Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

Director: Sooraj R. Barjatya
Writers: Sooraj R. Barjatya, Aash Karan Atal
Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Anupam Kher
Strength: Acting, Story
Weakness: Poor Direction, Screenplay
Runtime: 164 minutes
Rating: 2.5/5

Plot: While recovering from an assassination attempt four days before his coronation, a stern prince is replaced by a heartfelt lookalike.

Review: Straight from the start, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is Salman Khan's triumph. He simply blows the top off the theatres with a double role that makes audiences laugh, gasp, sigh - and cry.

Prem Dilwale, Ayodhya's Ram Leela artist, admires Princess Maithili and her charitable work. Prem decides to meet Maithili at the coronation of her fiancé Prince Vijay in Pritampur. But Vijay's fallen prey to a conspiracy by his wicked brother Ajay and relative Chirag. As Vijay suffers their violent assault, Pritampur's Diwan asks Prem to play Vijay's part - and protect Maithili. 

Salman performs with superb finesse. His Vijay is tense, terse and taut, radiating machismo but no gentleness, loneliness with king-sized ego. His Prem is luminous with life, cheekily cheery - teasing Diwanji as 'virgin Bapu' - then deepening, in silent gazes of hesitant love. Sonam carries off her role as a princess beautifully, a stylish cross between Gayatri Devi and Coco Chanel, conveying a girl wrapped in delicate chiffon, but with a free, passionate soul. 

It is obvious that Sooraj R. Barjatya has spared no expense or effort in erecting the ornate sets and designing the unabashedly garish look of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. But one crucial aspect of the film that would have cost little or no money but taken far greater effort – the screenplay – is completely neglected. As a result, this film is told in an old-fashioned, overly melodramatic style that simply does not work in this day and age. Despite this though, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is still the perfect entertainer for the entire family. 

Reviewed By Intisab Shahriyar