in the afternoon and then saw the trailers of upcoming KATYAR KALJAT GHUSALI & NATSAMRAT (both Marathi) in the night. And realizing the gigantic ‘quality’ difference in the vision expressed in these gutsy regional movies ……. I wrote,
“Yeh Khaali Bajte Gharhey Se Naam, Kaisa Shor Macha Rahey Hain,
Yeh ‘Kya Cheez’ Dikha Rahey Hain, Aur Woh ‘KYAAA CHEEEEZ’ Bana Rahey Hain”
Rating : 1.5 / 5 (Including the big 1 just for its couple of melodious songs & some better tracks)
Cheers!
