Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

The Diwali Carol: Part Opium, Part Tedium, Part ‘HoodWinkium’

What do you a do when you get to see a film which is consciously constructed on lavish scale dripping in family sentiment punctuated constantly, with Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan like, background score, which strives sometimes to slip into a television serial?

Sallu Bhai Ka Charisma Payo Re!!!!!

Opium:

Indeed the greatest social invention, the family, has kept the social fabric intact.

Rajshri Pictures has continued to stay invested in matters related to the home and the family and consistently managed to produce clean films.

Their latest offering is a quite ambitious musical with rich production values toggles between Hum Apke Hain Kaun and rehashes of several love triangles and ends up being a Casablanca.

Every time the movie stutters, Sallu Bhai is always there to rescue. Sallu is such a great pleasure. With earnest eyes, a genial smile and limited range of emotions he carries himself with aplomb. Well at last, I seem to have discovered, that he has seamlessly integrated the Dharmendra brand of clowning (Sholay specifically and in some parts may be Chupke Chupke).  Sallu understand his limitations, ensures that his character is well written, taking into account his needs on and off the screen, and leverages the warmth that he is able to generate to the hilt.

Sonam looks ravishingly beautiful in some of the sequences, reminding sometimes of the most graceful Waheeda Rehman. 

The riot of colours combined with the cinematography of Manikandan V imbued a sense of pleasantness to the narrative.

Some of the songs were wonderful.

Tedium

The Editor seemed have forgotten his scissors in the editing table.

Generous editing upto 35-40 minutes could have made this rehash a magical experience.

You had a feeling of listening to all the old Rajshri film songs with background score reminding partly of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan and S.A. Rajkumar, wishing you were temporarily deaf.

Cricket transformed itself into football and  a Hum Apke Hain Kaun song descended on you(time and again in different forms!!) sending you into ‘Tedium Abyssium’.

‘Hoodwinkium’

One always thought Sallu was not the smartest of the three Khan’s.

Well that does not seem to be the case.

His needs off the screen seem to be dictating his scripts.

While he had Bhajrangi Bhaijaan helping build public opinion well up for him, Prem Dilwala is a Ram Bhakt again, and from Ayodhya!!!, is surely bound to help him bolster his image a wee bit once again.

Jai Ram Ji Ki!!!

Happy Diwali to all my friends