Oozing pomp, lacking pulse

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
Hindi (U),Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Anupam Kher
Director: Sooraj Barjatya

It’s a long title. The movie, in a nutshell, is three hours of two Salmans doing what the man has been doing of late — playing a goodwill ambassador.

So you have “Prem”, trying to recreate Maine Pyar Kiya under the Barjatya banner, but ends up doing a Bajrangi Bhaijaan encore.

The Barjatyas like their films dripping with tradition (and sweets), set amidst splendid abodes. Here, Sonam Kapoor plays a princess. And it helps that she has an equally royal wardrobe, with matching rocks and gems.

Salman No 1 is, obviously, the prince. He is pampered by a few loyals (like Diwan Anupam Kher), and loathed by his disgruntled extended family of stepsisters (Swara Bhaskar and Aashika Bhatia) and stepbrother (Neil Nitish Mukesh). Salman No 2 is Prem, a Ram bhakt (again!) who is let loose in the palace to bring together the warring parties.

The epitome of love, kindness and sacrifice, our man is also a good chef, footballer, preacher, mind-reader and princess-pleaser. No wonder decades of family feuds and property disputes are resolved with a few bear hugs. After all, no king can say no to a king-sized charmer.

It’s known that Sooraj Barjatya movies wear their hearts on their sleeves. Here, the sleeves are so full of frills that the heart is hardly visible.

A lissome Sonam fits the regal bill, while Salman tries to lift the predictable fare with his do-gooder show. But the actors are weighed down by all the pomp and gloss.